In wintertime, when children can get "cabin fever," one way to keep them occupied is by doing something unexpected—such as celebrating the cold weather with an indoor picnic featuring games and food that the whole family can enjoy.

Possibilities for children's indoor picnics are as endless as your imagination. Here are some ideas:

Picnic at the "Beach"

Attire: Bathing suits and sandals
Décor/Picnic site: Beach towels, spread on the floor
Food: Individual sand-bucket "picnic baskets" filled with a hot dog wrapped in foil, containers of fruit salad, sippy cups of lemonade, and yogurt or a cookie for dessert.
Music: Sing or play summertime songs

Teddy Bear Picnic

Attire: Kids and teddy bears wear their fanciest clothes
Décor/Picnic site: Gather around the kitchen table, or on blanket on the floor
Food: Small cups of tea served with mini sandwiches (peanut butter and jelly, Nutella®, ham and cheese, or egg salad, for instance). Use small cookie cutters to cut sandwiches into fun shapes.
Music: Sing or play the "Teddy Bear Picnic" song

Camping-in Picnic

Attire: Children's hiking attire and gear
Décor/Picnic site: Sleeping bags, pillows, and flashlights or battery-operated plastic lanterns. Eat in the dark, or with lighting kept low.
Food: Grilled cheese sandwiches, granola bars, a canteen or Thermos of water, and S'mores (made in the microwave or toaster oven, or a ready-made S'mores kit).
Music: Sing campfire songs

Indoor Picnic Games

Carton Catch: Cut off the top four inches of milk cartons to transform them into scoops. Have kids play catch using the scoops and beanbags.

Indoor mini-golf: Set up a "golf" course using beanbags as a "golf ball" and with small plastic waste baskets, pillows and empty cartons as targets. Kids play the course by standing a certain distance from the targets and collecting points each time they get a beanbag into the target.

Bye-Bye Bubbles: At the end of the picnic, give kids a container of blowing-bubbles or bubble bath to play with in the bathtub.

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