With winter quickly approaching, it is time to start thinking about activities that your family can enjoy around your indoor fireplace. After a summer filled with outdoor activities and time spent together as a family, you might be wondering how you can keep this family togetherness going through the winter. Many families default to watching tv as their evening activity when the weather is bad, but there are plenty of wintertime activities that you can use to keep your family engaged and interacting.
Try out a few of these fireplace activites to keep your family warm and happy throughout the winter.
Fireplace Activity #1: Making S’Mores
Nothing tastes better than roasted marshmallows hot off the fire. Fortunately, this summertime campfire favorite can be replicated over your indoor fireplace. Gather the kids around the fire and make sure everyone has a roasting stick. Once the marshmallows are roasted, you can set up a build your own s’mores bar on your coffee table. Include marshmallows, chocolate – white chocolate, milk chocolate and dark chocolate, graham crackers, and more.
Fireplace Activity #2: Indoor Picnic
While you will not be able to have a picnic in the park this time of year, you can replicate the fun and festivity right in your own living room. Set up a blanket and gather the family around. You can try out different dishes or stick to the tried and true favorites.
In addition to being fun for families with kids, this can easily be converted into a romantic activity for couples. A quiet evening in, with plenty of blankets, wine, and dinner in front of the fireplace can be a great way to relax and recharge.
Fireplace Activity #3: Ghost Stories
Another campfire favorite is a spooky night of ghost stories. Like s’mores, you can move this summertime favorite into your living room. Light a fire and gather everyone around in a circle. Invite your friends, family, or even your neighbors. You can designate someone as the storyteller, have everyone take turns telling their favorites, or even turn it into a storytelling game.
Instead of having one person telling a story, consider going around the circle with everyone adding the next sentence to the story. Another alternative to this is that the storyteller can “pass” the story on to anyone else at any time – even in the middle of a sentence. This can result in hilarious plot twists that will have everyone scrambling to keep up or laughing along with their friends and family.
Fireplace Activity #4: Family Game Night
A family game night can be a fun way to spend a night in. Pull out a deck of cards or your favorite board games and do something that the whole family can enjoy together. The flickering flames of the fireplace will go great with your favorite snacks and a night of family fun.
Fireplace Activity #5: Take Family Photos
While the summertime staple is a family photo on the beach, a flickering fireplace can be the perfect backdrop for a family looking to update their collection of photos with a wintertime look. Dress everyone up in their favorite sweaters and gather around the fireplace. Pictures are a great way to preserve memories that will last a lifetime. After all, a picture is worth a thousand words. Why not incorporate your fireplace in your family’s winter memories?
Fireplace Activity #6: Christmas Time Crafts
If you have small kids and a free afternoon, consider spending the afternoon making Christmas ornaments or other decorations. You can create construction paper snowmen with cotton ball noses, traditional popcorn garlands for the tree, or even have a stocking decorating party where everyone can take home their creation and hang it up on Christmas Eve.
Unlike a television, using the fireplace as the focal point of your room can help to keep everyone engaged and working together. As an added bonus, your fireplace can help you save money on your electric bill. Your fireplace will keep your living room toasty and warm. When your family is spending more time around the fireplace, they will be spending less time in other, cooler parts of your home.
To learn more about the types of indoor fireplaces you can use for these fun fireplace activities, browse the extensive selection on our website. Whether you are looking for a brand new fireplace, fireplace accessories, or just new ways to spruce up your existing fireplace, our team at Armand’s Discount is here to help. We are just a quick phone call away.