How to Banish Winter Doldrums and Usher in Spring

By Grandma Sandy | February 25, 2026 |

No bomb cyclone for us, but the weather has been cold and I can’t wait for spring! If you’re feeling the same, here are projects to do with grandkids to banish winter doldrums now.

Cheer up with Flowers

Make Mexican paper flowers to banish winter doldrums. Flowers are in a variety of sizes and colors. — **Grandkids can help to make giant, Mexican paper flowers**.

When the weather is bleak, there’s nothing more cheerful than flowers. Kids can help with these projects:

Brighten your home or a child’s bedroom with easy-to-craft Mexican tissue paper flowers. I bought 100 sheets of tissue paper in 25 colors for $14. Smaller packs cost less.
For a splurge, purchase a bunch of fresh flowers and assemble a bouquet like a pro.
If you’re on a budget, have kids make a simple air dry clay frog and arrange a few blooms in a vase.
Or, have them paint empty spice jars and arrange a few flowers in each jar. Group the jars for greater impact.

Painted spice jars are used as bud vases with a few blooms in each jar. Fresh flowers help to banish winter doldrums. — **Kids can paint the jars; add a few blooms in each.**

For a minimalist approach arrange flowers ikebana style. Take classes or learn from YouTube.

Take a minimalist approach to flower arranging with ikebana. The Japanese are of flower arranging uses just a few flowers and leaves in an economical and dramatic way. — **My student ikebana arrangement.**

An Indoor Family Luau

Fruit juice gets fancy with fruit skewers and paper umbrellas for this luau party. — **It’s not Hawaii without umbrella drinks.**

A good way to banish winter doldrums is to bring Hawaii home with an indoor luau. The menu is easy. Get kids started on luau-oriented craft projects.

Take an International Trip

Take kids on an imaginary trip to someplace warm, south of the equator, such as Australia, Brazil, or Botswana. Make passports and configure chairs for airline seating. Show kids travel videos and make a simple recipe from the country. Plan themed craft activities.

Pretend passport with arts and crafts done by kids to represent a trip to Sweden. — **When we went to Sweden, we had passports, made postcards and flags, and created Viking ships.**

How to Capture the Sun

Homemade suncatchers hanging in a window. — **Suncatchers are easy to make with glue and paint.**

Have kids make suncatchers with white school glue, paint, and plastic lids. It’s a great opportunity to experiment with color and mixing paints. When done, hang the suncatchers in a sunny window to brighten your mood.

Make a Fairy Lantern

To add warmth and cheer to a dark day, have the kids make fairy lanterns. Or, as an alternative, a Paw Patrol version.

A fairy lantern is made from a mason jar, filled with fairy lights and decorated with artificial flowers and leaves. The perfect way to banish winter doldrums on a cold, dark day. — **Fairy lantern with battery-operated fairy lights is made from a mason jar.**

Go Fishing Indoors

Here’s an indoor game that kids can prep and play–go fishing! You cut out paper fish and attach each to a metal clip; then go fishing with a yardstick pole with magnet attached.

Paper fish with metal paper clips are set into a basket ready to be hooked with a magnet attached to a yardstick fishing pole. — **Paper fish swimming in a tissue-paper sea, are ready to be caught.**

Weather Forecast

March comes in like a lion and goes out like a lamb, says the proverb. We can only hope.

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