Electricity is something that we most often take for granted as we use it everyday (unless you live off-grid). As adults we certainly find it an inconvenience when the power goes out during a storm or for scheduled repairs. We understand that things like this can happen, but for children the loss of power and being thrown into the dark unknown can cause anxiety and fright. However, not having power can be a good ‘excuse’ to have some fun together and take their minds off the situation. Here are some things you can do to make a power outage with kids memorable in a good way.
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Our village will often have power outages during strong storms when power lines get knocked over or tangled in fallen trees. It used to happen so frequently that the previous owners of our house had a gas stove installed so that they could cook without power. The other side of the village is especially affected by outages, but it seems that since the gas stove was put in this side of the village doesn’t have nearly as many. The only adjustment I need to make is to use a match or fire starter flint to start the stove as it does depend upon power to create the spark that fires up the natural gas.
My son is often up for an adventure for the most part, but my daughter is more trepidatious when it comes to thunderstorms and power outages, although she is beginning to overcome it. I’m teaching her that if we’re prepared and have a plan we’ll be okay. In my time over here there have only been a couple of storms that had me a little worried, with ex-hurricane Ophelia being one of them.
If we know that there’s a possibility of a power outage the main thing we do is get our flashlights ready. I have one that I keep next to the bed (a habit I formed in Japan in the event of an earthquake), and we have a few others in a cupboard and the kids have ones in their rooms. We check the batteries from time to time to keep them working. If there’s a real chance of an outage we’ll just keep them off, but if there is only a slim chance, I may let the kids have some fun with them:
- reading with them under the blankets to pretend they’re camping
- having some fun learning about mixing colours
- make shadow puppets
- learn the Morse code
Emergency Kit
If you don’t have a bad weather kit prepared, you may want to put one together. My first year in Japan I had one ready when I was living in one place, but it was more difficult when I was moving to new locations every few weeks. I don’t have one ‘put together’ now, but I have the essential supplies in the house to pull together should we need one.
Some things you may want to include in an emergency kit are:
- flashlights ( this wind up flashlight even charges your phone)
- candles
- matches
- spare batteries
- first aid kit
- portable camp stove (especially if you don’t have a stove you can use without power)
- bottled water
- hot water bottles in case it gets cold
- tinned soup or other non-perishable food
Fun Activities For A Power Outage With Kids
Now that you’re prepared logically, it’s time to get the kids involved and have some fun. Here are some ideas for things to do when the power goes out:
- set up the indoor tent for some extra ambiance
- make a fort
- read special books
- keeping in mind the fact that we still have a stove that works, we can make s’mores for a treat
- have an indoor picnic
- shadow puppets
- tell stories around the table
- play board games
- learn about the ‘olden’ days and how people managed to survive without all of the modern comforts
- invite friends over for company if they don’t have far to travel
- visit neighbours to make sure they’re okay – this may help little ones to feel secure if more people are around, too, but only do this if it’s safe to go out.
- if your children are older, tell scary stories
- play charades
- play musical instruments (or begin to learn)
- have a family dance-off
- do crafts
- learn some life skills such as meal prep, mending, knitting, etc.
- put on a fashion show
- do puzzles
- draw pictures on the windows with chalk markers
- play tic-tac-toe
- play the floor is lava/ocean/quicksand
- read books together
- have a sing-along
- play cards
- make cards for friends and family
- write a letter (use this template for your first penpal letter)
- learn to doodle
- play dress up
- colour
- make a jar of thanks
- play I Spy
- play hangman
- play hide and seek
- work on a hobby such as coin collecting or stamp collecting
- organise your recipes and make a meal plan
- teach your kids how to mend their clothing
- make slime
- work on a scrapbook from your last vacation
- tell jokes
- learn morse code
- pretend you’re living in the ‘olden days’
- do your non-internet homework
- finger knit
- learn about your family history
- start a journal
- bring out your art supplies and paint
- act out your favourite TV shows
- gather up items to donate to charity shops while being thankful that you (usually) have power when not everyone can afford it
- snuggle up and have a nap
What do you do to have fun during a power outage with kids? Share your activities below!
More fun weather activities:
