Cozy Games to Melt the Boredom During Power Outages & Ice Storms – Janet Martin Realty
While ice storms require serious preparation, they also offer a rare, forced opportunity to hit the “pause” button on our busy 2026 digital lives. When you’re stuck at home, dust off your old board games, cards, puzzles, books, and art supplies! Here are some fun ways to keep things fun or too pass the time during an ice storm.
- Board Games: Move past simple classics and dive into high-strategy games like Scrabble, Monopoly, Dominos,etc. These provide deep engagement and require hours of focus.
- Card games: Remember Solitaire, Rummy, Uno, Spades? Bring out the cards and revive the classics.
- Knitting, crochet, or mending clothes: Now is a good time to do those things you’ve been wanting to do but did not have time for.
- Workbooks and Puzzles: Solo or collaborative “brain work” like crosswords, Sudoku, or high-piece-count jigsaw puzzles can be very meditative in the quiet.
- Reading novels & books: Now’s your time to sink into a good fiction novel or to finally crack up those non-fiction books you’ve been wanting to get to.
- Want to practice learning a new language: Take this opportunity to practice a new skill. Spend time learning words and phrases or quiz each other on vocabulary by flashlight.
- Arts & crafts: Paint by color or draw your way through the ice storm. If you have power, look up ways to improve your drawing or painting skills and get busy creating.
- Fun interaction games: Use the lack of distraction for “unplugged” quality time for Charades, “20 Questions”, or “Never Ever Would I…..”, Or “Would you rather…” These can be engaging and interesting.
- Journaling or Letter Writing: Write a physical letter to a relative, start a journal entry about the storm experience, write poems, or just journal your thoughts. The manual act of putting pen to paper can be very satisfying in the silence.
- Family Read Aloud’s: Instead of solo reading, choose a gripping novel or action-dense book and take turns reading chapters aloud. This creates a shared experience similar to a live audiobook.
- Sleep in or take long soothing baths: If you have hot water, bring out the bubble baths and fizzy soaks in the tub. Or spend time doing self-care routines like a face mask or a manicure. Or just sleep in and nap under piles of cozy blankets.
- Tidy & Organize: Focus on small tasks that don’t require power, such as organizing a junk drawer, sorting old photos, or cleaning out a closet.
Think of the power outage as an invitation to rediscover the simple joys of a slow afternoon—whether that’s finally mastering a Victorian parlor game, sharing a story by lantern light, or seeing who can build the most impressive blanket fortress in the living room. These are the moments that turn a cold winter night into a cozy family memory, reminding us that even when the grid goes down, the fun doesn’t have to. So, grab your thickest socks, shuffle those cards, and make the most of the quiet!
