Safe Search Kids - Education, Parenting, Internet Safety for All

You’re not the only parent wondering how to keep kids active as the weather grows colder. Shorter days and chilly afternoons have a way of pulling children toward the couch and the closest screen.

Once the backyard turns frosty, the tablet starts to look like the best babysitter in the house. However, winter offers plenty of ways to get kids moving, laughing and creating.

These screen-free winter activities will help you keep your kids active and entertained all season long, no matter their age.

1.   Aim for an Hour of Movement Every Day

Kids need more movement than most grown-ups realize. According to the CDC, children ages 6 to 17 need at least 60 minutes of activity every day, while kids ages 3 to 5 should stay active throughout the day.

That hour can feel like a lot when it’s dark by 5 p.m., so break it into smaller pieces. Try 10 minutes of jumping jacks before homework, hallway tag after dinner or a dance break while the pasta boils. It all adds up, and kids barely notice they’re exercising.

2.   Turn Your Living Room Into an Obstacle Course

An icy afternoon is the perfect excuse to rearrange the furniture. Line up couch cushions as stepping stones, use painter’s tape as balance beams and set up empty water bottles for hallway bowling. Pillows become crash pads, and a blanket over two chairs becomes a tunnel.

One easy tradition to try is a ‘Floor Is Lava’ Saturday. The kids build a new course each weekend, then time each other across the room. Letting them design it adds problem-solving to the fun, and cleanup becomes part of the game.

3.   Bundle Up and Head Outside

Cold weather doesn’t have to stop you from getting fresh air. Dress kids in layers, add a warm hat and waterproof gloves, and keep outdoor sessions short enough that everyone comes back rosy-cheeked and happy. A 20-30 minute session works well on a cold day.

A winter scavenger hunt suits almost any age. Give kids a list to check off, like a pinecone, an animal track, a red berry, or the crunchiest leaf in the yard. Younger kids can collect treasures while older kids can sketch their finds over cocoa. Many state parks also host guided First Day Hikes on New Year’s Day, turning a family walk into a yearly tradition.

4.   Pack Screen-Free Fun for Holiday Road Trips

Winter break often means long drives to see family, which is usually when the tablet comes out. A small bag of screen-free fun can keep kids active for hours. Pack activity books, crayons, cards and audiobooks the whole car can enjoy. Classic games like I Spy and the license plate game still hold up, too.

Hand kids a paper map to study so they can trace the route and spot upcoming towns. It gives them a job and a real sense of where the trip is headed. A travel journal works, too, letting kids draw or write about favorite stops long after the holidays wrap up.

5.   Swap Screen Time for Hands-on Hobbies

Screens and movement often compete for the same hours, so give kids something better to reach for. A good hobby or engaging activity fills the gap left by the tablet.

Try a “hobby bin” for the first hour after school, stocked with LEGO bricks, beads, modeling clay or a beginner ukulele. Baking together counts, too, especially when kids measure, stir and decorate on their own. Swap out the bin’s contents every couple of weeks to keep things fresh and exciting.

6.   Make Movement a Family Game

Kids copy what they see, so joining in might be the most powerful move you have. A 2023 research review found that parents who exercise alongside their children help increase how often those kids engage in physical activity. Throw a kitchen dance party while dinner cooks, play Simon Says or freeze dance in the living room, or turn chores into a timer race.

If you let your children pick the game each night, they’ll feel more invested in keeping it going. A family that moves together tends to keep moving all winter.

Chill Out This Winter

Cold weather changes the routine, but your kids’ world doesn’t have to stay within a screen. A cushion obstacle course or a frosty scavenger hunt can fill darker afternoons with fun. Start with one or two ideas, keep that daily hour of movement in mind and let the kids help plan. Before long, keeping kids active becomes part of your family’s winter rhythm.

Author bio:  Cora Gold is the Editor-in-Chief of women’s lifestyle magazine, Revivalist. She strives to live a happy and healthy life with her family by her side.
Follow Cora on Facebook and LinkedIn.

When a child wants to spend time with a cousin three states away or a grandparent across the ocean, the easiest options on a tablet are rarely the best ones. Short-video apps keep them scrolling alone. Popular multiplayer games often come with open chat, friend requests and lobbies full of people nobody in the family knows.

There is a calmer middle ground: small, invite-only activities where kids make something with people they already love. A shared picture, a story read aloud, a drawing that two households add to. The trick is knowing which ones are actually set up for a family, and which ones only look that way.

Two homes, one page: shared creative time can work across any distance.

A six-point check before you say yes

Run any new activity past these questions first. If it fails one, that does not always mean no, but it does mean you sit in.

1. No child account and no personal details. A parent should be able to set it up. Your child should not need an email address, a birthday or a profile photo.
2. No public chat and no strangers. Skip anything with open lobbies, random matchmaking or friend requests from people outside the family.
3. Invite-only entry. Only people who receive a private link or code from you should be able to get in.
4. Nothing to install. A browser tab on a device you already manage is easier to supervise than a new app with its own settings and notifications.
5. A natural end point. A time limit, a finished picture or the last page of a book. Endless feeds are designed to keep going.
6. You can see the screen. Shared spaces like the kitchen table work better than bedrooms with the door closed.

Save or print this checklist for the next time a new app or game comes up.

Activities that pass the check

1. Color the same picture at the same time

Coloring works well across generations because nobody has to be good at it. Grandpa can take the sky while a five-year-old does the dragon. MyColoring’s free tool lets you color together: a parent picks a coloring page, opens a room and sends the link, a QR code or a 6-digit room number to a relative. Everyone in the room sees each stroke appear as it happens, on a phone, tablet or computer.

The Color Together page on MyColoring. The person who opens the room needs a free account; invited guests do not.

How it lines up with the checklist, based on the tool’s own FAQ and help text:

• The person who starts the room needs a free account, so that should be the parent. People you invite join from the link or room number with no account and no app, and guests are given a random nickname instead of being asked for a name.
• There is no public matchmaking. But anyone who has the link or number can join, so treat it like a house key and share it only with people you know.
• A free room holds 2 people, including the host, for 30 minutes, and you can open 2 free rooms a day. A paid membership raises that to 8 people with no time limit, which can suit a bigger family call.
• Rooms include a text chat, and the site states plainly that chat messages are not filtered. The host can turn chat off, lock the room once everyone is in, remove someone, and end the room for everyone.

What an invited grandparent sees: a box for the room number. Reading six digits over the phone is often easier than forwarding a link.

For younger kids, a simple setup is to put the coloring room on the tablet and run a normal video call on a phone beside it, so everyone can talk while they color. The page does not have to come from the library, either. Your child can describe a picture, say the family dog flying a rocket, and turn it into a page with an AI coloring page generator, then choose it under “Use your own page” when you open the room. When the picture is done, anyone in the room can download or print it, which makes a nice thing to stick on two fridges.

2. Read a picture book together on a video call

This one needs no special tool at all. Use whatever video app your family already trusts, whether that is FaceTime, Google Meet, WhatsApp or Zoom, and let a parent place the call from their own contacts list.

The best version is when both households have a copy of the same book. Grandma reads and holds the pictures up to the camera; your child turns the pages on their own copy and points at the details. Keep it short, one or two books, and let the child pick next week’s.

For the youngest kids, the American Academy of Pediatrics’ tips for video chatting with infants and toddlers describe a similar routine: a regular time, a shared activity such as a book, and a parent nearby to point things out. The AAP calls these calls “relationship time,” not screen time.

Matching copies of the same book turn a video call into story time.

3. Draw on a shared online whiteboard

Free whiteboard tools let two people draw on the same blank canvas from different homes. Some, such as Excalidraw, let you start a live session and share a link without creating an account. Others, like Microsoft Whiteboard, tie the board to a Microsoft account, which works if a parent owns the account and does the inviting.

Good prompts for kids: draw a monster together where each person adds one body part, design a dream treehouse, or play a simple guessing game where one person draws and the other guesses. As with coloring rooms, anyone holding the link can usually edit, so do not reuse the same board for months, and close or delete it when you are finished.

4. Play the same board game at both houses

Some classic games work over a video call with no online version at all. Guess Who? and Battleship are natural fits, because each player already keeps their own board hidden. Bingo works too: print matching cards for both homes and let a grandparent call the numbers.

No links, no accounts and no chat beyond the video call you are already on. It is a good fallback when a grandparent is tired of new tools.

House rules that keep shared activities safe

Whatever you choose, a few simple rules cover most of the risk. If your family keeps written screen rules, these fit easily into a family media plan.

• • A parent sends every link. Kids can ask for a session, but the invitation goes from a parent to a specific relative through a private message or a phone call.
  • Never post room links in public. That includes social media, class group chats, comment sections and shared family pages that friends of friends can see. A room number in public is an open door.
  • Lock it once everyone has arrived. If a tool offers a lock or a waiting room, use it as soon as the expected people are in.
  • Turn chat off if you do not need it. If everyone is already talking on a video call, text chat adds nothing and is one less thing to watch.
  • Close the room when you are done. End the session, sign out of the whiteboard, and start a fresh room next time instead of reusing an old link.
  • Agree on what to do if something feels off. If an unexpected name appears, your child stops and gets you. No one gets in trouble for asking. If anyone ever asks your child for photos or sends something sexual, report it to the CyberTipline run by the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children.

The goal is not more screen time. It is better screen time: a fixed half hour where your child makes something with a person they love, with you close enough to hear the laughing. Pick one activity this week and let your child choose the page or the book.

Wi-Fi is free everywhere – in the hotel lobby, the airport boarding gate, or that corner café. It is also among the easiest ways that someone can spy on what you are up to online. This is where the art of protecting your information without bogging down your entire computer comes in handy.

This issue applies to people who travel a lot as well as those who work remotely. In such a case, it is important to keep your financial applications, work e-mail, and other applications safe. It does not mean that everything else must be slowed down to secure it too.

Why Public Wi-Fi Needs Extra Care

Public networks consist of strangers who are connected through them, created fast and not managed under the main consideration of security. Everyone using the same network is likely to spy on the unprotected traffic, while false Wi-Fi spots are not uncommon either. The intruder creates an attractive network by naming it something like “Airport_Free_WiFi.”A explainer on evil twin attacks describes how these lookalike hotspots trick devices into connecting so attackers can intercept data. Protecting every app the same way isn’t the only answer, though. A proxyclient lets you choose which apps send their traffic through a protected route and which keep using the regular connection, so you get security where it counts without slowing everything down.

Step 1: Connect to the Right Network

Before any app settings, make sure you’ve joined the real network.

• Ask staff for the exact network name. Don’t guess from a list of similar names.
• Be wary of open networks with generic names, especially if there are several almost-identical options.
• Turn off auto-join for public networks so your device doesn’t reconnect to a fake hotspot with the same name later.
• Forget the network when you leave, so your phone or laptop doesn’t remember it.

The Federal Trade Commission’s tips for using Wi-Fi networks wisely make the same point: assume public networks aren’t secure and be careful about what you send over them.

Step 2: Decide Which Apps Actually Need Protection

Not all traffic carries the same risk. Sort your apps into two groups:

The first group holds logins, money, and private information. The second group mostly downloads public content, and running it through an extra layer can slow things down without adding much benefit.

Step 3: Route Only the Sensitive Apps

This is where selective protection comes in. Proxy client software sits on your laptop or phone and decides where each app’s internet traffic goes before it leaves your device. You set rules like “send my banking app and work email through my secure proxy server; let my music app use the normal connection.”

A few things to understand:

• The proxy server is what protects you, not the client by itself. Choose a trustworthy provider or your company’s own server, and make sure the connection to it is encrypted.
• Rules are per app. That’s the big advantage. Streaming and updates stay fast because they skip the extra hop.
• Set rules before you travel. Configuring everything at home means you’re protected the moment you join a hotel network.

Many remote workers find this approach easier to live with than protecting everything, because it doesn’t punish the apps that don’t need it.

Step 4: Keep the Basics Switched On

Selective routing works best alongside everyday security habits:

1. Look for HTTPS and the padlock before entering any login details.
2. Turn on two-step login for email, banking, and work accounts.
3. Keep your device and apps updated so known security holes are closed.
4. Switch off file sharing and nearby device discovery on public networks.
5. Use your phone’s hotspot for anything very sensitive if the public network feels doubtful.

Step 5: Think About the Whole Family

Traveling with kids adds another layer. Children’s tablets and phones join the same hotel or airport network, and they rarely check network names. Before the trip:

• Set kids’ devices to ask before joining new networks.
• Make sure parental controls and app store restrictions are on.
• Remind older kids not to log in to accounts or enter passwords on public Wi-Fi.
• Keep kids’ devices off networks you haven’t confirmed with staff.

Choosing the Right Tool

If you plan to protect only certain apps, the tool you pick matters. Look for clear per-app rules, easy switching between profiles (for example “hotel,” “home” and “office”), support for encrypted proxy connections and a simple interface you’ll actually keep using. A comparison of proxy routing software can help you weigh options side by side before your next trip.

FAQ

Is hotel Wi-Fi safe to use?

It can be used safely with care. Confirm the network name with staff, use HTTPS sites and protect sensitive apps with an extra layer.

Why not protect every app on public Wi-Fi?

You can, but it often slows down streaming, downloads and updates that don’t carry personal data. Selective protection keeps important apps safe and everything else fast.

What is an evil twin hotspot?

A fake Wi-Fi network made to look like a real one, set up to intercept the data of anyone who connects.

Does a proxy encrypt my traffic?

Not always on its own. Make sure the connection between your device and the proxy server is encrypted, and keep using HTTPS sites.

Should kids use public Wi-Fi?

Only on networks a parent has confirmed, with parental controls on and no logins entered.

Final Thoughts

Public Wi-Fi doesn’t have to be a choice between safety and speed. Confirm the network, decide which apps truly need protection, route only those through a secure connection, and keep the everyday basics switched on. Your bank and work accounts stay protected, and your music, maps and updates keep running at full speed.

Here’s a quick test. If your nanny posted a sweet photo of your daughter at the park this afternoon, with the park tagged, would you know? And would she know she shouldn’t have?

For a lot of families, the honest answer to both is “probably not.” The nanny background check came back clean, the references glowed and the kids adore her, so the hiring part feels finished. But a background check only tells you about someone’s past. It can’t tell her your rules on photos, screens, car rides or visitors, and many nanny mix-ups happen simply because nobody said those rules out loud.

Hiring a nanny safely has two halves: choosing the right person, and then giving that person clear house rules. Six short conversations in the first week cover almost every gap. Here they are, ideally written down so everyone starts on the same page.

What a Nanny Background Check Does and Doesn’t Tell You

A standard nanny background check usually covers identity, criminal records and, depending on the service, driving history and sex offender registries. That’s an important floor, and it’s worth asking exactly which databases were searched and how recently. Reputable nanny agencies typically screen and interview candidates before placement, but house rules are still the family’s job.

What no check can show is how a caregiver will handle the gray areas of your particular home. That gap says nothing bad about her. She simply hasn’t been told yet. Most good nannies welcome clear rules, because guessing is stressful for them too.

Your Nanny Social Media Policy

Photos are the conversation parents forget most often, and a written nanny social media policy takes about ten minutes to agree on. A few questions to settle together:

• Can she post photos of your children anywhere, including her own private accounts?
• If so, are faces okay, or only hands, backs and silhouettes?
• Location tags, school names and uniforms stay out, since they reveal routines.
• Can she share photos in a group chat with other nannies or a playgroup?

Many families land on one simple rule: photos go to the parents only, and the parents decide what goes online. Whatever you choose, put it in writing so it doesn’t depend on anyone’s memory.

Nanny Screen Time Rules While You’re Out

Your rules shouldn’t change just because you’ve left the house. Clear nanny screen time rules are specific: how much time per day, which shows or apps are allowed, and where devices live, such as shared rooms only. Mention any parental controls you’ve set up and ask her to leave them as they are.

Talk about her phone too. Most parents are fine with a nanny checking messages; fewer are fine with long scrolling at the playground. A friendly “phone away during outdoor play and bath time” sets the tone without micromanaging.

And cover the moment you hope never happens: if a child sees something upsetting online, the plan can be as simple as “close it, comfort them, tell me tonight.”

Driving, Car Seats and Who Else May Ride

If your nanny will drive the children, settle these before the first outing:

• Whose car, and whose insurance covers it.
• Car seats: who installs them, and a check together that they’re installed correctly. Certified child passenger safety technicians offer seat checks in many communities, and you can find one through NHTSA’s car seat inspection locator.
• Phone use while driving: hands-free only, or none at all.
• Passengers: can she give a ride to another nanny, a friend or her own child?
• Destinations: which trips need a quick text first, such as anything involving the highway.

Visitors, Outings and Check-Ins

Can a friend of hers stop by? Can the kids join a playdate at another family’s house while you’re at work? Is the neighborhood pool okay in summer?

Sort plans into three groups: automatic yes, ask first, and no. It sounds formal, but it saves both of you from awkward texts later.

Pickups deserve their own short list. Write down which adults may collect the children from school, practices or a friend’s house, and share the same list with those places. If someone new needs to do a pickup, the rule can be that you text the school and the nanny yourself, so nobody has to guess whether a change is real.

Agree on check-ins as well. Some parents love a midday photo or a quick “nap went well.” Others prefer quiet unless something comes up. Either works, as long as you both know which one you’ve chosen.

The Emergency Plan

Finally, the conversation you hope will stay theoretical. Before her first solo day:

• Confirm she’s current on infant and child CPR and first aid, or book a class together.
• Post allergy and medication information on the fridge, with doses and the pediatrician’s number.
• Write down who to call, in order: 911 in an emergency, then you, then a backup adult nearby.
• Show her where the first-aid kit, flashlight and spare keys live.
• Keep your full address and nearest cross street by the phone, since a nervous caller can forget them.
• Walk through a power outage, a lost child at the park and a sudden fever.

It takes about twenty minutes, and it means a scary moment starts with a plan.

Put It All on One Page

Gather every decision into one shared document and look at it together again after the first month. Kids grow, routines shift, and the best nanny relationships are the ones where rules feel easy to talk about.

A simple format works well: one line per rule, plus a short reason. “No location tags, because they show where the kids go every day” is easier to remember, and easier to respect, than a bare “no tags.” Keep the page on the fridge or in a shared note, and add to it whenever something new comes up, like a first sleepover, a new driver or the first summer at the pool.

The background check got her through the door. These conversations are what keep everyone safe once she’s inside.