By Reese McBride

Afraid of boredom during winter break? Here are some ideas to keep you busy.

Hit the slopes

If you like being outside during the winter, you could go skiing, snowboarding, or tubing. Mad River Mountain or Perfect North Slopes offer all of these services and are about one hour and 15 minutes away from Bellbrook. “We had a good first time experience and we even bought a season pass,” Natalie Kaispol said on Perfect North Slopes Google page. “It’s definitely great for beginners and maybe intermediate skiers but I don’t know if it would be as good for experienced skiers since the slopes are so limited.”

You can rent skiing and snowboarding equipment at Mad River Mountain and Perfect North Slopes if you don’t have your own. Snow pants, a warm jacket and gloves or mittens are all recommended, along with some underlayers to ensure you keep the cold out.

Skate it out

Another fun activity to try during your time off is to go roller skating. Skateworld of Kettering allows you to pay once and then stay for as long as you want. You can rent skates or bring your own, and they have skate trainers for the little ones.

Jesse Baird rated the rink 4 out of 5 stars. “Great place for family fun,” Baird said. “I like that you pay one entry fee and can hang out all day. They have skating, a bunch of newer arcade games, and a soft play area (only for the little ones). It is clean and family friendly and the staff were all great.”

Go to “war”

If you’re looking for something more competitive, Laser Web in Centerville earned 4.4 out of 5 stars on Google, with several reviewers commenting that they had tons of fun. “Me and the family had a great time here tonight,” Kelsie Bryant said on Google reviews. “Fair pricing and the staff seemed nice. Will definitely come back.” They also offer arcade and virtual reality games.

Fly like a bird

SkyZone Trampoline Park in Montgomery County offers lots of opportunities for fun. On Google Reviews, it received a 4.4 out of 5 stars on its page, and received lots of great reviews, including Melissa Corn’s 5 star review. “SkyZone is all around a fun time!” Corn said. “Parents and kids alike can jump and have a great time. They have trampolines, foam pits, rock walls and basketball hoops. You can even birthday parties there [which] are worth it if you are going with a larger party.”

Bake, baby!

Since it is the holiday season, you could make holiday cookies. Whether it’s a delicious sugar cookie recipe or a great snickerdoodles recipe, baking is a fun way to get rid of boredom, and entertain yourself for hours. Another benefit is that it usually ends up delicious, and whatever you make can be shared with friends and family.