Activities to Get Your Children Moving During the Cold of Winter
Are you running out of fun ideas to keep the kids occupied over the cold, wintery months? We know how easy it is to want to stay bundled up under blankets when it’s so chilly out, but it’s important to make sure your kids are staying active even through the Winter doldrums. To help you out, we have compiled a list of fun indoor, outdoor, and day activities that you can do with your kids on the chilliest of days.
Three Interactive Indoor Activities for Children
- Hula-hoop
Hula-hoops are a great way to get the kids off the couch and moving. Make it even more fun by putting on some music. You can stir up a little friendly competition with the older kids and see who can hula-hoop for the longest amount of time (parents included)! If you don’t already have a hula-hoop, they now have light up hula-hoops available for purchase, so you could turn the lights out and make it a fun sleepover activity.
- Jump rope
Just like hula-hooping, if you have the space in your home, jumping rope is an inexpensive activity to keep your kids entertained and active. Jumping rope will get your child’s blood flowing, improve balance, strengthen coordination, and enhance muscular endurance. Teach your kids some jump rope rhymes to keep them engaged and wanting to continue with this activity.
- Relay race
If you’re able to shuffle around some furniture in your basement or another living space, you can make a little relay race. Some possible relay events are: building a tower out of blocks, singing a song, balancing a book on their head, hiding objects around the house for the kids to find, etc. This is definitely an activity that can be even more fun if Mom and Dad get involved too!
Three Wintry Outdoor Activities
- Sledding
Over the Winter months, we’re always checking the weather to see if we are going to get that Snow Day! Make sure you are prepared to make each Snow Day super, by checking your supply of sleds, winter clothes, and hot chocolate! If you’re new to the neighborhood, make sure you know where the good sledding spots are, that way when the flakes begin to pile up, you will be all set for a fun sledding adventure.
- Playing on the Swing Set
A swing set can bring out the playful side of children as it gives the opportunity for kids to be active physically and mentally. Kids can swing, slide, climb and let their imaginations run wild all year around. If there is snow on the ground, you can incorporate your backyard playset as the main structure for a snow fort, and can easily turn your backyard into the biggest feature of the Snow Day! Whether you suggest to the kids to make the playset a home base for a snowy version of capture the flag or an improvised ski resort, your children will love using their imagination and playing outside all day long.
- Snow Obstacle Course
Building a snow obstacle course is like building a snowman but 10 times better! An obstacle course allows children to be creative. They can build small snow ramps to pull their sleds over, or construct rows of snow cones to plow over, run, and dodge through.
Three Exciting Day Activities for Children
- Bowling
If the roads are clear and you are able to drive somewhere, take the kids or the family out for bowling! This inexpensive activity gets you out of the house and allows you to also teach the little ones a fun sport!
- Swimming
Do you know if your city or town has a facility with a pool? If your city center has one, gather up the children and their swimsuits and get ready to hit the water. Swimming in the Winter is a great way to keep the kids’ swimming skills sharp and is also a great way to get a full body workout!
- Ice skating
Depending on the age of your children, ice skating could be a great way for the whole family to get out of the house. Look into open skate times at your local ice rink and round the kids up to go! If your children are younger, all skating rinks have cones or metal walkers to keep smaller children stabilized while they skate.
With these great ideas, you can spruce up a chilly day by getting your children to be active and moving either in the house or out of the house. For more backyard activity ideas visit our blog!