Winter Outdoor Activity Ideas for Kids
We all know it’s easy to just stay indoors once winter is here. That said, kids need to get out and about to burn off all of that stored energy. So, what can you do with the kids outdoors once winter hits? The internet is an amazing tool, and not just for things like booking a holiday, a reverse telephone number lookup or finding the local cinema viewings. You can use it to search for ideas that will keep your kids active, let them take a break from electronic screens, and help you bond as a family. Here are some ideas of outdoor winter activities that you and your children can enjoy together:
- Soak in The Environment
Children can learn a great deal about the environment in winter. Go to a nearby park or wooded location, and try:
– Looking for pinecones
– Searching for nests and other animal homes
– Finding trees that are evergreen
- Make a Birdfeeder
If you’ve managed to find some pine cones, then you could look into making a birdfeeder with them. All you need to do is:
- Tie a string around the top of the pine cone to eventually hang it.
- Create a mixture of oats, cornmeal and peanut butter.
- Spread this mixture on the pinecone.
- Put some bird seed into a container and roll the pine cones around in the container so that the birdseed sticks to the peanut butter mixture.
- Hang the pine cone bird feeder in a tree and enjoy watching squirrels and birds nibble away at it.
- Create Bubbles
Who said that bubbles are an activity for the summer only? Children love bubbles, and the winter shouldn’t prevent you from having fun with bubbles outside. If it’s cold enough, you may even find that some of the bubbles freeze, creating a great opportunity to talk about scientific aspects related to liquids and freezing.
- Go on a Scavenger Hunt
An activity loved by all, create a list of items that you want your children to find outside, i.e. twigs, rocks, leaves, acorns, pine cones, etc. Give each child a small container and ask them to try and find as many of the items listed as possible. If you are feeling extra adventurous, then you can extend your list by asking them to find items that are a specific color or texture. Additionally, you can ask them to listen out for specific sounds (animal sounds) or search for certain scents (i.e. pine tree). Not only will your children get some physical exercise, they will also be able to explore their sensory and observational skills.
- Snow Experiment
Get even more scientific with your kids. Give each child three cups and ask them to fill them with snow. Once they’ve done this, come indoors and get three containers. Fill one container with hot water, one with cold water and one with water at room temperature. Ask your children to carefully pour hot water over one of the cups of snow, cold water over another cup of snow and the room temperature water over the last cup of snow and watch what happens. Before you pour any of the water, ask your children what they think will happen when they pour the water on the snow.
