Winter Outdoor Activities for Children

Depending on where you live, you may be adjusting to keeping your child entertained and active during the winter. There are many outdoor winter activities for children, which can help to reduce the risk of behavior problems, improve attention spans, help them fall asleep at night, and increase their exposure to Vitamin D. Having fun outdoors is often just a matter of bundling up warm and not staying out as long as they do in the summer months.

Here are some winter outdoor activities for children:

Build a snow sculpture

Whether it’s building a person, animal, or fort, snow can be a great medium to enhance your child’s creativity. Be sure to supervise your child to ensure there is no risk of a structure collapsing on them, and enjoy creating with them.

Go for a walk

If the conditions are safe to do so, a winter walk can be fun and educational. With your child, observe the changes that winter brings to the world around you, and have open-ended conversations about these changes. Your child can photograph or draw the things you see on your walk, to further enhance their experience.

Hold a winter-themed scavenger hunt

Scavenger hunts are an ideal way to help your child hone their problem-solving skills and have fun at the same time. One winter-themed scavenger hunt idea is to get the senses involved: have your child listen for birds, smell a handful of snow, and feel ice.

Bundle up and have a picnic

On a day when the temperatures are tolerable, a winter picnic can be a unique way for the whole family to enjoy winter. It can be as easy as spreading blankets out in your yard or nearby outdoor area, and bringing warm soup and hot chocolate from home. Because the sun’s rays can reflect off snow and ice, be sure to apply sunscreen to your child before your picnic.

These are just a few ways that your child can have fun and stay active outdoors this winter. Above all, ensure that everyone is dressed appropriately, and limit the time spent outside.