8 Fun Outdoor Winter Activities For The Holidays

Kids around the country eagerly look forward to winter vacation, but for parents, it can be a little more stressful. How can you keep your children occupied and entertained – not with TV and video games, but with activities that are good for both their bodies and their minds?

Luckily, there are plenty of fun outdoor winter activities for the holidays that kids and parents can enjoy together. The best winter activities create stimulating ways to have fun in the colder months, but also offer opportunities to learn about nature and the outdoors – and of course, spark the imagination.

Spending time outdoors also helps boost cognitive development in early childhood. So what are some fun things to do outside in the winter? Read on for some of the best options.

1. Head out on a winter scavenger hunt
The bare tree branches and snow-covered ground may appear barren, but the winter months actually have a lot to offer! To discover the beauty of the season, why not make a winter scavenger hunt that your children can do, either in their backyard or around the neighborhood?

Make a checklist of things kids can look for, including animal tracks, icicles, pine needles, or a piece of tree bark. It’s one of the easiest outdoor winter activities for families, especially if you have young kids. Whoever finds the most gets the first hot chocolate!

2. Build a snowman
There’s no better way to spend a snowy day than building a snowman. The temperature, texture, and even taste of snow are all fun ways to teach kids about the weather, and they’ll love the thrill of rolling up snow and balancing it to form their creation.

Once your snowman is ready, it needs something to wear! A fun creative exercise for this is to let kids search the house, working out which odds and ends could be used as the snowman’s eyes, nose, mouth, or clothes.

3. Try out a new winter sport
If your children are feeling restless after too much indoor time, think about trying a new outdoor sport. Activities like sledding, ice skating, skiing, or just making a snow angel are great ways to get outdoors, feel the chill in the air, and learn a new sport or hobby.

Both younger kids and teens can benefit from the mental and physical challenges of trying out a new sport.

4. Fly a kite
If you’re thinking about fun things to do with kids in the winter, here’s one you might not have considered: go fly a kite! The autumn and winter months tend to be windy, making this an ideal time to fly a kite.

Bundle up in your warmest clothes and head to the park for some kite-flying fun. Parks tend to be less crowded in winter too, giving you and your family plenty of room to run around and launch your kite.

5. Play around with snow painting
If you have young ones who love arts and crafts, spend an afternoon trying out snow painting. Grab a large container or bucket and fill it up with snow. Then, fill a few bowls with water and food coloring, creating a few different colored “paints” for kids to use.

Add some paint brushes and you’re ready to go! Kids can paint the snow various colors, make patterns, or just have fun watching how the snow changes colors.

This can be done inside or outside, but be warned: it can get messy! Put down old newspapers to clean up any spills and make sure everyone wears clothes that you don’t mind getting dirty.

6. Make bark rubbings
Bark is everywhere, a natural material rich in texture and pattern. It can be fun to make bark rubbings during the holidays, letting children create unique pictures based on various types of bark.

Help them find pieces of bark, or even use a tree. Place a piece of paper over the bark. With a crayon or pencil, gently rub the paper so that the pattern from the bark appears. It’s a fun way to learn more about the environment.

You can also try this out with leaves if there are any left on the ground. The changing fall leaves also provide lots of learning opportunities and craft ideas.

7. Create an outdoor maze
How do I entertain my kids in the winter? Another clever game to try involves sticks – a stick maze, that is.

If you have a pile of kindling for the fireplace, take it outside and dump it on the ground. Then, let kids use the sticks and branches to create their own maze. Often, they’ll find it helpful to draw out their map on paper first, then use that as a blueprint to bring it to life. But there’s no right or wrong way to do this!

Maze creation can be a challenging activity that helps kids with problem-solving, creativity, and following instructions. Once the maze is complete, take turns walking through it and make sure it works, making any tweaks as you go along.

8. Look for frost patterns
Some of the most beautiful patterns can be found in nature, if you take the time to look for them. This is especially true in winter, where frost and snowflakes create intricate designs and patterns all around us.

Head out on a walk with the kids and look for icicles, frost on window sills, or even ice on car windows. If you look closely, you can see how the frost forms a unique pattern, and it’s a fun opportunity to talk about precipitation and weather.

If you’re able to go outside while it’s snowing, catching snowflakes and observing their unique designs is a great way to immerse your kids in nature too.

With so many great reasons to get out of the house, try out some of these outdoor winter activities – you might be surprised at how much fun you can have outside as a family, even on a chilly winter day!

 

Featured image by Kobby Mendez on Unsplash