Spending time outdoors is important for children’s mental and physical health. There are lots of outdoor family activities to do in warm weather. But, when winter hits with its cold and wet weather and shorter daylight hours, getting motivated to get outdoors can be a challenge. As a result, many kids end up spending more time indoors and on screens during winter and winter months.
If you’re struggling to get your kids outside this winter, don’t worry. Here are 20 creative, fun, and engaging winter activities for kids that are fun even in bad weather.
1. Outdoor "The Floor Is Lava"
The game “floor is lava” is even more fun when everything is wet and slippery. To play, set up an obstacle course in the yard or park using elements like piles of leaves, wet branches, and puddles. The goal is for your children to get from one side of the obstacle course to the next without touching the ground.
2. Mud Pie Bake-Off
Making mud pies is really fun in winter because your kids can decorate them with sticks, leaves, acorns, and chestnuts.
Mom Tip: Keep their hands warm and dry by having them wear latex gloves (or layer the latex over normal gloves if it’s really cold). This not only keeps their hands warm but also makes cleanup easier.
3. Hunting Game for Junior Marksmen
There is a lot of evidence that taking kids hunting has benefits, such as teaching them patience and perseverance. But, if you aren’t ready for a real hunting trip, you can play this hunting game instead. It helps kids learn basic hunting skills while promoting teamwork and physical activity.
- Equipment: Use child-friendly "hunting gear," such as toy bows and arrows or foam dart guns.
- Setup: Put cardboard cutouts of animals around the yard. To add an extra level of difficulty to the game, divide the yard into sections (such as forest, grassland, or open field) and place cardboard cutouts of animals in the zones. Establish rules for each zone, like needing to stay quiet or crawl to avoid "scaring" the animals.
- Rules: Encourage quiet, stealthy movement through designated hunting zones, where kids must sneak up and "tag" the animals by hitting them with their toy hunting gear.
4. Invertebrate Safari
Winter is the perfect time to search for small invertebrates like beetles, snails, and worms. Give your kids collection jars, magnifying glasses, and send them on a safari to find these little creatures under piles of leaves, rocks, and logs.
You might even want to let your kids temporarily keep whatever they find in a terrarium. Snails make surprisingly good pets!
5. Mud Painting on Rocks
A popular outdoor activity for kids is painting on rocks. Unfortunately, rock painting is often a bad idea because even non-toxic paint can harm the environment. But your kids can still have fun painting rocks outdoors. Just use mud instead.
To paint with mud, you’ll need a good muddy puddle. If you can’t find one, you can dig a shallow hole in the ground and mix water in it until you get a paint-like consistency.
If your soil has a lot of clay in it, your kids might even be able to make mini sculptures out of the mud too!
6. Boat Building
Have your children construct boats out of natural materials like pieces of bark, sticks, and leaves. Test whether these float in puddles. If there is a stream nearby, you can set up a race to see whose boat goes the fastest.
7. winter Castle Building
Who says castles are just for summer at the beach? In winter, your kids can build castles using sticks, snow, and mud. There are lots of ways to do this, such as making a log-cabin type construction out of stacked sticks (remember playing with Lincoln Logs when you were a child?) or using mud to “glue” castle elements together.
8. Mud Slip and Slide
You’ll need serious waterproof gear for this, and cleanup will admittedly be a pain–but it will be an experience your kids never forget.
Setup Tips:
- If it’s not raining, pour buckets of water to make the hill slippery enough. This is easier if you find a hill near a water source like a creek.
- Make sure there aren’t any hazards (e.g., sharp rocks) on the hill.
- Ensure the hill has a safe stopping point, so kids don’t slide into a tree or dangerous drop-off.
- Secure a rope at the top of the hill for kids to use when climbing back up.
Don’t forget to set some basic rules, like whether sliding headfirst is allowed or if everyone needs to go feet-first for safety. It’s a small step that can help avoid accidents and keep the fun going. And taking a little time to get familiar with outdoor preparedness tips - like staying warm, hydrated, and knowing what to do in case of an emergency - definitely wouldn’t be a waste.