A Fun Way to Get Kids Outside in Winter

My kids love riding bikes, walking, hiking outdoors etc. However in the midwest we can go long stretches when outdoor time is super limited due to weather conditions. We had school canceled 3 days last week and they have already canceled Tues-Thurs this week due to a “Polar Vortex” which dangerously cold temps. Wind chills tonight through tomorrow are -40 to -60. We look forward to setting foot outdoors again in a few days. :)

I love these 2 ideas – how clever, yet simple :)

I think it’s helpful for parents to have a mental list of the essentials of a child’s daily life. Essentials (non negotiables) for a good day, for well being, for healthy habits….. Eating (well and healthfully), enough sleep, grooming and hygiene (baths, hair, teeth), unstructured play time, outside time. These are things that happen everyday regardless of anything. There might be choices surrounding them (carrots or peppers? Play in the backyard or go for a walk? What song while we brush?) but doing them each day, not a choice. When kids are raised to expect and depend on these things as just life, there aren’t battles. Going outside is as natural as breathing. Being consistent and dependable with these things helps parents so much too, so many fewer battles. Plus tired children sleep well and eat well, and those are such helps for parents.

Ants on a sidewalk is so city! We call them ants on a log in my small town :)

Ahhh ha ha. Winning comment.

Going outside every day is not optional here in Norway during the winter.

Every day, no matter the weather or how cold it is. I think once you make it part of your routine then no one questions it and it really helps with getting the kids’ energy burned off and helping them sleep better. Plus you need to soak up every bit of sun you can get during the long, dark winter months.

It helps that the entire culture and school system here supports this and is built around normalising being outside during all sorts of weather. I think if it wasn’t, then you would need an arsenal of tricks to get your kids outside, which to me seems even more tiring. It helps that even in Oslo there are parks and forests that are so easily accessible so it doesn’t turn into a big deal to get out into nature. It took me a long time as a Californian to make this part of my everyday routine, but I do notice it helps everyone get through the winter!

I think I’ve done just about every type of “walk” with my five year old that there is:
rain walks (splash in puddles), hunting walks (scavenger hunt), bird/butterfly/cat/dog walks (competition to see who can spot the most), art supply walks (gathering stuff to make crafts like pine cones, flowers, sticks), superhero walks (we dress up and walk around delivering anonymous notes to neighbours), mindfulness walks (we talk about all our senses and how they are engaged), bubble blowing walks (self explanatory)…. yeah. I like walks.

As a big outdoorsy person myself, I tend to look for the most unusual things that nature can create. Whenever my younger sisters and I would go for a walk in the woods, we would try to see who could find the strangest looking item in the woods. Most of the time it would be sticks twisted at awkward angles. Or if you used your imagination, a perfect “sword” for a stick sword fight. Sometimes we would find rocks that were perfectly smooth or rocks that look like faces. There was even a time when we found a petrified rock, and to this day that rock is still sitting on a shelf back home in TX.

Great inspiration for next weekend! I made some “nature bingo” cards a few winters ago and we’ve use these in the winter a few times over the years. I bring little prizes and dole them out as the kids find the items on the cards (“something that flies”; “something beautiful”; “something shaped like a heart” etc. etc.) And then there’s a big prize waiting for everyone at home – usually involving marshmallows. :)

Maybe they need really really really cozy and weatherproof outerwear!
We live in the PNW where it rains and rains and just make sure we all have things to keep dry and cozy. Also, a thermos of hot cocoa or soup and a sweet cozy place to go afterwards or a movie to watch.

Love this! I always need some extra motivation to get the kids outdoors in the winter but faced with four kids and cabin fever it is always worth it!

I wrote about some of our trustiest winter activities for preschoolers a while back – here, in case it’s of interest:

https://themumandthemom.com/2016/12/30/the-best-activities-for-preschoolers-in-winter/

And also really liked Trish’s comment below about sensory searches, will try that this year!

Hannah x

Totally unrelated but do you know where the red and black jackets are from? And do they come in adults size?!

Love this! We live in NYC with our two little kids but have a home in Block Island. Admittedly, I sometimes dread being outside with the kids in the city during the winter–commuting with a toddler and a baby is hard enough when it’s nice out–but we always go outside in Block Island, no matter what the weather. Sometimes we will take them on a “Snoopy Hunt”: we bring small stuffed animals (Snoopy and Woodstock) and a few pieces of candy and tell our daughter that they escaped and are hiding along the trail. Then my husband runs up ahead and hides them on the path (or after awhile he just tosses them a few feet away, ha!) Our daughter is always so excited to discover where they are hiding!

Speaking of scavenger hunts, Block Island actually has one for grown-ups and kids! Every summer hundreds of blown glass orbs are hidden around the island for people to find. We’ve been going for 20+ years and have yet to find one…but we’re always on the look-out!
http://www.blockislandinfo.com/glass-float-project

My brother and I would always use sticks and rocks to examine scat we found on the trail to see all the teeny tiny bones and skulls left behind! My favorite thing of all to do was peeling off the bark from fallen trees and branches and seeing what bugs were making their home in the damp parts of the dead wood.

My dad would take me out “deer hunting” on full moon nights. We definitely weren’t actually hunting deer, but we’d sometimes find their tracks and follow them for a while, and more than once I found antlers on the ground! There’s nothing more magical than a walk in the snow at night in the moonlight.

We use this go find it game sometimes, both in NYC and on vacation – you don’t really need the cards, just the idea (find something furry, soft, crackly, long, etc) but my kids like the cards.
Also, the right clothes are essential. If you’re warm and dry and the kids are too, it will be fun. It’s a very rare day that we don’t do something outside. Also, I use the reward of hot chocolate ?

I just love that owl print above the fireplace. Did she take that shot?

We’ve been cooped up the past few weekends and honestly a bit desperate to get out this Saturday. After the library, we ended up at one of those dreaded indoor bounce houses. Between the endless shrieking and too rough lot (and paying $12 per kid!), I was suddenly fine with bundling up like a christmas story (I can’t put my arms down) and walking to the park. Adding a scavenger hunt is right up my boys’ alley. Appreciate the idea :)

One of my new year intentions was to see that my children (nearly 4 and nearly 2) spent at least a half hour outdoors every day! We haven’t quite managed every day but much more days and they really are much more fun when they’ve been out! We’ve splashed and dug and raked and built and collected colours and planted seeds. We started with crying from my oldest but she’s getting more and more into it. Their preschool is also investing in Forest School training and they will be doing sessions at a local wildflower Farm soon ?

Of course, huge privilege of living in the countryside. But so much to explore in town too I imagine.

I love this post! We are blessed to have an amazing nature preschool in our area, and it’s been a gift to watch my children go through the program. They are outside in all weather, exploring ponds, leaves, animals–you name it. It’s fantastic to see how they grow up, enter traditional school, but still carry that love of nature with them through the years. I wish that all kids could have the nature preschool experience.

Oh my gosh, can someone please set up a scavenger hunt for me, an adult? This sounds like an awesome mindfulness practice and I also need to get outside more!