Indoor and Outdoor Winter Activities

The temperatures are dropping all across the country. In some places it is downright frigid, and it is much too cold to go inside. In other parts of the country it is merely chilly out. Whether you have snow on the ground or not, we’ve come up with a great list of winter activities you can do with students.

Outdoors:

~ Build snow sculptures outside. Remind children that they can build beyond the simple snowman. Build a snow family. Try your hand at a snow animal. The possibilities are endless.

~ Make snow ice cream with freshly fallen snow. There’s tons of recipes out there on the internet, and you and your children will both be surprised by how tasty this frozen treat is.

~ Reinvent your favorite outdoor summer games for winter! Play dodge ball with snow balls, try a round of snow capture the flag, or play football in the snow like some sport teams have to and see what it’s like!

~ Take children out to experience winter sports. These include sledding, skiing, snowboarding, snowshoeing, and ice skating.

~ Take students out to track animals. Where you are located will play a big part in what type of animal tracks you may see, but common ones include squirrels, birds, rabbits, foxes, dogs, and deer.

Indoors:

~ Make winter themed crafts. There’s tons of crafts our there centered around winter, including snow, penguins, and so much more. A simple Google search will bring up tons of options for you.

~ Create an indoor obstacle course. This will keep kids active even during the cold months. Here’s some examples of tasks you can have them do: crawl under a row of chairs, do a somersault, do jumping jacks, climb under the table, and much more!

~ Go “fireplace camping.” If you have a fireplace in your home grab sleeping bags, pillows, blankets, and set up in front of the fireplace. Bring games, books, and music with you. And of course, don’t forget about the smores.

~ Have a board game night. As fun as video games are, they aren’t always a very social activity. There are tons of options when it comes to board games, and the industry has actually been on the rise lately!

~ Create an obstacle course made from yarn. This “laser maze” is sure to delight kids!

Many people become discouraged during winter because of the temperature. Don’t let this happen to you! There’s plenty to do outdoors in winter if you use your time carefully, and being trapped inside can lead to many fun activities!