Outdoor Winter Activities for Kids
Rise and shine there is adventure outside!
Being Canadian means we have some pretty cold and harsh winters. It’s minus 40, then it warms up to slightly above zero, then it snows, then we have a ‘special weather statement’, then it rains, melts the snow, then it freezes rains and this carries on for 3-4 months.
When I was on maternity leave and Cameron was an infant, I fully embraced being able to hibernate guilt free in the comforts of my warm home.
Flash forward exactly a year later and oh how quickly things have changed.
Weekends spent inside are NOT ideal. A toddler needs stimulation and entertainment. If not, they will, without a doubt, destroy your house. Not because they’re bad little bastards, they’re just bored. Before I became a parent, I never realized this was all part of the child's development.
What gets us through the winters is staying busy, keeping a schedule (naps are crucial, for everyone), and making memories as a family.
Here are a few activities we partake in as a family.
If there’s shovelling to be done, we all go out and shovel. I realize this may not be ideal for everyone, but our son is obsessed with shovelling. So much so, that if we’re getting ready to leave and Kyle’s shovelling the driveway, Cameron gets mad. He needs to be outside with a shovel in his hand.
Going for walks in the sleigh. Walks around the neighbourhood and to the park are so much more enjoyable in the summer time, but I’m trying real hard to embrace it for these few winter months. We go check the mail, tour around the neighbourhood and bring the dog for some exercise.
Playing in your own backyard. Before I had a baby, there’s no way I would be putting on snow pants, a neck warmer and gloves to go outside for anything, unless it was to go snowboarding. Oh how things have changed! I find myself checking weather by the hour to see what time it’s supposed to warm up at so we can bundle up and go play in our own backyard. We don’t do anything special or unique. Kyle builds a little hill for Cam to slide down on his sleigh. We make snow angels and next up on our list is to build a snowman (as soon as we have some sticky snow!
Of course, going to an indoor playground is always an option for winter weekends and I would highly recommend during the deep freezes. But this is a great and inexpensive way to enjoy the outdoors with the whole family, pets included!
