20 Indoor & Outdoor Winter Activities To Keep Your Kids Active

You can’t blame children for being lethargic when it’s cold and dark outside. Nudging kids to stay active in winter can be a herculean task when the weather is brutal. But you simply can’t let them sit, sleep, and eat the whole day. Staying active all around the year is important for your kid’s health & growth. That’s why programs for physical education for children in the UK have been created, designed to provide an excellent opportunity to promote both physical activity and enjoyment simultaneously.

Kids should get at least an hour of intense play or exercise every day. Idleness and increasing screen time can wreak havoc on tender minds. Agreed. It’s tough for them to venture outdoors during the harsh winter months. But you can also keep your little ones engaged and entertained indoors with various activities. Take them out when the weather gets a bit conducive.

Now you can make the most of your kid’s winter holidays and weekends. Provide them with a perfect combo of learning, play & creativity through both indoor &outdoor activities.

A] Indoor Activities To Keep Kids Active through the Winter

Childhood can be bleak without the joys of running, jumping, and playing. The weather need not be an excuse to force children to remain indolent. Here’s a list of 10 indoor winter activities for kids.

1. Dance Party

What can be more joyful than having a dance party at home with your child and her pals? Find lively music, increase the volume, and start grooving together. Get the remote in hand. Stop dancing when the music stops and start when the music begins to play. This is fun and energising for the body during the cold winter days.

2. Yoga for Kids 

Yoga has something to offer for people of all ages. Winter holidays can be a great time to introduce the rejuvenating power of Yoga to the little ones. Kids are inherently active. What they may lack is balance, focus, and core strength. You can begin with a few easy poses like the corpse pose, tree pose, cobra pose, or warrior pose.

3. Indoor Obstacle Course 

You can set up an indoor obstacle course using household items. It can be fun and challenging for the kids to set up an obstacle and then surmount it. You can create a tunnel using a row of chairs and get the child to crawl underneath. Throwing balls into a moving basket, walking on a balance board, or playing the hula hoop challenge is simple yet exciting.

4. Balloon Volleyball

You can set up this game inside the home or in your backyard. Tie a string and divide the space into two. Get players on both sides and start tossing the balloon across the line. When the balloon falls, or a team does not pass it over, the other side scores a point. This game builds hand-eye coordination and imbibes the spirit of teamwork in kids.

5. Scavenger Hunt

A scavenger hunt is one of the most versatile and creative games to keep kids active through the winter. You can place objects all around the house. Make a list of clues that correspond to these objects. Get the kids to find everything that matches these clues. This is a simple game that boosts their memory and thinking abilities.

6. Arts and Crafts 

DIY projects can be an excellent idea to hold your kids indoors when the weather is bad. They are easy and a great mindfulness activity to develop motor skills, creativity, and focus in children. You can get them to mould the homemade dough into various shapes. Origami crafts require just paper, a pencil, and scissors. Gift them a painting set and watch their imagination run riot.

7. Indoor Fort Building 

No. You don’t need a fortune to build an indoor fort. Get some chairs, blankets & pillows, and you are good to go. Get four chairs and place them apart in two rows (of two each) with their backs facing each other. Spread the blanket across the chairs and firmly secure it. Now place some blankets and pillows on the floor. Your child can now crawl and snug inside a nice cosy fort.

8. Puppet Show

You can create a puppet show for the kids based on their favourite story. Design the props based on the characters in this story. You can use a pair of socks or paper bags. Make a stage using a large cardboard box. Let the child practice speaking in the puppet’s voice and moving them across the stage. Arrange a grand performance in front of an audience.

9. Indoor Bowling 

You can set up your indoor bowling alley at your home using empty bottles, sand, small pebbles, and a ball. Here’s what you need to do:

Fill up the bottles with sand and pebbles to hold them firm. Arrange the bottles in rows one behind the other. You can have one in the first row, two in the second, and so on. Move a few yards away and try to knock as many bottles as possible in one shot.

10. Cooking/Baking Together

Do you often struggle to make your kids eat healthy food? Well, now you can teach them to cook or bake at home. They are more likely to eat what they prepare themselves. Cooking is a fun way to keep kids active in winter. It’s also a life skill that will educate and empower your kids to become independent and make healthy food choices.

B] Outdoor Activities To Keep Kids Active through the Winter 

Do not fuss about your child catching a cold outdoors during winter. It’s more important to keep them active & engaged. There are some exciting playground activities for primary schools that kids will drool over.

1. Snowboarding

Skiing and snowboarding are not just pleasure games to indulge in during winter. Older kids will find it absolutely thrilling and get a great physical workout. These are aerobic exercises that strengthen your heart and tone your muscles. They also help to keep your body fit & healthy.

2. Winter Hiking 

If you live close to an area with long hiking trails, you can take your kids on easy 2-3 mile hikes. This can be a fantastic time for the family to bond outdoors. Choose a familiar terrain. Wear clothing layers that are easy to remove. Use insulated hiking boots. Remember to carry a first aid kit and other essentials (compass, flashlight, knife, etc).

3. Ice Skating 

Ice skating is one of the most enjoyable outdoor winter activities for kids. It works almost every muscle in the body. It also improves their balance and motor coordination skills. Beginners need to take some precautions. Get good quality skates that fit well. Tie them properly to get the right support. You can also take a few lessons at the rink to get the basics right. Turn your school playground into an exciting space with Playground Markings UK.

4. Snowshoeing

Snowshoeing is a favourite winter sport for kids and families. It’s easy to pick up and does not need great resources. You must walk on top of the snow layer with supporting footwear to cruise you through. This low-impact exercise is a good winter workout for the kids. It is suitable for kids of all ages. Every person who can walk can snowshoe. But choose a familiar flat trail for the little ones.

5. Snow Angels and Snowball Targets 

These activities boost the kids’ strength and balance. In snow angels, you make the child lie face down in the snow. Then start moving her legs closer & hands apart and vice versa. You can also help the kids to make snowballs of different sizes and hit specific targets.

6. Ice Hockey 

Ice hockey is a great team sport for older kids. The ice surface on which you play is called a rink. This game tests the speed and agility of the players on a snow surface. Two teams compete against each other to score the maximum goals. A team scores a point when it drives the puck into the opponent’s goal.

7. Snow Tubing

This is another amazing activity for kids to stay active in winter. Just get them atop a snowy hill, make them sit on an inflatable tube, and let them ride the slope. The higher the slope, the greater the thrill & excitement. Ensure the snow park or resort has all safety measures to prevent injuries.

8. Winter Olympics 

You can organise a mini-Winter Olympics of sorts in your neighbourhood. This can be far more enthralling than watching the games on TV. You can conduct several winter-themed games and competitions, such as relay races, volleyball, basketball, discus throw, and tug-of-war.

9. Winter Scavenger Hunt 

You can take the scavenger hunt game outdoors and play it either solo or in teams. Set your kids on a snowball hunt. The one who gets the most number of snowballs intact is the winner. You can also have a list of winter objects scattered and get your kids to find them within a fixed time. You can also get the children to solve a series of riddles to tickle their minds.

10. Snowshoe Soccer

Take the good old game of soccer to the snow. It’s a great team sport where two teams compete with each other on a flat snow surface to drive the ball into their opponent’s goal. Choose good-quality snowshoes that are comfortable for the kids to wear and play.

Conclusion

Now you can take the winter on and get the kids rocking & rolling with these 20 activities. You have a wide choice of both indoor and outdoor activities to keep the kids active in winter. Do not let the weather spoil your play. Regular physical activity is critical for their holistic development.

Parents can up the game and relive their childhood by engaging in these activities with their kids. It can be a fantastic family bonding exercise that you cherish forever. Do not let the cold winter hold you back. Drive away the winter blues and build lasting memories with your little ones.