Seven Fun Ways to Keep Kids Active During Winter

Winter is here, and throughout the country, parents are looking for ways to keep their children active when the weather is cold outside. Wondering what to do if you have an unexpected snow day or a long weekend? Here are some ideas to get your kids moving and having fun.

• Play in the snow! – If you can, get outside and play in the snow. Go sledding, build a snowman, have a snowball fight, or take a ski or snowboard lesson. Most ski areas have beginner packages at a discounted rate. Don’t have snow? Maybe find a local ice rink to go ice skating or give hockey a shot. Another cold activity that becomes popular every four years when the Winter Olympics are held … curling! Look to see if there is a local curling club in your area. There are possibly open houses and beginner leagues.

 

• Summer sports move indoors! – The cold and the snow aren’t keeping warm-weather sports teams from practicing. There are now many indoor sports facilities throughout the country with turf fields; basketball, tennis, and volleyball courts; and indoor swimming pools. Look for times to play during the day when these facilities are more open to kids’ activities before teams come out to practice.

 

• Exercise together as a family – Create your own mini workout routine with jumping jacks, pushups, running in place, etc. You can also follow YouTube videos if you want to have an instructor guide you through your workout.

 

• Bring the outside toys inside – Just make sure you have enough space. Bring in your hula hoop, jump rope, or try to set up your yard games (like cornhole) in the house.

 

• Go out on a hike – Bundle up if you need to and get out to enjoy nature. Pack lunch and have a picnic someplace scenic. This is an excellent opportunity for your dogs to stretch their legs if they haven’t had a chance to exercise much!

 

• Have fun with interactive games – Video game consoles have come a long way from sitting in front of the TV with a controller. Now you can get active with virtual reality systems that can put you right into the action and get your body moving.

 

• Gather around for board games – Parents, pull out some of your favorites as a kid and teach your children how to play them. A great family activity that also gets us away from our devices.