Active Backyard Play in Winter

Staying active is so important in the winter for the overall health of our families. But staying active does not always mean vigorous physical activity. Just enjoying time outdoors and spending time with family has major benefits as well. Here are three activities you can plan to get you outside when the kids begin to feel a little bored.

This could be an activity done in the backyard, in the neighborhood, or at a park. If you are comfortable using a computer, you can easily make a scavenger hunt sheet with a dozen images using clip art. Of course, just text is fine also if your kids are older. You can search for some that are already created such as the one linked below (1). To make it more immersive, separate the categories of items by senses –things to smell, things to touch, things to see, and things to hear.

I Spy games are fun in a lot of situations – driving on a long trip, roaming in a neighborhood, or anywhere you want to keep the kids busy. Hiking in winter gives you a lot of opportunity to spy things that may go unnoticed if just walking by. This builds some great observation skills that are especially important throughout life.

If you have an open space and a fresh blanket of snow, stomping out a snow maze could occupy the troop for quite a while. It may be helpful for some to draw out a maze first on paper and then build it, or others might prefer winging it! If you have little ones, adults will need to create the maze first, but older kids enjoy making the maze themselves. Enjoy the winter Wildlifers!

(1) https://www.cbc.ca/parents/content/pdf/CBCParents_WinterScavengerHunt.pdf