Winter can be a challenge finding things to do for the family if you allow the cold to dissuade you. The winter can undoubtedly put many people into a bored, dark funk with the bitter frosty air leading to impulsive habits such as shopping too much, oversleeping, or indulging in junk food.
Instead of allowing kids these "privileges," you might want to create a list of options for them to choose from when boredom strikes. You can visit a Watson's family fun store as you all go together and bring home the food and other stuffs you bought and keep it on your lovely kitchen table.
That way, when the children cry out that they are bored, you can instruct them to choose something from the fun things you just bought. You might want to join in, so the activities are much more enjoyable for everyone, plus it is an opportunity to bond with the kids, for which there are often limited chances, especially in the drabness of winter.
What Can You Do with Your Kids to Enjoy Winter?
Where you live in the country will depend on how cold the weather is in the winter months. It can be especially frigid for many people, but that does not mean that you need to stay indoors. There are many ways to enjoy activities outside, and everyone must get fresh air as much as possible.
If you have a fire pit, that is one way to warm up while out in the frosty air, plus you can use heat lamps to keep things toasty. When kids are engaged in physical activity, often that will warm them up, not to mention it being physically and mentally invigorating.
Unfortunately, too many young people spend an unbelievable amount of time connected to the digital world, meaning they are not getting the recommended daily allowance of physical activity, roughly 60 minutes for the age groups.
While many hope to look a certain way when they go out, the priority is warmth to avoid hypothermia and frostbite. If there are interactive activities with the potential for harm like skiing, snowboarding, or hockey, helmets should be required. Learn some winter safety tips.
Some things you can do as a family that kids will enjoy even though they might complain just to make it count include:
● A scavenger hunt in the snow (or without)
Many states get a wicked amount of snow. If you gather a bunch of colored balls together and make each one count for a reward, the children, both little ones and teens, will have a big time attempting to find where you hide each one.
You must make a list of where you put the balls so you can find them all, especially if there's snow.
If you do not have snow, you can still do the activity, but you will have to hide them a little more discreetly. The rewards can range from getting out of specific chores to a date with mom or dad to an activity they have been looking forward to or perhaps getting a small prize.
You do not want this to be a costly endeavor. The gestures should be at no cost to roughly a few dollars for the bigger rewards, and there should only be one maybe two of the large prizes.
● Winter camp out
The whole family can rough it in the wild of the backyard. If you do not have a tent necessarily, you can tie ropes between two trees and use heavy-duty blankets as forts that you can use sleeping bags under as sleeping quarters.
No one wants to do this if you live remotely out in a wooded area where there is the potential for large woodland creatures. This is probably more of a rural activity if you don't have a zip-up tent and the capacity or knowledge to build a fire.
You can set up near the firepit in the rural environment and use heated lamps; yes, exceptionally spoiled survivalist. But that does not mean you still cannot teach survival skills while in the "tent."
Anything that mom or dad might have learned as a boy scout or girl scout would be appropriate to work with a child and get more advanced as they grow to the point they can use a compass, build a fire the old-fashioned way, and other methods of being out in the "wild."
Final Thought
Being outside in the winter can actually be a lot more fun than walking around in the summertime. The snow and cold create more activities, such as building a snowman or a fort, making snow angels, snowball fights, shoveling for some extra cash, having a fire with friends from the neighborhood complete with hot chocolate. The list can go on. Click here to learn more fun things kids can do over winter break. You might have trouble getting the family back inside.
