January weather can be cold and dark, which makes it easy for your children to come home from school and set into hibernation mode. Don’t give in and let them fall under the spell of video games, television or the computer. Instead, get creative and and get them outside. They may complain at first that it is too cold, however when you have fun activities planned the complaining will turn into enthusiasm. Read on to learn my favorite ways to get children outside after school on cold winter days.
1. Go Wildlife Watching
Bundle up, grab your binoculars, cameras, and field journals and head to your nearest natural area. Your children will be surprised to see that many animals do not hibernate during the winter, instead they are quite active. Depending on where you live, there are many animals that you are sure to come across – from birds, and deer to rabbits and foxes.
2. Move Snack Time Outside
Instead of sitting in front of the television for after school snack time – move it outside. Send the children outside to play in the snow while you heat up organic hot cocoa and warm organic muffins or cookies for them to enjoy outside. Ask them to build chairs in the snow to sit on or a table to hold the hot cocoa you will be delivering – the key is to make sure that they get enough outside play time before you take out the snacks.
3. Jump on Your Bicycles
Bundle up, grab your bike helmets and then hit the road for a bicycle ride. Just because there is snow on the ground doesn’t necessarily mean that there is snow on the sidewalks. You can still get great exercise bike riding on those cold afternoons, just make sure to bundle up, pack warm snacks, use reflectors and stay together in a group.
4. Learn a New Winter Sport
When we first moved to Colorado, we had a hard time adjusting to the cold weather. To keep us busy during those long Colorado winters – we started snowboarding and snowshoeing as a family. It was a great way to get outside for the day, get our exercise and then hang out together afterwards with warm cocoa and conversation.
5. Invite the Dogs
A sure way to get Eben outside during those winter months is to send the dogs out first. There is something cute and comical about dogs in the snow. Whether they are bounding through it, eating it, or rolling in it, it is just more fun to play outside with your dogs. Our dogs loved to chase Eben through the snow and he would always land in a laughing heap when they would finally catch him – simply suggesting that he take the dogs outside would always have him heading for the door.
Looking for more winter weather activities that are eco friendly too? Check out these seven winter boredom busters or 8 fun, families activities to enjoy this winter.
How do you get your children off the sofa and outside during winter?
— Doesn’t Eben look so little in the intro photograph? This was our second winter in Colorado, he was 7.
Our family is a huge fan of board games – we have a large trunk coffee table that is full of games to play together. We try to spend a couple of nights every week playing board games after dinner. And we even have board games in our RV – they are perfect for rainy afternoons or nights that are simply too chilly for a campfire.
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