Getting busy in the winter
This winter has been cold. So cold, it means keeping the kiddos cooped up inside, which can make anyone go a little stir crazy, especially parents.
Some days the weather is too cold or icy to go out and some days the effort it takes to wrangle the kids into their winter gear can feel like an Olympic sport – often feeling you get outside only to turn around and come back in.
Staying active is so important for all of us, especially our kids. I will be the first to admit that I am not a fan of temperatures below 10 degrees Celsius so I have to get creative with ways to make the cold weather fun.
When it is nice enough to get outside and play, one of our favourite activities is building and climbing snow mountains.
Nothing burns off excess energy quite like climbing a hill of snow.
Winter scavenger hunts are also a blast. I like to pick a winter-themed book (the Shawville-Clarendon Library has a great selection) and together with the kids choose items from the book to go outside and find. Sometimes they are specific things like pinecones and branches while other times we will look for colours or numbers. A great story for winter activities is A Snowy Day by Jack Ezra Keats, we often go outside and pretend to be the character from the book.
Get the kids running around the yard by sprinkling baking soda all over the snow. Fill spray bottles with vinegar and a bit of food colouring and have them spray it on the snow until they find the sparkly snow.
The vinegar will react with the baking soda making their snow paint sparkle and fizz. The kids will love to watch the reaction.
Many winter days are spent indoors so it is helpful to have some gross motor play ideas for inside. We keep a stack of small pylons that can be used for different games. We hop over them, run around them and even create simple obstacle courses with them. Another great piece of equipment is hoola hoops. You can roll them, jump through them, throw balls through them and on and on.
Create a playlist of some of your favourite upbeat songs and have a dance party in your living room. Add to the fun by dressing up in costume or even adding balloons. Have a contest to see who can come up with the silliest dance move or call out different body parts to feature in the dance.
Here’s another fun and easy game you can make at home. Cut a bunch of pieces of paper into squares and write a movement or action on each one. They can be as simple as touch your toes or give a high five. You can also include counting with papers that say things like hop four times. Put all the papers in a hat and take turns pulling out a paper and following its direction. You can add to the activity by hiding the papers around the house and going on a hunt to find them.
Sometimes we need a calming activity to do with the kids. Yoga is a great way to demonstrate body awareness, focus and calm. You don’t have to have experience in yoga to do it with your kids. The internet is full of easy videos you can do together. Cosmic Kids Yoga is a great and simple video series that can be found on YouTube. You can also join us at our Tuesday night yoga sessions in Shawville.
On super, cold days, bring the snow in. Fill up a large tub with snow and let the kids dig, build, paint and melt the snow. This is such a great, cheap and easy winter activity.
If you need to get out of the house, check out some local activities. We have a Mother Goose Program starting in February lasting until the end of March. Check the coming events or our Facebook page for more information and to register. We also have our weekly playgroup (Shawville Shenanigans) and bi-weekly story time events to keep you busy and socializing with other children from the community. Come and join us.
I hope you enjoy some of these fun activities with your family. Good luck and have fun with it.
