Winter Activities to Inspire Play
Our programs will be closed for a winter break from December 24-January 2.
We have collected 14 low to no cost activities to inspire you to have fun together every day. Since this time of year gets busy we wanted to post this early so you could do it when it works for your family.
Collect these items ahead of time and choose the activity that meets your needs for each day.
Decorate a tree:
Apples (1-3)
Birdseed (optional)
Nutbutter (optional)
Make a Snow Cake
Recycled containers or sand toys
Collected nature items (twigs, leaves, stones, etc)
Share a story
A book to read
Take a Flashlight Scavenger hunt
A flashlight or phone with a flashlight
Go Sledding
a sled or something similar
Enjoy Ice
Recycled containers or baking dishes
Food colouring (optional)
Collect Loose Parts:
A container or bag to hold the finds
Go Sledding: Grab a sled, a tube, even a clean garbage bag and find a nearby hill to slide down.
Embrace the snow and head out to a nearby hill and go sledding. Even little children enjoy the smaller hills or sitting with an older sibling or parent. So grab your toboggans and head out for some fun!
Visit a Park: Parks are just as fun to explore in the winter. Head to your favourite park and play.
Play After Dark: There is something magical about playing outside after dark.Star gaze, play hide & seek or try night sledding.
When the snow reflects the lights at night, everything seems at once brighter than you expect, while also dark and quiet.
For young children winter is also the easiest time for them to experience the magical parts of night time. The stars shine brightly on clear frosty nights, the moon lights up the snowy slopes, and night animals wake up before little ones head to bed.
Whether you try night tobogganing, a night walk, star gazing, or simply step outside to admire the moon, we hope you wont miss this opportunity to play in the dark.
Decorate a Wildlife Tree: use sliced apple rings (you can also add nut-butter and bird seed) and decorate a tree. Which animals like your treats?
Make a snow cake: Use sand toys, recycling containers, or cake molds to make interesting 'cake' shapes. Decorate with natural materials.
For a detailed description of the fun of making snow cakes check out this blog.
Sculpt or Build with Snow: Build a fort, a snowman, a snow caterpillar a new creation!
One of our favourite WILD CHILD activities is snow building.
If you are looking for a fun twist try snow sculpting. Matt Morris lives in waterloo and has a detailed set of tutorials to teach you how to create amazing sculptures with the tools in your home. Check out his website for lots of inspiration.
Follow Tracks: Can you find prints left be animals, people, or something else? Can you find where it came from or where it went?
Noticing tracks and following them can be fun for all ages. For really little get them to follow your foot steps, for slightly bigger the opportunities are endless.
Check out this blog post to get you started.
Share a Story Outside: Grab a book and head outside for a fun change of scenery.
Getting cold fingers? Why not tell as story you loved as a child or share a memory.
For some fun books that we love to read check out our favourite Wild Child Books
Take a flashlight Scavenger Hunt: Go on an after-dark adventure in your neighbourhood. Can you find these things?
constellation
festive lights
snowman
animal tracks
shooting star
moon
street light
owl
plane (look for the lights in the sky)
car lights
Spot the Wildlife: Take a walk. How many creatures can you spot?
While lots of creatures do hibernate in winter, many have other strategies to stay warm and fed. A fun one to spot is a bright red cardinal.
Create Snow Art: Can you draw pictures in the snow? Can you make a face on a tree with snow?
Check out this post for inspiration to make large snow art.
See this post for how to make tree pictures
Collect Loose Parts: Loose parts are (natural) materials you can find and use in play. Use your collection to inspire imaginative play.
Pine cones, small stones, rocks, sticks, twigs, fallen branches, a variety of leaves, found items (e.g. bricks, wood), fallen tree bark, soil or dirt, pine needles, acorns, long grasses, tree stumps, seed pods, sand, shells, icicles, snow are all great options.
When you get home, consider adding figurines, string, bowls, spoons, blocks, mortar & pestle, magnifying glass.
For more on loose parts start with this great introduction or this quick dive into how loose parts inspired learning.
Take a Sound Walk: Take an early morning or evening walk and talk about what you can hear.
Learning to notice and describe sounds is tricky. Specifically heading out to listen is a great way to share the words we use to describe sounds and start conversations about what our children notice.
Explore Ice:Freeze ice in recycling to see the shape. What happens if you add things to the water? Build with ice cubes or crunch ice under foot.
Try slippery ice, take ice on a walk, notice the textures of ice, crunch some ice, find hidden ice, notice frost, or think of your own exploration. Ice is a lot of fun!
We hope you enjoy playing together this winter break and look forward to seeing you again when programs reopen in January.
Written by Tandy Morton WILD CHILD Outdoor Playgroup Facilitator.