10+ Outdoor Winter Activities for Kids

As the colder weather blows in it can be tempting to want to stay huddled up inside. But as a homeschooling mom of two, I know how important it is to get these two outside. Being outside in the winter helps to boost their immune system, refocus their energy, encourage adaptability, and of course, make learning fun!  Check out our favorite outdoor activities for kids!

 

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Winter Scavenger Hunts

Outdoor Winter Scavenger Hunts are a favorite in our house and they make cold outdoor adventures that much more fun! We use these in our homeschool preschool and have at least a weekly outing. With Scavenger Hunts, you can explore different spaces, your own neighborhood, and even make field trips out of these! These are great to build spacious awareness, bring the opportunity to wonder out loud, and provide your child the opportunity to witness the change of the seasons.

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Winter Bird Watching for Kids

One of our favorite studies in Exploring Nature with Children is the seasonal Bird Study. Winter is such a fun time for this. We set up a birdfeeder outside of our bay window so we can observe from inside but my favorite way to have the kids study is to sit outside, go on a walk, or better yet, a hike and observe them in their own space. We listen to calls, watch them fly, and look to see where they go, what they do, and what they eat!

 

Homemade Bird Feeders

During the winter months, our birds love when we set out food. One thing we love to do, outside of the typical birdfeeder, is to make our own! We find and collect pine cones on our adventures, put peanut butter on them, and then dip them into birdseed. You can then hang them on your trees, bushes, or even your fence! You can do the same with toilet rolls – take your empty toilet roll, put peanut butter on the outside, and roll in the birdseed. You can even hang these on your Outdoor Christmas Tree.

 

Bird Garlands

This is a fun activity we do around Christmas that your kids will love. I started this when my kids were infants and toddlers. You can take orange slices, cranberries, and popcorn and string Garlands that you’ll hang outside for the birds and wildlife to eat! You can also make an Outdoor Christmas Tree which is a lovely winter tradition and a fun way to recycle your Christmas Tree after the season.

You might be interested in this post: Outdoor Gifts that Inspire Creative Play

 

Winter Hiking with Kids

Winter hikes are a great way to get out and enjoy the season. You can grab a scavenger hunt and explore, search for bird nests, antler sheds, look for animal tracks, hike in the snow, and more! The hiking possibilities are endless. If you have a baby, winter hikes are the perfect time to babywear. Let your kids explore, touch, and learn. My favorite part is letting them lead and simply observing. Exploring Nature with Children has great outdoor prompts to help encourage Study lessons on your hikes.

Night Hike

Night hikes and walks open a whole new world to winter. I like starting these when the Christmas lights are up in the neighborhood – these are called Night Light Walks. We go and explore our neighborhood and look at all the lights. It is also known that darkness comes early through the winter, which makes this a fun adventure for kids who go to bed earlier.

 

When we go on night hikes, we bundle up, get our headlamps, lanterns, and flashlights and explore. Nighttime looks a lot different and it’s a neat opportunity to see how different the world looks. We will go to our field, you can go to a park or backyard away from lots of light, and look up at the stars. This is a great way to do the winter moon phase study too. We do this month-long and then celebrate the full moon.

 

Fort Building

On hikes, especially in the winter, it is a great time to find fallen limbs and logs. Go collect twigs, limbs, and logs and create a little fort or play space. This is an activity that can last longer than a day and your kids will have a fun space that they created themselves.  If you are needing an indoor activity, fort building is another great for that.  We personally use the Obuby Fort Set that you can find here!  This fort-building set is great for kids and encourages family involvement.

 

Winter Brew

My kids love making Witches Brew and there is no reason that can’t make it all year round. During the winter season, we go on hikes and collect little treasures, like pinecones, twigs, berries, and other natural goodies they can find. We then put them in a bucket and add water. Creative play follows and the kids are entertained for hours. I always add a friendly reminder that we do not eat or drink the Brew as we are not well versed with foraging – yet.  With the winter brew, we will commonly use items found on our outdoor winter scavenger hunts.

 

You might be interested in: The Best Winter Activities with Kids

 

Cocoa Walk

This is my daughter’s favorite activity. We make hot cocoa, fill our thermoses, and go on a walk or hike. There is nothing more than the novelty of having a hot cocoa while walking around. This is a weekly activity in our household.  This winter activity is a great tradition to have for memories through the years. 

 

Winter Evergreen Study

In my region, we have a ton of deciduous and coniferous trees. Through the season, we will notice out loud that there are evergreen trees. When we see them, we will stop and observe and learn. Winter is the perfect season to find evergreens and a great time to start learning to identify them.

 

Bubbles in the Winter

Bubbles are a 4 season activity in our house, and yes, I am that mom who lets my kids blow bubbles inside!  Going outside to blow bubbles in the winter is an absolute blast as well.  When the temperature is cold enough, they will in fact freeze!  Even when the temps aren’t that fun, it gets the kids outside and playing.  One of our favorite things to do when blowing bubbles in the winter is to watch our breath turn into steam and make some creative play with it!  My kids pretend to be Jack Frost or a dragon!

 

Snow Play

When the snow finally makes its appearance, snow play is a must!  We will bundle up and go build snowmen, snow forts, and go sledding!  This is also a great time to go on a cocoa walk or go hiking and explore the snowy landscape.  You’ll want to make sure that you have the appropriate clothing and take measures to warm up in between but snow play is an absolute must in the winter. 

 

For more tips, tricks, and resources on getting outdoors with kids, be sure to follow Momma Camping on Instagram, Facebook, and Pinterest!