Encouraging Your Children to Play Outside in the Winter Months
Playing in the snow is a childhood past time that nearly every child looks forward to. The anticipation of building a snow man or ice fort is enough to drag any child away from the television or video game console, even for a few hours. But how can you encourage your child to get up and out without the lure of the fluffy white stuff? It’s actually not as difficult as you may think.
There are plenty of activities that can get your child off the couch and outside even when the weather is less than ideal. Of course the first step is to make sure he or she is dressed properly for the elements. Next, pick an activity to do and head out the door. Here are a few ideas to get you started:
- Winter time makes slim pickins for birds and squirrels. Have your child help you mix nuts, bird seed and even fruit together with peanut butter (crunchy peanut butter adds an extra treat for the animals). You can also use cooking oil to hold it all together if your child wants to save the peanut butter for lunch. When you have the mixture just as you want it, pour it into a paper cup and let it freeze. Once it’s ready, let your child put it on a dish and set it outside to watch the animals enjoy.
- You can create a nice decoration by collecting pine cones with your child and putting them in a basket. Add a pretty ribbon or bow for a little extra touch.
- Scavenger hunts are another fun outdoor activity for winter. Pine cones, leaves left over from fall and even types of wildlife are great things to look for.
The only limit is your creativity – once you get your child used to the idea that getting outside even in the winter is fun, you’ll soon find that you have plenty of ideas to keep them entertained and amused.
