Winter Fun

With winter chill comes the tendency to stay inside... and a tendency to be inactive. But, adults are supposed to get thirty consecutive minutes of movement a day, and kids are supposed to get sixty. To keep our families movies during the winter months, here are a few fun ideas for weekend activities...

Have a snowman-building contest. See who can build a three-tiered snowman to a certain height (say 4 feet)—with button eyes, carrot nose, and scarf—the fastest. The team that wins gets to choose the evening’s meal.

Take a trip to the zoo and point out how animals adjust for the winter months. Ask each person in the family to come up with something.

Go sledding! If you live in an area that doesn’t get snow, set up a slip-and-slide on a hill and inner-tube down the slide.

Visit your local indoor pool and have summer in January. Bring a beach ball and, if allowed, a small summer picnic to eat together.

Shovel and salt the driveways of a few neighbors. This will not only work up a sweat, but will also be more fun together and can be a great service project for your family.

Go to a park and let the family run around. (Don’t forget to bring towels if there was rain or snow recently!) Bring hot chocolate in a thermos for a half-time treat.

Take a nature walk or hike and enjoy the cool winter air. If you live in a place where it snows, identify different animal tracks and try to guess which animal made them.