Genius of Play Lists Ways for Children to Remain Active Outdoors and Indoors During Winter

Spending time in the snow is a fun rite of passage for children, assuming that temperatures aren’t at unsafe levels. And even if the weather is too cold for outdoor play, there are still plenty of ways that children can be creative and remain active inside during the winter.

The Genius of Play has put together several lists of activities to ensure that children remain active during the winter months, whether it’s outdoors or indoors.

Outdoor Play

Caregivers should first check to make sure that temperatures are safe for children to play outdoors and, if so, ensure that children bundle up before they head out into the snow.

While snowball fights and building forts are common activities during the winter, the Genius of Play has provided some tips on other fun activities. Some of these include:

• Grab a large plastic garbage bag or pieces of cardboard for a Slip and Slide

• Bottle bowling

• Freeze Tag

• Modify Simon Says to include weather-themed prompts

• Snow painting

• Create a winter edition of Marco Polo

Indoor Play

Just because children are stuck in the house doesn’t mean they can’t use their imaginations and have fun. Some of the Genius of Play’s tips on indoor activities include: 

• Fort building

• Charades

• Turn housework into a dance party

• Indoor baseball with a cardboard tube and a balloon

• Marshmallow sculpture

• Let children raid the closet or a costume chest and transform a room into a runway for a fashion show

• Use paint, crayons, or markers to create a self portrait

• Play Two Truths and a Lie