Keeping Active in Cool Weather
- Outdoors: Use the environment. For outside play, rather than viewing the seasonal changes as a negative use them! Fall leaves all over your yard? Rake them up into big piles (the kids can help if they’re big enough) and have leaf jumping contests. Is it snowing out? Build a snowman and have a snowball fight. Your kids will be way too busy enjoying themselves to fret about being cold.
- Indoors: Dance. You may or may not know it, but dancing is excellent exercise. And while the types of music they may change with age, most kids of all ages enjoy dancing. For small children, you can start with songs like I’m a Little Teapot; Head, Shoulders, Knees, and Toes; and Ring Around the Rosie – it may not be strictly dancing, but these songs do have their own moves that are easy to learn, if your children don’t already know them. Try turning on Disney Radio or putting on a children’s music CD and playing freeze dance. For older children, put on the radio, or their favorite CD, and have a dance contest. Let them really showcase their moves… your children may surprise you.
- In or Out: There are some fun ideas that will burn calories and use energy and are good both indoors and out, depending on your weather and what you need at the time. An obstacle course, for example, can be arranged in the house or outside of it. A scavenger hunt or treasure hunt can also be an indoor or outdoor activity, or even both at the same time. You can even set up a miniature golf course, through the house or in your backyard. Use plastic bats for clubs and set up toys and household objects to be used as obstacles to put under, over, around and through. This idea is as much fun to set up as it is to play.
With a little effort and imagination, you can keep your kids as busy and active as they need to be during the colder months of the year. It will be good for their health, and you’ll all have fun doing it.
This is very interesting, I will use some of these tricks and tips!!
Great ideas. I already use some of these 🙂 but have gotten quite a few new ideas. I also like your article to help with keeping everyone on time.
We love to do little scavenger hunts all the time. Right now my 3-year-old son really enjoys pirates so I use that to my advantage. We have been doing lots of “treasure hunt” style scavenger hunts outdoors. I might tell him to find us rocks, leaves or a ball. I always try to make the scavenger hunt based on outdoor things and not things I hide (although he does enjoy me burying some coins in his sandbox and going on a “real treasure hunt” as he calls it….lol
Aaron
I keep my kids active year round by providing them interactive dance games for the wii and xbox kinect. 😛
Great tips. I find for the dancing it doesn’t matter the age the golden oldies are a hit with everyone. Thanks.
i love the cooler weather! this summer was a scorcher! lol dancing is one of our favorite indoor fun things to do..especially Just Dance on the Wii! thanks for the great tips!!
We love being outdoors even when it is cold! Leaves are a favorite around here, we have tons and tons!
we used to do this and then we build forts for the snow