Beating the Winter Blues
A few years ago, we moved to Maryland just in time for winter. In Florida I looked forward to winter and the break from the heat and humidity. Now I’m adjusting to 30-45 degree overcast days which appear to be in my future for the next several months. It is easy to want to hunker down during these winter months and hibernate until spring appears, but you’ll probably go stir crazy and your kids will too. Together CountsTM is all about getting active with the whole family, and there are many fun winter activities both indoor and outdoor that you can do together to beat the winter blues.
Take advantage of those sunny days.
Don’t let your energy balance limit your kids to indoor activity! Even in the middle of winter the sun breaks through the clouds and provides enough warmth to spend some time outside. It doesn’t have to be summer to take advantage of all of the fun activities that are typically associated with warmer months. Grab the sidewalk chalk and cover the driveway in designs or create a hopscotch board and get active together. When it comes to freeze tag, the name alone is perfect for the winter months. Here are a few additional ideas to get outdoors and active:
- Go for a hike
- Look for animal tracks
- Build a fort with the fallen branches and twigs
- Bubbles (if it is cold enough they will freeze)
- Take a trip to the zoo (it smells better in the winter!)
- Collect pine cones (then make a pinecone bird feeder)
- Bird watching
Say yes to the snow.
My first few years up north I avoided the snow as much as possible. It was so time consuming to get kids dressed and undressed all day. After years of fighting it I now embrace the snow. Even though I end up with more laundry and wet floors, playing in the snow is exhausting! It is a great way for kids to burn off some of that winter energy and sleep soundly at night. Here are a few of my family’s favorite activities:
- Snowmen
- Snow angels
- Snow forts
- Snow sculpture contest (use the book Henry and Mudge and the Snowman Plan for inspiration)
- Make snow ice cream
- Sledding (Don’t have a sled? Use a cardboard box or cookie sheet!)
- Make animal tracks in the snow, and then guess which animal it was.
- Snow coloring
Get Active Indoors.
On the days when the weather is not ideal, you can still find ways to stay active. Charades is a great way to the get the energy level going. Bringing up the board games from the basement can lead to an afternoon of fun, Twister anyone? If you need a full day of ideas, take a look at more fun activities:
- Dance Party
- Simon Says
- Pillow Fight
- Matchbox car races
- Marching band
- Puppet show
- Paper airplane contest (whose plane goes the farthest)
- Treasure hunt
No matter what the weather is like in your neighborhood there are many family activities to beat the winter blues. There’s no need to turn on the TV or the video games when there are so many fun activities that provide opportunities for you to spend time together.
How do you avoid winter hibernation?
Toni is the founder of TheHappyHousewife.com a website dedicated to helping others live well on less. When she isn’t helping others become better family managers, she loves spending time with her family, homeschooling her kids, and exercising.
For more seasonal ideas and activities, take a look at additional blog posts from The Together CountsTM Program.