Winter Outdoor Activities and More To Do With Family

Snow covered trees. Steamy cups of coco. Gatherings around the fireplace.

Winter evokes cozy feelings inside even though it’s chilly outside! We’ve done many of these activities with our own family of 5 little children. We hope your family will enjoy them as well!

Tips For Fun Winter Activities To Do With Family

Feed the Birds and Do Some Bird Watching

Make your own bird feeder. Go hunting for a few large pine cones. With a rubber spatula, spread peanut butter over the pine cones.Then, roll them in birdseed. Tie a sting around the top of each one and hang them outside.

Read books about winter wildlife like Stranger in the Woods. Let it inspire you and the kids to build an ”edible” snowman just like the one in the book! Or, for elementary age children, this beautifully illustrated classic, The Big Snow, follows lots of woodland creatures as they prepare for winter. An older couple helps them survive the big snow!

Fill a store-bought bird feeder with birdseed. You’d be surprised at the variety of feeders available on the market. Use this bird feeding guide from Cornell University to help you determine which bird feeder is best for your backyard and for the birds you want to attract. Our family only recently has been enjoying bird watching as we’ve made nature a priority in our homeschooling.

Build a Snow Castle

Playing in the Snow You’re never too old to play in the snow (just ask my husband)! So, build a snow fort and then, take cover and have a snowball fight!

For easy building, pack snow in plastic kitchen storage containers to make uniform blocks.

Or, try out these fun snow castle building tools!

Make a Cute Gingerbread House

A gingerbread house makes a festive centerpiece! But in our household, they never last too long. Little fingers make their way to the candies and soon, we have a very bare gingerbread house and very full tummies! Some years, we have bought a ready-made gingerbread house kit with all the trimmings included.

We read The Gingerbread Baby every year to accompany this fun family activity.

For inspiration, marvel at the creations from the national gingerbread house competition! We actually visited it one year when we lived in North Carolina. It is unbelievable what people can create with a simple slab of gingerbread!

Knit Winter Hats for the Chilly Weather

When my friend showed me the knit hats she and her kids were making I was in awe! I have never learned how to knit but somehow I wanted to pass this hobby on to my kids. So, I took her advice and bought Round Loom/ Hook

Knit Hats as Family Winter Activity

Tool. To make a matching scarf, you need a Long 14.75″ Rectangular Long Loom.

The end product of these knitting looms has a beautiful finished look, something you and your kids can feel proud ofwearing or even giving as gifts. After his first hat, my 5 year old entrepreneur said he wanted to sell these! He was ready to go big! I just love encouraging this kind of creative energy in our home! It brings life and fulfillment to our entire family.

I was so excited to see how even my 5 year old picked up the simple, repetitive motion. He was so cute when he told me “how relaxing knitting is!” He knit a hat for one of our toddler twins.

Give to Others From the Heart

Helping Hands

Bless your community by donating winter coats to needy children, canned goods to a food drive, or by serving at your local soup kitchen. Many
less fortunate people experience the hardship of the cold winter weather. Model generosity for your children and teach them to serve others!

Every December, our church holds a Holiday Feast. They invite the homeless and less fortunate in our community. Families in our church host tables and set them with their finest china. A first class meal is served, presents given and the Gospel shared. This event has become the highlight of our winter season! Our children love setting the table and picking out a special present for each place setting. We are always blessed by those we meet there and are reminded to count our blessings.

One year, we were even able to help a family we met at the Holiday Feast furnish their kitchen with some of our own lightly used kitchen supplies and a few things we purchased. They had just moved from a local motel into an apartment. Our whole family had fun shopping, gathering and delivering things. It is certainly better to give than to receive! By putting this into action, your kids will catch this truth and not forget it!

Rent Snowshoes & Head for the Hills

Enjoy the serenity of the snow covered trees and the mountains together as a family! Here’s an easy way to locate snowshoeing trails in your area. Our local national park offers a free snowshoe hike led by a park ranger. Check out what is available in your area!

Gather Around the Fireplace and Read Aloud a Favorite Book Together

Make some golden popcorn and get cozy by the firelight. Snuggle up and make memories together chapter after chapter reading some of your favorite books!

Don’t forget to start a list of your own family’s favorite winter activities! They will quickly become well-loved traditions as you do them year after year!

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