Outdoor Winter Play & Ideas for Cold Weather

Outdoor Winter Play & Ideas for Cold Weather

When preparing our kids to play outside in the cold, watch out for overheating. There’s a tendency to pile on clothing while still indoors, and some kids just can’t tolerate getting heated up. You may need to put on the final layers outdoors. Here are some tips to explore the winter weather at home and in preschool:  

Rainy Days at Home: 

Children still need to move even when the weather is poor. For active kids, find an indoor, heated swimming pool or an open play time at a gymnastics or trampoline park. If you are stuck at home, have a dance party, create indoor obstacle courses, or bundle up and go puddle jumping. 

Rainy Days at Preschool:

Rather than looking at a weather chart during circle time at preschool, the best way for young children to actually understand the weather is to experience it, so put on their raincoats and get outdoors so they can experience weather first hand. Of course, you will want to be sure that children have proper winter clothing such as jackets and boots. Schedule regular breaks to come inside and warm up with a drink or snack. Children’s excitement for the rain and tolerance for wet or colder weather differs, so allow children the freedom to come indoors if they are more comfortable. Be sure to read books related to winter and discuss the season's characteristics. Use winter clothing items such as mittens or boots to practice simple counting and sorting.