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Hi,
haven't posted here in a long while so thought I would start one
With the colder months upon us followed by shorter daylight hours and the fact all energy burning options for kids are closed up: pools, parks, playgrounds. I thought I would start a list and have others contribute ideas to help kids burn energy in winter and at same time get the whole family out of house. I have a recently turned 3 year old and need ideas.
-McDonalds play place
-We have an indoor heated carousel in our city.
-Mall kid courtyard
-Play outside in snow - make snowman, etc... (For those that like to be outdoors in winter, I prefer not but daughter enjoys it).
Can others pitch in and keep the list going, perhaps we can all get some good ideas to keep kids/parents happy and winter blues away.
Hi,
haven't posted here in a long while so thought I would start one
With the colder months upon us followed by shorter daylight hours and the fact all energy burning options for kids are closed up: pools, parks, playgrounds. I thought I would start a list and have others contribute ideas to help kids burn energy in winter and at same time get the whole family out of house. I have a recently turned 3 year old and need ideas.
-McDonalds play place
-We have an indoor heated carousel in our city.
-Mall kid courtyard
-Play outside in snow - make snowman, etc... (For those that like to be outdoors in winter, I prefer not but daughter enjoys it).
Can others pitch in and keep the list going, perhaps we can all get some good ideas to keep kids/parents happy and winter blues away.
Check out your communities parks and rec department - many have programs for the preschool set. Some can be as simple as opening up a gymnasiam and letting the kids run around free-form and play with balls with each other and their parents.
Others are the start of sports...which is normally a slightly more organized form of running around and playing with balls but with 'coaches' instead of all their parents. LOL!
Just get them outside. Fresh air and running around is good. The parks are open year round.
At school, kids go outside for recess unless the air temp or wind chill is 0 or below (Fahrenheit). Sometimes, if it is sunny, but 0 degrees F actual temp, we will still go outside. The sun makes all the difference in the world!
Otherwise, library story time. Indoor parks. Gyms. Malls with play spaces. Just have them walk laps in malls. Walk around the block. When snow comes, sliding, sledding, skiing, skating, snowangels. Swimming in indoor pool.
People here do the same things in the winter months as all the other months.
Now, I do know lots of people who live in colder areas, and they still send their kids out to play in the colder winter months. Running around makes you warmer, and most kids love to play in the snow if that's an issue.
I do the same as I do the rest of the year - open the door and tell her to go outside and play. Yesterday morning we had the first frost of winter and she rushed out to roll around in the frosty grass.
Winter is no different than warmer months- send them out to play. Kids and adults are fine outside in cold weather.
Ice hockey, ice skating on ponds or indoor rinks, cross country skiing, downhill skiing if you have the money, snow shoeing, hiking ( snow or not), making snowmen, making a snow fort, bicycling if there's just cold and no snow, walk the dog, --- the list goes on. The parks are still open.
Life does not need to stop because it's winter. Bundle everyone up and go get some fresh air and exercise
I do have some friends in colder climates who for different reasons have problems with being outside in the cold a lot. They usually have turned an area of their houses into an area where the kids can run around more (often the basement). One person brings snow inside the house, and the kids have huge indoor snowball fights. (Lots of kids with special needs, and going outside in the snow isn't always possible.)
Obviously some kids need less activity than others! No we cannot just go to the park the same as we do in the summer. It's freezing and often snowing and sleeting so 90 minutes at the playground is out of the question. So are long hikes. There are people who need alternative activities in the winter!
We got one of those hippity hop balls - the ones with a handle that you can sit on and bounce around on. It was $5 and is great for inside activity. I think BounceU or someplace similar is also good for exhausting them. I'm going to look for a groupon so we can more often this winter. I also do swim lessons at the Y in the winter. Last year was a brutal winter. Recess was canceled more often than not and we were stuck in the house often. I'm definitely having backup plans this year because my son has an envious amount of energy.
I don't think so Irish Eyes. I grew up in Northern NJ, as did my kids. Winter or summer, they were outside in all sorts of weather except cold rain and sleet. I think when parents look towards inside activities it is more for their comfort level than that of the kids. Layer up, and take them out.
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