Backyard Winter Fun
Backyard Winter Fun Outdoor Activities for Everyone
When the snow falls or it becomes chilly outside, don’t just sit inside your home. Get out and enjoy the fresh air with these backyard winter fun and fulfilling activities for you and your family.
Get Moving and Stay Warm
Set up an obstacle course in the backyard for a fun winter activity. Run around cones or natural obstacles, jump or climb over hurdles, and step across rocks or stones. Get creative and build a themed course, such as a treasure hunt. Your kids will love you for it!
Go for a Winter Hike
Every hiking season offers a unique experience. Venturing out in winter is very peaceful; there are no bugs and few people on the trails. Try a sensory hike and pay attention to the sounds, smells, textures, and sights around you. In Maryland, the Department of Natural Resources offers a number of First Day Hikes on New Year’s Day. The hikes are led by a park ranger, or you can do a self-guided one.
Go On a Scavenger Hunt
A wintertime scavenger hunt in nature can be a lot of fun. Some items to look for are berries, seedpods, acorns, pinecones and dried flower stalks. Look at the bark on different trees and try to identify them. Search for different colored items. Look at the birds and identify their colors. Take a plastic bag or container so you can look later at what you’ve collected.
Backyard Winter Fun Build a Bonfire
Building an outdoor fire is a fabulous winter activity. Sip a hot beverage and roast marshmallows while telling tales around the fire. Some good story starters include, “What was your worst or best vacation”, “What are your favorite childhood memories,” or “How did you meet your spouse.”
Learn to Identify Animal Tracks
The arrival of fresh snow is the perfect time to go outdoors and look for animal tracks. Get educated on the wildlife in your area. Learn how to identify the tracks of different animals that paid you a visit. Find out what they like to eat and how they survive the cold. Take pictures too so you can study the tracks again later.
Snowmen, Sleds, and Snowshoes
Venture outdoors and build a snowman or two. Build your family out of snow. Let the kids get creative and personalize the snowmen by adding a few accessories like scarves, hats and sunglasses.
Enjoy a sledding adventure. Pull out your sled and take a ride down your backyard hill or find one in your neighborhood. Generally, two to four inches of snow is all you need to go sledding.
Put on a pair of snowshoes and enjoy the beauty of nature. Snowshoes were first invented thousands of years ago to provide a way to move with ease through the snow. Modern day snowshoes are more comfortable and versatile than ever before and aren’t too expensive.
Backyard Winter Fun Pictures
Schedule a family winter photo shoot with a local photographer or take pictures yourself. The images can be used for personalized holiday cards. A photo scavenger hunt is another fun family activity. All you need is a cell phone to capture a picture of the items on the list. Oh, to avoid cheating, ask participants to take a selfie with their newly found object.
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