As we head into the longest months of winter, with the temperatures still dropping and the days still short, keeping the kiddos active might become a challenge. In these cold months, families tend to spend more time stationary and inactive. Before you know it, your home has turned into a madhouse sheltering bored, hyper, stir crazy kids with no outlet to burn off that extra energy.
The American Academy of Pediatrics and the National Association for Sport and Physical Education recommend that children should not sit still for more than 60 minutes at a time and should engage in physical play daily. Over the course of a day, toddlers require a total of 30 minutes of active time and preschoolers 60 minutes.
Even though weather conditions might hinder the ability to be active, keeping kids moving throughout the year is extremely important in encouraging and instilling healthy development and habits. Here are a few simple and creative ways to get off the couch this winter and keep the entire family active!
Indoor Activity Area: This can be anywhere in your house—basement, garage or spare bedroom—where you feel comfortable letting your kids be kids. Set up a basketball hoop over the door, a beanbag toss and hopscotch squares on the floor. Provide a sheet to use as a parachute. Stock the area with other items like beach balls, balloons, foam noodles, jump ropes and Hula-Hoops; let children’s imaginations take over.
“I like to pull the cushions off the couch, and the kids pretend that they are rocks while the floor is hot lava,” says Michelle Rivers from Roeland Park.
Out & About: Check your local community center and churches for organized sporting classes and open gym playtimes. Set a day each week to go out and enjoy a different activity, like bowling, ice or roller skating, indoor bounce houses, rock climbing walls or laser tag. This will help break up your week and give everyone something to look forward to.
“The KC Parent calendar is a huge resource that I use throughout the winter season,” Meghan Bishop, Lee’s Summit, says. “It’s a great place to pull ideas to keep us active.”
Get Moving!: Incorporate into your daily routine time for your kids to be active by organizing games to play with them, such as red light/green light, Simon says and follow the leader. Put on a dance party, host a marching band parade with make-believe instruments or put on an age-appropriate exercise DVD the kids can groove to. Set up an obstacle course or scavenger hunt, let them race down the hall or, if you are feeling extra brave one day, turn off the lights for hide-and-seek in the dark or flashlight tag.
Outdoor Play: Don’t be afraid of the cold! If temperatures are below freezing, bundle the kids up and just limit their exposure to 20-30 minutes. “I try to not let the weather intimidate us from having fun and staying active during the dead of winter,” says Stephanie Price, Parkville. Your options are endless when it comes to outdoor play, especially in the snow. There are sledding and ice skating, making snowmen, snow angels, forts and mazes and engaging in snowball fights. Get creative and paint the snow with colored water or freeze water in different sized containers to make ice sculptures. Treat everyone to hot chocolate when they head back inside.
Jennifer Duxbury is a SAHM from Olathe who finds keeping active in the winter a challenge sometimes!