Feature Article: 5 Affordable Winter Activities for Children

By Sheila Buck

The winter months are cold and, although many parents don’t like being out in the brisk weather, their children usually do. During the colder months it may seem harder to keep your children entertained than it was during the warmer months. Here are some good ideas for keeping your children busy this winter.

• Sledding is a fun activity that children enjoy. Have them get their friends together to have a fun filled day of sledding at a nearby hill. If no hill is available, children can take turns pulling each other around. You or another parent may offer to take the children sledding someplace where there is a hill if time allows.
• Ice skating is a fun winter activity that children will enjoy as well. Look for a local ice skating rink that the children will be able to go to. There may also be a pond nearby that they are allowed to use. Always make sure the ice is safe for your son or daughter to skate on. If neither of these options is available, have the children level out an area in your yard and let them use the hose to fill it with water. The water will freeze and you will have a rink in your own yard. Ice skates are good to have, but not a necessity. Children have just as much fun skating in their boots.
• One of my favorite winter activities is making snow forts. You make them by using the snow and your hands, or plastic brick molds that can be bought at the store. Old bread pans also make good molds. Place bricks of snow in a row on the ground then repeat, stacking until your child likes the height. Children can make however many walls they want. Holes can even be left for windows and doors.
• Homemade hot chocolate is a great treat for the children when they come inside from a day of playing in the cold. You can have it ready for them when they come in, but it would be a lot more fun for them if you let them help you make it. Most, if not all, of the ingredients can probably be found in your home.
• The school has different sports for each season. If your child is athletic, he or she may want to join a winter sports team.

Even though the winter months are cold, children still need ways to keep busy. With a little help from their parents, they can stay busy all winter long. Sledding, skating and making snow forts are fun activities for kids, but can also be fun for if they give it a try.

Resources:

Cooks.com: Homemade Hot Chocolate Recipes

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Sheila Buck is the single mom of two teenage boys. She has a Bachelor’s Degree in Clinical Psychology. Sheila is a freelance writer, and also writes books and short stories in her spare time. Sheila also writes for Frugal Recipes.