3 Fun Ways to Get Your Family Outside This Season

Getting outside and staying active is important for your children’s health and development, but it can be a lot more difficult to get them (and yourself!) motivated to spend time outdoors when the weather is rough during seasonal transitions. But cold and wet days don’t have to only be a time for lazy days spent cuddled on the couch. With a bit of creativity and some fun activities that you can enjoy together as a family, the transition from winter to spring could become your favorite time of year.

Before you plan anything, make sure everyone will be comfortable by dressing for the weather. Nobody is going to have fun if they’re cold and wet. Dress yourself and your kids in multiple warm, synthetic layers (you can always pull off a layer if it ends up being too much) with a waterproof layer on the outside, as well as warm boots, mittens/gloves and a hat. Layering is ideal, because if the sun comes out this time of year it can get hot! 

Now that everyone is ready, here are three fun things for your family to try: 

Play in the Spring Snow

There’s a reason playing in the snow as kids is a beloved memory for so many people — it’s just good old-fashioned fun. Join your kids in making a snowman, snow fort or even a snow cave. Lie down alongside them and make big and little snow angels in the fresh powder.
Host a friendly snow sculpture competition with your kids, or even the whole neighborhood. Who can make the biggest snowball? Who can sculpt the best rendition of the Loch Ness Monster? If you want to add something really exciting to your snow-based artworks, try making some earth-friendly paints to color your creations. Fill spray bottles with water and a little food dye, and watch those sculptures come to life! Or just paint on the snowy ground itself — it’s like a winter version of sidewalk art, but with watercolors instead of chalk.
However you decide to play together in the snow, you’re guaranteed to create some beautiful memories for the whole family to look back on with love. Don’t forget the camera!

Find (Or Make) Some Animal Tracks

This can be a really fun and educational way to get the little ones outside in the snow and mud. Maybe you’re lucky enough to live in a place with a lot of wildlife — if that’s the case, make a game of seeing who can find the most different kinds of animal tracks in the snow around your house, or while you’re out on a hike.
Even if you can’t find many animal tracks, you can still make it a great activity with a little bit of imagination. Ask your kid what kinds of animals they think might be walking around in the snow at this time of year. Rabbits? Foxes? Squirrels? Deer? Now, how do those animals walk, and what kind of tracks would they make? Encourage your kids to hop like a rabbit, sneak like a fox, scamper like a squirrel or strut like a deer. They’ll have fun making their own versions of animal tracks in the snow, and it will get them moving around and using up some of that endless energy.
You could even turn it into a guessing game — one person makes tracks and the others have to guess what kind of animal they’re mimicking. Whether you’re finding animal tracks to identify, or making your own, it’s sure to be a fun and educational experience.

Take Up a New Sport

You might go on hikes together during the summer, but maybe you’ve never gone snowshoeing in the winter or spring before. Perhaps, you’ve never skied, or you’ve never skied together as a family. Maybe you are frequent visitors to the downhill slopes, but you’ve never tried touring around on skinny cross-country skis. Whatever the case, learning or doing something new can be a great bonding experience, and a lot of fun for everyone involved.
Whatever you decide to do together, your whole family will have more fun once you find some outdoor activities to enjoy on cold and wet days. It can be a great time to try new things together, and you’ll set your kids up for a lifetime of activity, learning and enjoyment of our wonderful natural playground here in western Colorado. So, what are you waiting for? Get outside! 

Article provided by Friends of Youth and Nature based in Hotchkiss, Colorado.