10 Ideas to Get Outside With Kids in Winter, For Free

In the winter it can be so hard to keep kids entertained, especially without spending too much money. But if you can make the effort to all wrap up warm, get outside and actually do something, rather than just staying indoors and grumbling about the weather, then you will feel much better and likely happier. Lots of people experience the winter blues, but getting outside can really make a difference.

So here are ten ideas to get you and your family outside, let off some steam, and have fun!

1. Go to the park – Kids bloody love going to the park, and there is usually one local to you so you could have a little walk there too to get in a bit more exercise.
2. Take a football or bat and ball to a local country park and have a kick about.
3. Take them out on their bike or a scooter, or have some fun on some Proline Skates.
4. Visit some local woods and go exploring. As a kid, I used to adore traipsing through the woods with my cousins at my family’s house. There’s so much to do – climbing trees, collecting leaves, and just running around playing.
5. Go to a river or lake and feed the ducks. Kids always love feeding the ducks, and they get some fresh air and exercise, too.
6. Visit a pet shop or garden centre. Our local Pets at Home have animals to look at (I think all of them do), and A loves going to see the rabbits and guinea pigs and having a chat with them. We often stop by in between going to some shops to stop her getting too bored. Garden centres often have fish to look at, or are just nice to wander around and look at the pretty plants.
7. Be a tourist in your town – Obviously this depends on where you live as to what you can do for free, but most places have some landmarks that you can visit. We have Nottingham Castle, and The University of Nottingham is also great to walk around. There’s a boating lake and a park, and it’s a really pretty place to wander and spend some time.
8. Take a dog for a walk – Does someone you know own a dog that you could borrow for a bit? Kids love helping to walk a dog, and the owner would probably be grateful of a break from walking them.
9. Go for a picnic – Obviously this depends to an extent on the weather, but even if it’s a bit chilly you can still wrap up warm and snuggle up on a bench in pretty surroundings somewhere.
10. Do some gardening together – Kids love to feel like they are helping with things, so buy a few new plants and let them plant them, or plant some seeds in pots so they can look after them themselves and watch them grow.

Do you have any more suggestions of great things to do with kids in the winter-time? I’d love to hear them.

This is a collaborative post.