Outdoor games for children in sub-zero temperatures
8/1/2024
Translation: machine translated
Are you short of ideas for what to do outside with your children when it's freezing cold? Here are a few varied suggestions.
Little children are sometimes hard to get tired. A tried and tested remedy, as you may know, is spending time in the fresh air. But when it's bitterly cold outside, it's sometimes not so easy to get the kids to put on their snowsuits and set off on an outdoor adventure. At least that's the case for me: I prefer to stay inside the warm four walls and the kids dance around on my nose in the evening.
This annoys me and now I know: the child needs to get out into the fresh air, no matter how cold it is! In this article, I'll show you a few games and activities that you can do outside with your children in sub-zero temperatures and that are guaranteed to be more varied than a walk.
Bubble ice cream scoops
Take soap bubbles with you next time: Because the walls of the bubble are so thin, they freeze into little balls of ice, which looks beautiful. Ideally, this happens from freezing point, i.e. from zero degrees. You can even make a little competition out of it: Whoever manages to get the bubble to land intact on a branch or leaf gets a point.
Decorate the garden with colourful baubles
Almost all children are enthusiastic about arts and crafts. So how about arranging large, colourful balls in the garden or park? All you need is water, balloons and food colouring. To make the large ice cream scoops, fill a balloon with water and then add the food colouring using a spoon handle. It's best to shake the balloon well again. Now find a nice place outside to put the balloons. The next day - wait two or three days if it's below freezing - cut them open and you'll have really pretty colourful balls.
Igloo building
Build a snowman, organise a snowball fight or create a snow angel: These are the classics. Fancy a change? Build an igloo! A square bucket or a square container is ideal for this. There are instructions for children on the website Iglubauer.ch. Or you can make a sledge race track in the garden. Or build an animal out of snow, perhaps a horse or a hedgehog.
Jenga with snowballs
You probably know the wooden game Jenga: each player takes it in turns to place a piece of wood on the tower. If it topples over, they lose. You can also easily play this game with snowballs: Simply pile up one snow globe after the other.
Feeding the bird
In winter, you can bring your children closer to nature and animals in a very magical way: My sons love feeding birds, for example. It's the most fun if they can make the food for the birds themselves beforehand. To do this, you need coconut oil and sunflower seeds or other seeds of your choice. Heat the coconut oil in a pan until it is liquid. Then place the biscuit cutters on a baking tray and fill with the sunflower seeds. Fill the rest of the cookie cutter with liquid coconut oil and leave to cool - your homemade food is ready. Now you need to find suitable places outside to distribute or hang them up.
Who was there?
An equally popular activity: interpreting animal tracks. This is especially fun in the morning when the snow is still fresh and you can still easily recognise the tracks. Or in the forest, of course. You wouldn't recognise a single print? Me neither. But there are free downloads available - for example from the animal welfare organisation Peta.
What are your favourite games to play in sub-zero temperatures and snow? Let me know in the comments.
Cover picture: Anne Fischer
A true local journalist with a secret soft spot for German pop music. Mum of two boys, a dog and about 400 toy cars in all shapes and colours. I always enjoy travelling, reading and go to concerts, too.