How to be an Outdoor Family in Winter

There’s nothing like a good old-fashioned family outing in the wintertime to get everyone outdoors and enjoying the fresh air during the colder months. Here are our tips to get your loved ones outdoors this winter: 

The paddle board is packed away, the wetsuits are up in the loft for the winter months but it doesn’t have to mean our outdoor adventures are over – Time to share our family winter activities. As I get older, I appreciate more and more how free it feels to spend time outdoors in the fresh air with the whole family. I started last year challenging myself to spend 1000 hours outside. I actually lost count around February but reckon we’ve probably easily achieved it and we’ve had so much fun along the way.

Be Prepared

Keep warm blankets in the car, walking boots, spare waterproof coats, gloves and hats. We keep them all in plasterers buckets in the boots so we can stop at any moment and get outside. Often, the most successful adventures are the spontaneous ones but nobody has fun if little hands are cold, so wrap up! We really do embrace winter in this family – Its cold for so long in the UK that we cannot simply hide away during the winter months.

Picnics

We have special travel cups for hot chocolate on the beach and a hidden supply of marshmallows at the ready. We have even spent a couple of hours on Christmas Day on our local beach. We try to avoid expensive cafes when possible – winter doesn’t have to mean we spend a fortune and quite often we are not exactly dressed for sitting inside.

we have also invested in a food flask that is perfect for taking hot dogs in. The ultimate treat after a long walk in colder weather.

Short and Sharp Trips

Our trick is don’t expect to keep outside for too long in the cold. Kids have memories like elephants, if they remember that they got cold and bored the last time you went for a cold weather adventure, they’ll remind you forever.

We are definitely not a morning family so we are rarely seen out before midday but it doesn’t have to mean that all our outside adventures happen in the afternoon. We love a nighttime walk around our local area – Somehow we seem to have the best conversations at night in the dark. We also use dusk as an excellent time to visit country walks and beaches but beware of not getting caught in the dark. The picture below was from a walk in Lancaster during January when we all had a great time.

MInimalist Family Adventures has written about enjoying Micro Adventures in this spirit.

Have the correct gear

As the saying goes, ‘there’s no such thing as bad weather just bad clothes’. Invest in as good coats as you can afford. A flimsy jacket in deepest, darkest winter just won’t cut it. Walking boots have seen us through some super soggy walks but ultimately been the biggest success with keeping us all warm and dry.

What can you actually do outside?

Winter is when we really seem to make the most of our National Trust membership. They have short walks and play areas for the youngest that make the girls seem to forget the cold, wind and often the rain. A lot of visitor attractions now do light trials the the entire family can have a wonderful time seeing. And obviously not forgetting Scarecrow festivals which are great fun to walk around. Thimble and Twig have yet more ideas for getting Teens and Tweens off screens and outside.

We use our local beach (half an hour away so not on our doorstep) on days when it’s fairly dry but chilly. We know the best beach to visit when its an on shore wind (Formby for us as the sand dunes protect us on the beach) and the ones to avoid when its windy (Crosby – Its bitterly cold and not even Antony Gormley’s Iron Men can make it worth freezing to death). You may even come across some rock pools for a scavenger hunt or even have an outdoor photo shoot.

There’s always obviously the local park – We do not tend to spend much time in our local parks in the warmer months, preferring to save those trips for when we really need to get out somewhere local. Our children are getting a little too old for some of the traditional play zones but many parks now offer outside gyms for some light physical activity. Winter weather can be the perfect time to try these as they tend to be quieter and you are less likely to overheat on the equipment. While the rest of the family get active, I snuggle up on a bench with a good book and thick gloves!

Many cities offer fun outdoor winter activities in the centre, particularly during December. We have even had a temporary ice rink pop up in St Helens which was the perfect activity for keeping teens occupied.

Joanne Dewberry also provides some tips for getting the most out of your garden in winter too if you want to stay closer to home.

Scavenger Hunt

One of the easiest outdoor activities especially for young children. My mum always has an empty bag in her pockets for finding treasure on nature scavenger hunts. Autumn brings acorns and conkers that even the older kids still want to collect. The Ladybird Adventures has a printable winter scavenger hunt available.

Our own backyard

We realised during lockdown that we are so lucky to have a great back garden. There are so many fun things to do without having to travel at all. We’ve used spray bottles filled with water to make pretty patterns on the patio. It would be lovely if every winter day was a snow day so we could make snow angels in a winter wonderland but that’s not the weather we are blessed with. So we make do with what we have.

Invite Others

Most kids are socially types and love a friend or family members to come with them on adventures. Everyone know people who would shudder at the thought of a wintery afternoon outside but you may be surprised by some others who jump at the chance. Looking back to the early days of our New Year’s Day Walks, we would never have thought that we would regularly get 30+ people joining us but it happens.

Admit when indoor is best

I’m the first to want my kids to be breathing in the fresh air and blow away the cobwebs, but even I have to admit that sometimes staying indoors watching Hallmark Movies in the living room is where we need to be, especially if the weather forecast is predicting sideways rain. If this is the case, you might want to check out some of these fun indoor activity ideas or some of these shows to see in Manchester this Christmas.

Some of the best outdoor winter activities that we have enjoyed have been stumbled on accidentally – I’d love to hear your tips too in the comments. In conclusion, getting your family outside on cold days can be a great way to have fun, spend time together, and get some exercise. Bundle up and get outside! And don’t forget spending time outside can make you sleep better!