Top 10 Outdoor Christmas Experiences for Primary Children
Spending time outdoors in the winter months can be more challenging thanks to the cold temperatures and shorter days. But kids get bored easily and you don’t want them sitting inside all day.
It’s still important for young children to get some fresh air and the festive season offers some great outdoor events and experiences. Better yet, you’ll all enjoy coming home from the cold even more.
Here are our favourite outdoor winter activities and experiences to do with your children.
Build a Christmas fairy house
Visiting your local park or woods doesn’t need to just be a walk. Make the experience interactive by building a fairy house together complete with personal touches your children can decide on.
Gather sticks, small branches and some winter flowers to build a little house that’s sure to encourage the fairies to come along and visit. It’s a great way for children to use their imagination and practise their motor skills.
Go wildlife watching
Look up nature reserves and wildlife parks nearby, then set out a plan to find all of the local wildlife in that area. This is best for a sunny day and you can come back on different days at different times to see if other wildlife appears.
Most reserves will have informational signs pointing out which wildlife you can expect to see. You could come up with your own themed list to lean into the Christmas spirit – searching for robins and holly bushes is good fun for children, and they’ll enjoy being able to tick off a list.
Christmas treasure hunt
A treasure hunt is a fun year-round activity for kids, but adding a Christmas theme to the event makes it extra special. This is something you can organise with other parents and your children’s friends, or attend one that’s being organised in the local community.
Kids will love running around on the search for presents. You can give them clues in the environment to help them on their way, or use the classic ‘getting colder, getting warmer’ method.
Ice skating
A fun day or evening out for the entire family, ice skating should definitely be on the list for any Christmas break. Needless to say, ice skating is a good exercise in learning balance!
Many local towns offer pop-up ice skating rinks for the Christmas season, or you could splash out on a trip to somewhere special like the Natural History Museum’s ice rink. We wouldn’t recommend natural ice skating on ponds and lakes as the ice will often be too thin.
Wreath making
Wreath making is a good creative activity for children and parents alike to get involved in. It’s also very low cost if you go and source the materials yourselves.
Take the kids out on a walk with a specific list in mind for making a wreath. Children will have lots of fun hunting out for fir branches, pine cones and berries – then get to work building their very own wreath to hang on their door.
Outdoor lights tour
Light displays have grown in popularity in recent years for garden centres and large parks to attract new visitors in the winter months. As the days are shorter, you can still take young children to enjoy the light shows before their bedtime.
A cheaper alternative is to drive around neighbourhoods searching for the best light displays. Have a look at local groups and social media to see which roads are best before you set out.
Visit a historical property
Old houses run by English Heritage and the National Trust often have a whole season of events running throughout the Christmas holidays for children to enjoy. Kids will also get to brush up on their history knowledge and see these stately homes as they would have been decorated for Christmas in years gone by.
Take them for a tour inside before heading out to the grounds for winter walks, outdoor workshops and treasure hunts.
Visit a Christmas market
A staple of the festive season, Christmas markets offer a variety of new sounds, smells and sights for children to feast on. Have them sample roasted chestnuts or hot chocolate as a treat, then take the opportunity to show them Christmas from different cultures with the array or wares on sale.
A Christmas market is also a great way for children to learn about money – you could give them a small budget to buy a gift for someone, then teach them how to pay for their goods. Many of the bigger markets have fairgrounds next door for an added bonus.
Sing Christmas carols
This is a great activity to encourage your kids to get to know your neighbours and teach them the value of charitable giving. Plus, belting out carols is great fun for any kid no matter what their age.
Organise with other parents for a group of your children’s friends to knock on doors and sing carols to raise money for a charity they’ve chosen themselves. After the event, let your kids make the donation themselves in person where possible so they can see the difference they’ve made.
Have fun in the Snow
This one is weather dependent, but there’s lots of fun to be had in the snow. A snowy day encourages children to go out of their comfort zone and explore new terrains they may not have seen before.
Tobogganing down snowy slopes, building a snow person and making snow angels are just a few of the activities you can do with your children. It’s a cold, but great way to wile away an afternoon.
Wrapping up
We hope this list inspires you to get outside with the kids and make the most of the winter months. The outdoors is a world of opportunity during the winter that young children will relish exploring.
Want to take those outdoors teaching moments to the next level? Our primary KS2 tutors are experienced in a number of subjects and abilities. Get in touch today to find out more about how we can help.