BENEFITS OF COLD WEATHER PLAY

Winter may be a season for slowing down, but it is not a season to stay stuck indoors. When winter arrives, it is easy to assume outdoor play takes the backseat until spring arrives. Cold temperatures, snow, and early sunsets can feel like barriers— but in reality, winter offers some of the richest opportunities for children to move, explore, and grow. With the right mindset (and layers), winter can become an invitation...instead of an obstacle.

Cold weather play encourages big body movement which helps promote gross motor skills. This includes running, climbing hills, balancing on snowbanks, pulling sleds, and trudging through the snow. All of this helps build strength, coordination and endurance. We LOVE heavy work!

Winter days can feel long and confining when spent indoors. Outdoor play helps reduce anxiety and restlessness. Quiet snowfalls, crisp air, and wide open spaces help children regulate their nervous systems.

Outdoor play in the winter also teaches children to adapt to changing conditions, problem solve, and build confidence in their bodies and abilities. There is something so powerful about learning "I can do hard things...even when it's cold". Children will learn how to keep their mittens dry and how to move their bodies across the slippery ice. These experiences foster grit, perseverance, and self-trust.

Although the days are shorter in the winter, getting outdoors during the daylight hours actually helps to regulate children's internal clocks. Can we all agree that exposure to nature light has so many benefits? Some of our favorite activities to do outdoors includes animal tracking, sledding, building snow creatures and forts, nature hikes, and flashlight walks.

With warm layers, flexible expectations, and playful invitations...winter can become a season of growth and magic.