Making Outdoor Play A Success on a Cold Day
Jan 10, 2025
It’s too cold to go outside today!”❎
“Oh i think it’s raining...we’ll just stay inside today”❎
Do you ever hear yourself saying these things?
In Denmark the children go outside every single day no matter what the weather and they get VERY harsh cold winters.
❄️We’re talking temperatures of -14 degrees! Not only is it cold but the land is covered in ice and snow!
When speaking to educators in Denmark about time outside they tell me, “ We go outside every day no matter what the conditions. Our children need to learn how to move on the ice and how to wrap up warm as this is a way of life! We need to give the children life skills to help them thrive in this world.”
“Oh i think it’s raining...we’ll just stay inside today”❎
Do you ever hear yourself saying these things?
In Denmark the children go outside every single day no matter what the weather and they get VERY harsh cold winters.
❄️We’re talking temperatures of -14 degrees! Not only is it cold but the land is covered in ice and snow!
When speaking to educators in Denmark about time outside they tell me, “ We go outside every day no matter what the conditions. Our children need to learn how to move on the ice and how to wrap up warm as this is a way of life! We need to give the children life skills to help them thrive in this world.”
Here are my top tips for making cold weather play a success with young children to help you spend more time outdoors.
-We go out for small bursts of time when it’s cold and sometimes multiple smaller bursts in a day.
-We enjoy visiting our favourite places like the park and seeing how the different elements of the season transform the spaces. Like crawling through the tunnel in the snow and the added challenge it offers.
-We all invest in good quality outdoor layers. Collecting items on Vinted and using pre-loved where possible to have merino wool base layers and socks along with waterproof outer layers and gloves. We find wearing silk gloves under a waterproof mitten keeps hands warmer and a woollen balaclava is good for keep the face warm on the coldest of days.
- Fill our tummies with something warm before we head out as well as taking warm drinks in a flask with us and hot food in a food flask.
- Putting young children’s waterproof gloves/ mittens on under their coat to stop them pulling them off. Having spare gloves and hats in our backpack in case any get lost.
- Having a big ikea bag pack in the boot of our car for putting all our wet muddy clothes in after an adventure
- Tucking rechargeable hand warmers into our coat pockets for extra warmth.
- Planning play dates outside
- Having a space set up inside for drying wet clothes, gloves and boots. Even having travel boot warmers so you can put warm boots on before you go out.
- Plan micro adventures in your local area that keep everyone moving like doing a scavenger hunt.
- We use our own outdoor space to have winter bbqs, play in our mud kitchen, feeding the bird and watching them.
- Go night time star gazing.
- Make a bucket list for the season of all the things you could do outside to bring joy
For support on getting babies, toddlers and children go outside and into nature check out my training and downloads at www.hyggeintheearlyyears.co.uk
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