Keeping active during winter

At this time of year it can be tempting to curl up under a duvet and wait for the spring. But getting outdoors – even for 10 minutes – can do wonders for lifting the spirits and clearing everyone’s heads. And even if the weather isn’t all that, you can still brighten up a miserable day by packing some mince pies and a flask of something hot, then putting on your Christmas jumpers and antlers (okay, you don’t have to…) and heading out to see how many of these things you can spot:

• Christmas trees
• Santas
• Reindeer
• Snowmen.

Extra points to anyone who can spot all four in the same place!

If the weather’s too grim outside you can still get the kids running round inside by making your own treasure hunt. Hide small presents around the house and then challenge the kids to solve clues to find them. The Treasure Hunt website can help you come up with clues.

Everyone feeling a bit tired and cranky? Why not crank up the energy levels and the volume with a Christmas kitchen disco?! No song is too cheesy and no move too embarrassing...

Put a Christmas twist on a game of Simon Says by converting it to Santa Says. If Santa says to do something (jump up and down, hop on one foot, wave your arms in the air – or even chase the reindeer and slide down a chimney) the kids have to copy you. If you don’t say ‘Santa Says’ before the instruction, whoever still does the action is out. As well as keeping everyone moving, it helps the kids learn to follow instructions, and you can play indoors or outdoors, weather permitting.

Liven up a trip to the park by turning it into a seasonal scavenger adventure. Make a list of things for the kids to collect, but try adding a festive twist. How about challenging them to find a stick that looks like a reindeer’s antler, something red, something green and something they could make into a present? If your kids have phones you could try a photo scavenger hunt, where they have to photograph a list of festive items, like a star, a Santa and a dog in a Christmas jumper.

A game of charades is a great way to get everyone up on their feet and thinking fast. One person has to come up with a Christmas film, song or book and then act it out for the rest of the family to guess – no talking allowed. The worse the clues are, the funnier the game is – of course jumping up and down and falling over is a clue for Home Alone… 

If it’s cold outside, get everyone warmed up by running around in game of tig – with a seasonal twist. In chaos tig, everyone is “it” at the beginning, so all the players run around trying to tag each other. Anyone who’s tagged has to stand still and sing a Christmas song until the person who tagged them is tagged by somebody else – then they can run free again. If two players tag each other at the same time, they play “rock, paper, scissors” to decide who wins. The song is of course optional, but we did say it was Christmas chaos tig!

For more ideas for playing outdoors during winter – no matter what the weather's doing! – take a look at the Play Scotland website.

Junior parkrun is a free, fun, and inclusive weekly event for children aged 4-14. Whether running, jogging, walking, volunteering, or spectating, everyone is welcome. It's a great way for families to get active outdoors, enjoy quality time together, and be part of a supportive local community.

You can find out more on the Parkrun website and use this map to find a junior parkrun near you.