How to Get Your Family Active in the Winter

With winter break in the rearview mirror, and a bright new year ahead, now is the perfect time to establish a family movement routine that will inspire a healthy and happy 2025. However, getting active in the Winter is easier said than done!

What exactly is a family movement routine? It’s a S.M.A.R.T. (Specific. Measurable. Achievable. Relevant. Time-bound) plan for keeping the whole family active as life gets busy (as life with kids does) and the colder weather drives us inside. It’s a predictable routine that is practiced each week, and with a little creativity and help from us at Sportball, a time the whole family will look forward to. 

Given the large body of research that supports daily movement as one of the key determinants of overall health, longevity, and mood in children and adults alike, creating a family movement routine is one of the best things you can do right now to avoid a seasonal funk. With just 30-60 minutes per day you can feel great, fill those dark hours before bedtime and help everyone get a better sleep! 

Keeping Active In the Winter

To help get you started on creating your own family movement plan, we’ve crowd sourced some of the Sportball team’s favourite healthy family activities to do during the winter and summarized below.

• Family dance party: Get your kids to help create the playlist or use a streaming app for inspiration. Songs like “The Party Freeze Dance Song” by the Kiboomers or “Walk Like the Animals” by Makin’ Music Rockin’ Rhythms,gets their little imaginations and bodies active. We also like Kidz Bop or Just Dance videos on YouTube that make it fun for kids to follow along with the moves. Kids love to dance and this is a great way to burn off any extra energy before bed. 
• Drop-in to a local community centre: Skating, swimming, or just running around in a gym with one of our multi-sport balls can be a fun and affordable way to get the whole family active.  
• Virtual family workout classes: We love these classes from the Peloton app. 
• Go for a family walk: We love doing this in the evening when the holiday lights are still up or when it’s snowing. Consider getting a group of families together to help maintain the routine. Don’t forget those glow sticks for visibility & fun!
• Play outside: Adapt the plan each week based on the weather but stick to the same day & time. Try sledding, skating, cross-country or downhill skiing, playing in the snow, heading to a new park – mix it up to keep it fun! 
• Family games night: Like our previous recommendation, you can mix up the games you play each week with a focus on those that get you moving – Twister, Hullabaloo by Cranium, and Charades for Kids are some of our favourites, or try some imagination-based game suggestions from Sportball’s very own Coach Darryl, like Walk in the Jungle or a Wild Obstacle Course, that don’t require much space or equipment. 
• Sign up for a weekly Sportball class or other regularly scheduled active program: Get that heart rate pumping alongside your kiddos in our Parent & Child Classes or use our Drop-off Classes (ages 3+) as an opportunity to squeeze in a little extra movement for you, like a power walk or run in the neighbourhood. See all available kids programs!

Like an a la carte menu, you can pick your favourite ideas, or ones that feel attainable and realistic for your family, and add each event to your weekly calendar. Treat these events like any other scheduled appointment you wouldn’t miss. Lastly, be sure to bring the enthusiasm, especially as you’re establishing the new routine. Kids will pick up on your energy so lead by example – snow or shine.  

How much activity do kids need during the winter?

There is lots of research that suggests a positive correlation between movement and lower depression levels, particularly in the winter months. You could look at professional sources, or even your own self, we’re sure you don’t feel your greatest in the winter when you stay put all day. With that being said, there is no set amount of activity that kids need, but we suggest at least 30 minutes to an hour each day, enough time for structured play, and enough to tire your kid out after a day of sitting indoors.

Getting Outside in The Winter

The key takeaway here is that it doesn’t really matter what you do, but that it’s consistent, fun, and gets the whole family moving. If you need a little help getting started, be sure to tag us in this winter as part of your family movement routine. We still have limited spaces available in some of our winter programs across the GTA, and our new Guaranteed Fun Promise means you’ll always have a good time at Sportball!