Press Room

Outdoor Play in Winter – Wonderland or Nightmare?
by Sandra Beckman

Much of Canada has a significant winter season, when the ground is frozen and playground equipment is covered with ice, snow or a combination of both. How do we provide play opportunities that are developmentally appropriate and meet the needs of the children in our care? Every child care provider will agree that a variety of indoor and outdoor play activities is essential to the healthy development of our children. Experts have provided us with significant data that confirms it is through play that children develop physically, emotionally, intellectually, creatively and socially. The challenge for care providers in our northern climate is to offer a variety of outdoor play activities that are safe, yet stimulating throughout the winter months.

Playground safety, year round, is becoming an increasingly hot topic across Canada with the focus on the safety of the actual equipment and the safety of the surfacing under that equipment. I would like to add a third significant area of concern. Does the safety of equipment and surfacing change during the winter months? The response is a resounding, “yes”. Outdoor playspaces and equipment that are appropriate for a wide range of developmental levels during the warmer months, may be totally inappropriate when the ground is frozen and equipment is slippery from ice and/or snow. This is the time for the care provider to step back and assess the entire area and the possibilities that it provides. What has nature made available for you to offer fun, safe, developmentally appropriate activities to the children in your care? Think of activities that children will enjoy but don't require use of equipment that is potentially dangerous during the winter months.

In numerous articles and checklists in magazines, on the web or provided by various licensing agencies, caregivers and parents are cautioned to check that children can't get caught in any of the equipment. The potential becomes much greater during the winter months, when children are wearing far more outdoor gear:

  • Boots with laces
  • Coats with drawstrings
  • Scarves
  • Winter hats with ties or accessories that could potentially catch in equipment
  • Mittens

When children are bundled up against the cold, they are not able to move as freely and their peripheral vision may be impaired. They need to be extra cautious near swings or other moving equipment as they may not see danger before it is too late to jump quickly out of the way. Ice on equipment can cause children to slip and fall. A recent snowfall may cover up potentially dangerous ice build-up so adults should check for ice on and under equipment on a regular basis.

Even if the surfacing is acceptable for warm conditions, much of it is not suitable for the winter. For example, sand, a recommended material for use under climbing equipment and swings, freezes in the winter months and becomes rock hard. Surfacing under equipment is recommended for its shock absorbing quality – to lessen the impact if a child falls. A surface like sand, not only loses its effectiveness when frozen, it is in fact, dangerous. A suggestion would be to designate certain pieces of equipment off limits when the ground is frozen, unless there has been a significant snow fall, and the snow can be piled to lessen the impact of a potential fall.

Winter is an opportunity to look beyond your play equipment and plan activities are unique to winter weather and safe for the children in your care. Brainstorm all the possibilities for social, physical, intellectual, creative and emotional development outdoors without the need for the play structures you utilize during the summer months. Use the following suggestions as a springboard to develop activities suited to your own location and outdoor space.

  • . Build an ice structure. Use it for dramatic play throughout the winter. Fill ice cream containers with coloured water and freeze. Removed coloured ice for children to build simple or elaborate ice structures. Add to it throughout the winter. Introduce a variety of props to encourage dramatic play.
  • Provide art activities during outdoor play: paint the snow with brushes and liquid tempera paint, coloured water in squirt bottles; stack cubes of frozen coloured water.
  • Adapt gross motor games to winter weather: follow the leader; duck duck goose; plan an outdoor winter obstacle course
  • Bring science outside
    - Look for tracks in the snow (birds, rabbits, squirrels, fox, etc.). If you don't think there is a possibility of the children finding any animal tracks, identify the tracks of various people - whose tracks are the care providers? The postman? Various children?
    - Bring magnifying glasses out to examine snow flakes
    - predict freezing time for hot water and cold water. Put same amount of water in different shaped containers and predict freezing time
  • Move around your neighbourhood
    - go on scavenger hunts with winter clues
    - adopt a tree - add a bird feeder
    - go on a walk and look at the effects (and patterns) of frost (on windows, trees, cars, fences, etc).

If you get significant snowfall in your area, use the snow for a wide range of activities. Pile snow for climbing and sliding opportunities. During cold spells, use a pile of snow for burrowing tunnels and passageways that will be used for gross motor and dramatic play until the snow appears to be softening. Carve steps into a small pile of snow for further gross motor activities. A little imagination and work during the snowfalls early in the winter can supply endless possibilities throughout the entire winter season.

Average winter temperatures vary greatly across Canada and the outdoor weather policy will reflect that. Some geographical areas get considerable wind, so the wind chill is necessarily factored in when determining the outdoor weather policy. Safe Kids Canada suggests that -25C should be the cut off point, regardless of the wind chill factor. Care providers can also take into account the age of the children and the length of time they will be outdoors.

But in some parts of the country, the temperature may not rise above -25C for a considerable period of time. If children are dressed appropriately and wind chill is not a factor, care providers may plan a very brief outdoor time at that temperature. My caution would be that the children are active during this time, and that outdoor equipment not be utilized at very cold temperatures. Follow the leader activities, walks with a specific purpose or snow activities are appropriate for a short outing.
Child & Family Canada has an excellent article titled Embracing Seasonal Change. It suggests further winter activities with specific age groups. Why not log on, and take a look?

Sandra Beckman is the director of the early childhood program at Yukon College. She is a former president of the CCCF and sits on the Interaction editorial committee.