15 of our favourite ideas for festive winter walks.
Free, easy & perfect for getting the whole family out & about regardless of the weather!
- Family Friendly
- Time & Effort
- Supplies Needed
We’ve gathered together fifteen of our favourite ideas for festive winter walks with the family. They are free, simple, and perfect for getting out and about despite the weather and covid-challenges.
We all know it can be a bit of struggle to persuade little ones out of the house on a chilly day. That’s why we have created a list of easy activities to keep the children occupied and having fun whilst getting fresh air and exercise too. All the activities are social-distancing friendly and perfect for December adventures.
So, grab your woolly hats, prep a flask of hot chocolate, pop on your boots and off we go!
Looking for more activities to enjoy? Click here for other fun ideas.
You’re Never Too Old!
1. Christmas Lights Competition
You’re never too old to be excited by a stroll after dark!
Grab your torches and bright jackets, and head on out to take in the sights of the neighbours’ Christmas lights*.
Meander your way through local residential streets to ooh and aah at the designs (and discuss electricity bills!). Then have a family vote on your favourite.
You could even drop in a note to that house to say how much you appreciate their efforts – read more here about a family who do just that!
*To find the best-lit streets in your area, hop on a local Facebook group and ask.
Perfect For Little Eyes
2. Scavenger Hunts
Keep the kids busy whilst you stroll with a scavenger hunt. You can look for items for each colour of the rainbow or letter of the alphabet.
If you’d like something with a more festive flavour, we’ve created two free printable scavenger lists, ideal for young children. Just click to download them below and print as many copies as you need.
Winter Woodland Hunt
Outdoor Christmas Hunt
What Has Your True Love Got For you?
3. Find The 12 Days Of Christmas
If you really want to up the festive ante, then this ultimate Christmas scavenger hunt will do the trick!
Don your gloves and hats, and head out for a festive winter walk in your local area to see if you can spy 12 Christmas wreaths, 11 twinkling lights, 10 Christmas trees, …
Cross each item off on our free printable below as you go.
The 12 Days Of Christmas Ultimate Scavenger Hunt
Map Skill Practice In Disguise
4. Christmas Card Drop
Plan a route around all your local friends’ homes and take a trip out to drop off your Christmas cards. This is a great activity for practising map skills with children.
And, if you don’t have that many friends locally, why not drop cards into your neighbours or local care homes instead?
Spread The Word!
Like what you’ve seen? Be sure to share with your friends.
Let’s sprinkle Christmas cheer far and wide!
Continuing The Tradition
5. Christmas Shop Windows
Do you remember going to see the Christmas lights and shop windows when you were a child? It’s one of those longstanding traditions for so many families.
Take a stroll along your local High Street, or head to a nearby city for a spot of window browsing. The adventure is only improved by being out in the dark!
Why not bring along a winter picnic – hot chocolate and cookies, or a flask of soup and some bread rolls. You’ll be sure to keep everyone toasty warm and smiling!
Combining Crafty With Festive Winter Walks!
6. Winter Foliage Hunters
There are so many beautiful Christmas decorations that can be created from items found on a woodland wander.
So, head out with your loved ones to gather pine cones, holly sprigs, greenery and much more to design your own ornaments, wreaths and garlands.
Just be sure not to take flowers from private land or uproot plants that could be endangered!
I spy with my little eye…
7. Christmas iSpy
The most classic of on-the-move games for kids!
Give the game a festive makeover by keeping to Christmas-themed items.
Or split into two groups – team white lights and team colours – and see which team spots the most Christmas trees coloured accordingly.
Decorate Your Local Area
8. Christmas Rocks!
This is the perfect activity for combining some Christmassy crafting at home with festive winter walks!
Decorate some rocks at home with Christmas patterns and then hide them in your local area for others to find on their winter walks!
More Like This?
Looking for other festive activities to enjoy? Whether it’s at home or out and about, we’ve got a whole host of ideas to keep you in the Christmas spirit!
Spread Some Christmas Cheer
9. Join A Neighbourhood Trail
Join in one of the neighbourhood trails being organised around the country.
Decorate the front of your home for others, and then enjoy going to see their decorations too.
The Big Neighbourhood Winter Wonderland Trail hold a fundraising trail each December.
But if there isn’t a trail planned for your local area, why not reach out to the neighbours and see if they would be interested in starting one?
Making Woodland Christmas Cakes
10. Feed The Birds
Head out to spread some seed for the birds in your local park, or make a bird feeder Christmas Cake to hang on a branch. Then, hide out nearby and watch to see who comes for some lunch!
Muddy Days have a great Christmas Cake recipe for you to use > here.
Hiit Class In Disguise!
11. Set Up A Star Activity Course
We love this idea from Creative Star Learning. It requires a little forethought but the effort will be well rewarded!
Cut some stars out in card, add a hole punch and tie string through the hole so they can be hung up. Then, write a different activity on each star, e.g. 10 star jumps, run on the spot for 30secs, 10 giant paces, etc.
Hang the stars on branches of trees on a walking route near your home. Then, repeat the route with your family or friends in tow and have them search for the stars and complete the activities as you go around.
Beautify Your Local Area
12. Litter Pick
Help make your local area look fabulous over the Christmas season by doing a session of litter picking.
What’s more, litter pickers make great Christmas gifts for kids and offer a super way to develop those motor skills and hand-eye co-ordination!
A Second Home For Your Festive Visitor
13. Make An Elf House
See if you can spot a great place for an elf house, maybe an opening at the base of a tree, or a hole in a wall.
Use things you find nearby to decorate the entrance so that any passing elf will be sure to step inside and enjoy a special new resting place!
Your Own Personal Design
14. Bark Rubbing Wrapping Paper
Turn your festive winter walks into craft adventures!
Create your own unique wrapping paper by completing bark rubbings of trees with interesting patterned-bark in festive colours.
Secret Messages
15. Leave a Sign
Why not make a sign out of twigs and other things you find for other people enjoying a stroll?
Write ‘Merry Christmas’ or ‘Happy New Year’ in the undergrowth and see if anyone spots your design.
You could end up being a celebrity on your local Facebook group!
Share Your Adventure!
Don’t forget to follow us on Instagram @jollyfestive.
And be sure to tag #jollyfestive in your photos. We love to see which Christmas activities you’ve been enjoying!
More Activities
A Complete Guide To Year Round Christmas Shops In The UK
We’ve scoured the country to create a Complete Guide to the year round Christmas Shops in the UK. What’s more, we’ve visited them all too!
Design Your Perfect Christmas Dinner
The big day is approaching; have you decided what’s on the menu? Design Your Perfect Christmas Dinner with our picture chart.
Christmas Wordle Challenge
For all the Wordle fans out there, why not add a daily Christmas Wordle Challenge to your December tea breaks?