30 Fun Things To Do With Kids When You Need To Get Out Of The House

My partner works shift work and our house is open and loud. When he just gets off a night shift, we try our best to get out of the house so he can get some good sleep and enjoy the rest of the day with us. We have daycare during the week, so that is helpful, but on the weekends, we often need to find something to do. My preference is something inexpensive and ideally outside. Sometimes being outside for 3-5 hours isn't always awesome, so I have plenty of indoor ideas, too I hope they inspire you when you are looking for something exciting to do with the kiddos outside of the house and your creative brain just isn't online yet.

1. The local park or a park tour. This one is easy. It's more fun when there are other kids at the park and that often isn't the case, but it's still worth it. Pack snacks, find a park, or two, or three and explore them. This can be done year round, you just have to dress for the weather. If it is windy, it's worth finding one with more protection (they do exist!). Check Google Maps. There are so many little hidden gem parks in neighborhoods you would never actually drive through otherwise.

2. Splash pad. While this one is seasonal, the reason I chose the splash pad over the pool, is that it typically is open more hours because it doesn't need to be staffed. Some have access to bathrooms and some don't, so keep that in mind. Much to my mom's horror, we have become very proficient at peeing outside. A lot of them are adjacent to a park so you can do both and spend even more time outside!

3. Skating. If your child still fits in the stroller, bring it! For someone like me, who isn't a strong skater, pushing the stroller on skates is a blast! I learned that from Fit Together's Adventure Club. Some skating trails or rinks have warming huts so you can warm up between bouts outside. Like, always, bring snacks or lunch! But, you're a parent, you already know that.

4. Library. One of our favorite libraries is now open on Sundays! Check with your local library for their hours. Most aren't opened super early, but there is a lot to do there and it's open most days of the week.

5. Geocaching. This one you might appreciate more when your kids are a bit older (preschool +), but it's super neat. All around the world, there are hidden containers with a log of everyone who has found it. There are endless geocaches all around the world. No matter where you go, there will be some. According to the website, it is the worlds largest treasure hunt. There is an app that has all of the locations (and more if you pay for it) and some of them actually do contain some kind of treasure! You can take one or leave a gift for the next person. It is super awesome and if you like being outside and like a bit of an adventure or purpose to your time outside, this is for you. We actually found a password protected one at the zoo and security made us leave it before we could solve it. My niece was devastated!

6. Walk or run around the mall. Did you know most malls have an early hours entrance for staff and for mall walkers? Older people and babies have a lot in common - one being early mornings. Not feeling up for walking outside, go to the mall. The quietness of being in a mall before everyone opens is pretty neat. I used to work at one and always appreciated that time. There's often not a lot of stuff for your adventurous toddler to get into so they can run around. Bonus if the mall has a play area!

7. Bike. You can cover a lot of ground on a bike. We love our Chariot (now Thule). They are pretty easy to find second hand, hold up well (the original chariot was actually made in Canada!). While you can also use it as a stroller, we keep ours connected to the bike until winter.

8. XC ski. Love getting outside with your bike trailer? You'll also love skiing with it! The Chariots and Thules can be converted onto skis! Windsor Park Nordic Centre rents them for SUPER cheap. Ski to a warming hut, have a snack and bon fire, keep skiing!

9. Sledding or tobogganing. There are parks that have tobogganing runs, but you can also find a good hill. You'll likely need a sled for this, but interestingly enough, the toboggan run we go to in Headingley always has extra sleds, so we simply use that they have. The Phoenix Rec Centre also has a stellar skating trail, warming hut, massive bon fire pit and playground. You could seriously spend hours there in the winter.

10. YMCA. This is the first one that has an entry price and it's my favorite. Our local Y's pool is open from 7am to 7pm every day. It has a huge indoor play structure open from 8am to 7pm very day. A few days a week it offers childcare for $5. You can bring your own food and there are tables to eat at. Certain days and times there are extra things for the kids. On Saturdays and Sunday at our local Y, they put up a bouncy castle and lower the basketball hoops. Drop ins are affordable, but so are memberships if you make this a regular habit.

11. Church and/or Sunday School. We're often looking to get out of the house on Sunday mornings, so this one is top of mind.

12. Pet Store or Animal Shelter. Did you know, some animal shelters allow you to walk their dogs? Winnipeg Animal Services allows you to take their dogs on a date and Winnipeg Pet Rescue allows you to walk their dogs (they're by Sturgeon Creek Parkway, so perfect for a long walk!). Bonus if your family is into animals!

13. Visit the local fire hall. All fire halls in Winnipeg are considered open to the public, so you can visit any time of the day! Get a tour, meet the firefighters, check out a truck. I recommend bringing them cookies or donuts. I heard they like that.

14. Neighborhood clean up. Does your toddler love touching things on the ground that you think are disgusting? Why do they do that?! Well, grab some gloves and a trash bag and get out a pick up trash! You can do this on a walk in your neighborhood, a local park, anywhere really. It gives them a sense of purpose, appreciation for not littering and we'll all have a cleaner world. Win-win-win.

15. Thunder Rapids. I'm sure there are other outdoor amusement parks like this, but it's nice to have it so close. It has a really neat outdoor jungle gym you can use for free in addition to the paid things like go carts, mini golf, batting cages and bumper boats. You can also buy food and ice cream on site.

16. Garden. Buy or collect seeds, find a pot or a place in the ground, add some water and watch it grow!

17. Wash the car. Whether you are using the hose and a bucket of water at home or going to the car wash, for some reason, a lot of kids enjoy this task. If you're feeling really motivated, you can vacuum and clean the inside, too. Bike washing is another kid favorite - same concept.

18. Coffee or breakfast date. The other morning, Madison and I were dog sitting for her grandma and I didn't want to get the house dirty the next morning since we were going home after. Madison woke up at 7 and Quinn was just getting off night shifts so I also didn't want to go home. My original plan was to grab breakfast at Nick's Inn, but they don't open until 8. So, where did we go? You're not going to believe this. McDonald's. I don't think I had been there since Madison was born. I got a coffee, she got a half a cup of cream (her version of coffee), I got a sausage egg McMuffin with no cheese and an extra egg and an extra sausage, she got a regular sausage egg McMuffin (which she took the egg off) and we got one hash brown which was an accident - we both wanted one. And it came to $16. And we were the only ones in the whole place which was recently renovated and very nice. They gave Madison a toy just for being there! It was inexpensive and worth it.

19. Visit friends or family. Who doesn't love a good family or friend's visit?!

20. Check out the Farmer's Market. The St. Norbert Farmer's Market is open year round. Others are seasonal. They often have some kind of entertainment and lots of fun local food and vendors. Whether you shop or not, it's a fun trip.

21. Community centre drop ins. Some community centres have TONS of kids drop in programs like Heritage Victoria and the Starting Strong programs, some just have it once a week. Often free and worth checking out!

22. Local, seasonal events. The Travel Manitoba blog does a good job of sharing lots of local events. If you aren't on the email list of your local community centre, I would recommend that because that's an easy way to stay up to date on what's going on. Each season has it's own festivals and celebrations, some you have to pay a bit for tickets, some are free. Keep your eyes and ears open and write them in your calendar in case you are looking for something to do last minute! We love the Phoenix Winter Carnival in February, Easter egg hunts in April, family fun events often in June, fall suppers in September and October, Halloween events in October, Santa breakfasts in December, ice maze or corn maze in the winter or fall.

23. Dollar store run. From craft kits to snacks, you might just find a gem at the local dollar store for cheap, cheap, cheap. And yes, they are likely made cheap, but if you are on a budget and looking for some fun, you can probably find something that fits in the bill. I have found organic nuts and seeds or dried fruit for snacks, oversized coloring books and crayons, paint sticks, craft kits, chalk and more. Grab something fun, bring it to the park and you might just be outside (and out of the house) for longer than you were expecting.

24. Bon fire. A lovely bon fire is good at any time of the day! I love making coffee on the bon fire, you can roast marshmallows and make smores, cook up your eggs and bacon for a breakfast sandwich, bring hot dogs, whatever! There are actually a few city parks and provincial parks that have fire pits for you to use. You just have to bring your fire starting gear, wood and camping kit for cooking you meal or snacks.

25. Morning movie. Every once in a while, the local movie theatre will play a movie in the morning. Keep your eye out on the schedule if this is something you are interested in! There used to be this super cool program called Movies for Mommies in Winnipeg. They are currently looking for someone to license it, so if that sounds like a fun job for you - check it out!

26. Little Free Library. Have you noticed the houses with mini book cabinets in their front lawn? They are all over the world! Go through your books and grab the ones you can part with, go find a little free library (or a few) and see if you go home with some fun, new books!

27. Garage sales. Many communities have garage sale days or weekends, people put on garage sales often when the weather is nice (spring cleaning, summer, fall clean up) and you can look around, maybe find something fun, maybe just look around. Winnipeg also has it's giveaway weekends two times a year. Put the stuff you don't want on your curb, grab the stuff you do want from someone else's curb. Like a real like treasure hunt!

28. Free trial class. Did you know that many kids programs offer a free trial class? From Mini Ballers to Fit Together, lots of programs are willing to offer one free trial class to see if it's the right fit for you and your littles. Best case scenario, you love it and want to join and tell all of your friends! Worst case, you don't like it and don't go back and don't tell anyone. It's a risk most programs are willing to take. If it's not free, they might be willing to offer a trial drop in rate. If there is something you are interested in, reach out! They might say no (or simply ignore your request), but they'll likely say yes!

29. Thrift. Rather than going to the dollar store for a game or craft, why not check out the thrift store? You might find something of better quality for a similar price and you'll be keeping junk out of the landfill. While I don't always find what I want at the thrift store, I'm often pleasantly surprised at what I do find.

30. Play groups. Like I previously mentioned, you might find these at your local community centre, but they also exist at churches, healthcare centres or clinics, private businesses and more. Chat with other families, peruse social media, look on community boards, these groups are often looking to grow and likely want you to join! It's a great way to get out of the house and find community.

Do you have more ideas? I'm always interested in learning! I hope this list gives you some ideas that are simply hard to come up with when you are scrambling to get out of the house and your biggest goal is getting your child's hair brushed (and your own teeth brushed!).

Dr. Kristen Mitteness is a webster certified chiropractor with a passion for prenatal, postnatal and pediatric care. She's a mom, co-owner of White Horse Family Wellness, avid reader and loves spending time outside.