Make Room for Play - Kids are more active when they're outside!
Did you know? Ontario preschoolers spend twice as much time being active when they play outdoors. When children are outside they move more, sit less, play longer and sleep better at night.
Spend Time Outdoors as a Family
Spending time outside is good for your entire family. Kids are more likely to take part in outdoor-based activities if you do too. If you move outdoors, your kids will too!
Provide your child with approval and encouragement. This can help motivate them to embrace the great outdoors. The more a child is exposed to nature when they are young, the more likely they will seek it out as they grow up. Help your child develop their lifelong love of the outdoors.
Here are some fun things to do outdoors as a family:
- Start a rock collection.
- Have a scavenger hunt. Make a list of things for you and your child to find.
- Collect leaves. Make a leaf picture with paper and glue.
- Start a journal. Record animal sightings together or fun things you've seen.
- Collect treasures in a small bag. Talk about all the neat things you have found.
- Find animal tracks and follow them as long as you can.
- While outside, challenge your child to find one object that starts with each letter of the alphabet.
- Play "I Spy with My Little Eye". Pick something you see and give your child hints until they guess what you are looking at.
- Put your children to work raking the leaves in a big pile and then encourage them to jump in.
- For a wintertime scavenger hunt, freeze colored water into ice cubes, then hide them around the yard.
Outdoor Play in Ottawa - What to Do
Source: The Biggest Risk is Keeping Kids Indoors, the 2015 ParticipACTION Report Card on Physical Activity for Children and Youth.
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Visit us online at: ParentinginOttawa.ca/outdoorplay |
Be in the know. Here are some outdoor activities you can do with your family in Ottawa. Many of these activities are free and are easily accessible by bus.
Swimming
- Don't have a pool? Ottawa has many Outdoor pools that are open to the public
- Prefer the beach? Check out one of the City of Ottawa Beaches
- Visit one of the City of Ottawa splashpads
- Let loose and cool off at a local waterpark: Calypso Theme Waterpark in Limoges, Ontario or Mont Cascade Waterpark located in Cantley, Quebec
Cycling
- Go biking
- The Nokia Sunday Bike Days take place Sunday mornings, from Victoria Day weekend to Labour Day weekend. Cycle along car free roads on some of Ottawa's most scenic pathways, courtesy of the National Capital Commission
- Sightseeing cycling route
- Want to bike with the little ones in tow? We have a route for you to consider! Discover the great Ottawa River family-friendly bike route, which stretches from the Ottawa Locks to the Canadian War Museum and beyond. Discover the great Rideau Canal family-friendly bike route too
- Try mountain biking in Ottawa
- Ottawa also offers many interesting walking and cycling tours
Outdoor Parks & Recreation Areas
- Want to play, visit City of Ottawa Parks, Sports Fields and Outdoor Recreation
- Want to explore nature, visit City of Ottawa Conservation Areas, Forests and Parks
- Check out Commissioners Park next to Dow's Lake. During the month of May, over 300,000 tulips bloom here
- Enjoy a family meal outdoors in one of the capital's many parks. Picnic facilities are available across the city
- Stroll or cycle along the Capital Pathway Network. These multi-use paths link nature areas, parks, gardens and other local attractions
- Gatineau Park offers great hiking trails for the older kids, and a short walk around Pink Lake for the younger ones.
- Discover the Mer Bleue Bog
Ottawa Attractions
- There's always something to do at The Central Experimental Farm Arboretum and Ornamental Gardens
- Ottawa is home to the Canadian Tulip Festival every May
- Rideau Hall is home to Canada's Governor General. Visit the beautiful gardens or take a walk amongst the ground's 10,000 trees
- Connect with The Ottawa Field-Naturalists' Club. For over 65 years, their Macoun Field Club has been helping to bring kids into contact with nature
- Spend time with the animals at Parc Omega. Don't forget to check out one of the nature walking trails
- Visit the Rideau Canal Locks with the kids in the summer to see a boat make its' way through the locks
- For some amazing mazes, along with fantastic activities in the spring, summer and fall, Saunders Farm is fun for the whole family
- Visit the Valleyview Little Animal Farm in Southwest Ottawa
- Pick out fruits and vegetables at the Ottawa's Farmers' Markets, and don't forget to try the free samples! They also have occasional special events like face painting or balloon animals
- Visit the Sugarbush and walk through the trees
- Celebrate Winterlude in Canada's Capital during three fun-filled weekends in February
Skating, Sledding & Skiing
- Outdoor skating in Ottawa is a must! Check out where to skate in Ottawa. And remember, helmets are for the whole family!
- Check out one of the City of Ottawa sledding hills
- Hit the slopes as a family. There are many ski hills in the Ottawa region
Do you have more questions about parenting?
- Connect with a registered nurse from Health811 for free, secure, and confidential health advice. Service is available 24/7 in English and French, with translation support also offered in other languages. Call 8-1-1 or visit Health811.ontario.ca.
- Connect with a Community Navigator from 2-1-1 for information about community programs and resources across Eastern Ontario. Helpline service is available 24/7 and in many different languages. Call 2-1-1 or visit 211ontario.ca.
- Connect with other parents on the Parenting in Ottawa Facebook page.
- There are a variety of services to make it easier for your child to grow up healthy in Ottawa.
- You can update your child's immunization record using either the Immunization Connect Ontario (ICON) Tool or the CANImmunize App.
- If you have received a message from Ottawa Public Health such as a letter or a call regarding immunization, an infectious disease, or infection control lapse, please call 613-580-6744 and listen to the menu options carefully.
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