We all want our kids to play more outside, for many reasons, but it can be very difficult in winter to encourage them to get fresh air when that air is biting cold! With our list of forty free and fun winter activities your kids will be excited to explore, create, and build in the snow!
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A few of the reasons you might encourage your kids to get outside include increased Vitamin D, exercise, socialization, and a greater appreciation of nature. In addition to these, Harvard states that time outdoors helps children develop executive function and socialization in less structured settings. For more information check out their great article here. With so many great benefits, let’s dive into some of these fun activities. You can find a printable list here.
1- Make snow angels.
2- Have a snow ball fight.
3- Go sledding on a hill or pull sleds behind a truck.
4- Paint the snow with food coloring. Fill an empty spray bottle with water and a few drops of food coloring. Head outside and let kids create an art masterpiece!
5- Sliding on a frozen pond. If you don’t have a skating rink or skates, don’t let that hold you back from sliding and having fun on the ice!
6- Ice skating. If you do have a skating rink or pond and skates, this is a great activity!
7- Snowshoeing. You don’t necessarily have to have snowshoes to get out and walk on the snow. Encourage kids to get creative and make their own shoes and see what works the best.
8- Hiking. If the snow is not too deep, or you live near a manicured trail get out for a hike in the mountains.
9- Take videos in the snow. Snow can be so beautiful clinging to tree branches or sparkling in the sun. Give your kids a camera and a challenge to find a certain shape or color.
10- Dig a snow cave. If you have a nearby canal or ditch that fills with snow, or can make a large pile yourself, dig into the snow and enjoy being a polar bear.
11- Shovel snow for neighbors.
12- Drink hot chocolate.
13- Freezing bubbles. If the temperatures outside are cold enough when you blow bubbles they will slowly freeze.
14- Finding icicles. Walk around and see if you can find any long ones, short ones, thick or thin ones.
15- Writing names in the snow. Use a stick or even an icicle you found to write in fresh snow.
16- Build a snowman.
17- Gather items to create a frozen scene. Place items in a muffin tin or pie pan and fill with water. Then leave them out and wait for nature to do its magic. You could even place a string in them and hang them from a tree when done.
18- Hide and Seek. This game is fun any time of the year.
19- Hide and find buried treasure. Bury items in the snow for kids to search for.
20- Conduct a snow experiment. Use different items to see what will make snow melt fastest such as salt, pepper, sugar, sand, etc.
21- Play tag. Another great game that can be played anytime and anywhere- it can be particularly exciting in the snow.
22- Cross country skiing. Give this fun sport a shot. You don’t need special skis if they are unavailable, get creative and try sliding across the snow.
23- Catch snowflakes. When the snow is falling catch some snowflakes and see if you can see any patterns.
24- Painted ice crystal fairy garden. Using food coloring and water, pour thin layers of water and let freeze. Break up the pieces and place the shards in a decorative line or design.
25- Build a frozen slide. Pack snow in layers into a slide.
26- Freeze popsicles outside.
27- Snowball experiment. Make snow balls and use different variables to see how you can make a snowball stay frozen for the longest amount of time.
28- Build a pile of snow to jump into. Fall doesn’t have to have all the fun with piles!
29- Leaves scarves on trees. This is a trend in some cities to help those less fortunate and to give the area a fun and festive feeling.
30- Donate coats. If you have extra outerwear take it to a donation center to help the less fortunate.
31- Giant frozen marbles from balloons. Fill balloons with water and a drop of food coloring. Set outside to freeze and then remove the balloon to reveal frozen colored balls.
32- Go for a walk.
33- Play at a park. If you play at a park in winter there are unique advantages. The slides are faster with snow pants and ice, there are far fewer people, and you can play snow monster instead of lava monster.
34- Find frozen waterfalls. Ice can be so beautiful! It is possibly the most beautiful as a cascading scene of ice.
35- Build a snow dog or snow scene. Snowmen are fun, but try recreating an animal or scene instead.
36- Look for animal tracks in the snow.
37- Put out seeds for birds. Odds are there are a few birds still around even in winter and some seeds can really help!
38- Visit a hot spring.
39- Read a book. Had to add this to the list because reading books is the best!
40- Scrape windshields for people. Go around the neighborhood and clear of windshields from cars, you never know how much it could help someone.
