Winter offers plenty of opportunities for creative play, both outside and at home. When the weather suits, wrap up for a snowy adventure; when it doesn’t, try something cozy indoors. Here are 20 ideas to enjoy together. Adapt them to your child’s age and keep an adult nearby for activities with water, tools, or small parts.

Outdoor fun

  1. A classic snowman. A familiar favorite that still brings plenty of smiles. Try making a whole snow family or an upside-down snowman.
  2. A friendly snowball game. Build low snow forts and agree on rules together. Use soft snow, avoid faces, or aim at targets instead of each other.
  3. Snow angels. Lie on fresh snow and move your arms and legs. Simple, playful, and lovely to look back at afterward.
  4. Animal tracking. Head to a park or woodland and look for tracks in the snow. Who might have passed this way?
  5. A winter picnic. Pack sandwiches, warm blankets, and a flask of hot chocolate or tea. Let drinks cool before serving little ones.
  6. Colorful snow. Fill spray bottles with water and a little food coloring, then make pictures on the snow.
  7. Snow building. If the snow sticks together, build a small model igloo or a low fort wall. Keep structures open rather than making tunnels to crawl into.
  8. Sledding. Choose a gentle hill with a clear runout, away from roads and obstacles, and enjoy a few trips down together.
  9. Frozen bubbles. In very cold weather, soap bubbles can freeze into delicate patterns. Try blowing a few and see what happens.
  10. Feeding the birds. Make a simple feeder or seed-and-fat balls suitable for local birds. Watching who visits is a lovely way to notice winter wildlife.

Indoor fun when the weather isn’t right

  1. A living-room obstacle course. Use cushions, stable chairs, and blankets to create a route for stepping, crawling, and balancing.
  2. Winter baking. Bake cookies shaped like snowflakes or snowmen. Leave plenty of time for the decorating.
  3. An evening with a book. Build a blanket fort, grab a flashlight, and read winter tales together. You can find stories in Super Stories, too.
  4. Shadow theater. Dark winter evenings are a good time to make hand shadows and invent little scenes on the wall.
  5. Paper snowflakes. Cut snowflakes from folded paper using age-appropriate scissors, then decorate the windows with your creations.
  6. Board games and puzzles. Bring out a favorite game or a big jigsaw puzzle and settle down together.
  7. Winter experiments. Bring snow indoors in a bowl and watch it melt, or make pretend snow from flour and oil for supervised play, not eating.
  8. A home cinema. Gather warm blankets, an age-appropriate snack, and a favorite winter family film.
  9. Milk painting. Add food coloring and a drop of dish soap to a shallow dish of milk. Watch the colors move together, and keep the mixture out of mouths.
  10. Sock creatures. Turn spare socks into little winter characters by filling them with rice. An adult should secure the openings and keep loose rice or decorations away from young children.

Winter doesn’t have to mean running out of ideas. Pick whichever activity sounds fun today, change it to suit your family, and enjoy the time together.