Winter fun and games for the whole family

Spending time outdoors is both enjoyable and beneficial on many levels, but no one likes to freeze – so it is important to make sure that your clothes are appropriate for the prevailing weather conditions. Layer-on-layer is usually a good way to dress children in winter: firstly a set of undergarments that keep your little ones dry, then a middle layer that keeps them warm, and finally an outer garment that provides protection against wind and moisture. By dressing in this way, you will be able to play in the snow and go on fun winter excursions with your children without the risk of them getting cold.

Tips on fun winter games

Most people are familiar with popular winter activities like sledging, skiing, skating and making snow angels. But there are also plenty of other winter activities and snow games to keep the family entertained during the winter. What takes your fancy today – mischief and shenanigans, exploration and discovery, or just playing together in the snow? Here are a few tips on fun winter games for the whole family:

Build an exciting little snow world

Loads of fun and creativity for all kids and adults who like the snow.

• Build a variety of fun snowmen (and snow-women!) with different accessories such as hats, twigs, stones and carrots. Or why not a little snow dog?
• Build a little snow village, with rows of snow houses and small snow roads.
• Complete the masterpiece with a few toys, jars or pieces of cardboard from your own recycling station.
• Perhaps a small tealight could be lit in a miniature lantern made of snow when darkness begins to descend over the snow village – in the company of an adult, of course, when it is time to light the candle.

Make a sparkling ice lantern that can withstand the wind

All you need is a bucket, water and a little patience!

• Fill a bucket with water almost all the way to the brim.
• If you want, you can add a little caramel colouring to produce a different light.
• Leave the bucket outside so that the water freezes. The idea is for the water to freeze everywhere apart from in the middle.
• When the water has frozen, turn the bucket upside down on the spot where you want to have the lantern.
• If everything has gone according to plan, you should now have a nice ice lantern with a hole in the middle where you can place a tealight or an outdoor candle. Now all that remains is to stand back and admire how lovely your ice lantern looks as it sparkles and shines!

Alternative snowmen – let your imagination flow!

Perhaps you and the kids already imagined what you wanted to create before you went outside? Or perhaps you read a fairy tale and wondered if there was something in the story that could be created out of snow?

• Roll several large snowballs together.
• Make new shapes out of the ball of snow, such as animals, cars or other objects you have imagined or thought about. Why not some type of larger animal that the kids can sit on?
• Now decorate your creation with whatever you have brought with you or can find, such as kitchen utensils, vegetables, sticks and twigs, stones, old leaves, tissue paper... The only limit to what you can create is your imagination! (Just don’t forget to pick up everything when it is time to go home…)

A journey of discovery in the winter forest

Go into the woods and experience the difference between winter and summer. Discover and explore the wonders of the winter forest, and find out what things are like in the woods during the winter.

• Listen. Does the forest sound different in the winter? What does winter sound like?
• Smell. Does the snow smell?
• Look. Can you see rime ice, or perhaps some animals? Or can you see signs of places where animals have been – perhaps some droppings, or tracks in the snow?
• Talk about animals and how they survive the winter.
• Perhaps you can go home and read about different types of birds – some that can cope with the cold of winter, and others that fly all the way to Africa in search of warmth.
• Or perhaps you can find out where ants go in the winter?

“Follow the Leader” or large snow drawings

If you are in a field with newly fallen snow, you can play “Follow the Leader” or create something large with your own footprints.

• If you have several kids with you, let them take turns being the leader while the rest of you follow their trail. The snow will reveal if someone has veered off course!
• Each child and adult can also stamp around in the snow to create their own pattern or drawing – perhaps a circle, the first letter in their name or some other exciting object.

Snow pentathlon for the whole family

You can make up new snow games or adapt summer games to the winter conditions. Let your imagination take over! Here are some suggestions for games you can include in your family’s snow pentathlon:

• Make a snowball and try to throw it into (or hit) a bucket from a certain distance.
• Make a snowball and roll it along the ground to hit a target. It might be a good idea to plough a lane in the snow before you start.
• Make a snowball and try to hit a tree or some other target you have created.
• Make snowballs and place them on top of each other to see who can make the highest pile before everything collapses.
• Make several snowballs and use them to create a snow lantern that can withstand the conditions – the quickest time wins! And with a little luck (or good planning!), darkness will start to fall at just the right time so that you can light up your lanterns with candles.

Round off the day with a cosy family moment together

When the fun and games are finally over, why not go home and warm yourselves with something delicious? Or if the kids don’t want to go inside just yet and it’s not too cold, perhaps you can grill some hot dogs or enjoy some hot chocolate and cookies outdoors? Just remember to take something good to sit on so that all backsides – large and small – stay warm and dry!

Please note that all information above is based on Swedish recommendations.