Inside: Over 100 fun outdoor winter activities to do with your kids on cold snowy days. Plus a Free Printable List of ideas for you to use.
Looking for some fun winter activity ideas to enjoy with your kids? Here are 101 outdoor winter activities for families (with kids of all ages).
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When the temperatures drop and it’s cold outside it is often harder to spend time outside. We all know getting outside is important, but with shorter days and cold weather, most families don’t spend as much time outside.
Ideas for Getting Outside In the Winter
I personally think of myself as a fair-weather nature lover. I don’t love getting outside when it’s really hot or when it’s freezing cold. But I’m working on getting outside more no matter what the weather is.
This year one of my goals is to spend 1,000 hours outside as a family. I was brainstorming ideas to help my whole family get outside more during the winter months and decided to make a printable list and share my ideas with you.
Tips for Getting Outside in the Winter as a Family
There are so many great ways to spend time outside even when it’s cold. Here are a few tips that help my family spend time outside during the cold months.
Plan Ahead
I have found that it really helps to look at the weather for the day and plan when we are going to go outside.
Planning allows us to pick the warmest part of the day, a time when it shouldn’t (fingers crossed) be raining, when it’s snowing, or when the sun is out.
Dress for the Weather
Dressing for the weather is important all the time, but it seems to take a lot more work during the winter.
Even though it takes more work to put on your winter gear. How you dress in the winter can make or break your time spent outside.
Keep it Short and Sweet
Depending on your kid’s age and the weather the amount of time you spend outside may vary. But I have learned not to push it longer than I should.
Instead, keep it short and sweet and end on a happy note. You know your family best, so you know if 20 minutes or 2 hours is short and sweet. For us, it honestly depends on the day and our moods (and how freezing cold it is!).
Ending our time outside however long it ends up being with everyone happy makes it much easier to get outside the next time.
Often when we go outside the kids just run around and do their own thing, but sometimes they need new ideas. Other times it is nice to have a planned activity that takes us out of the yard.
So I thought it would be fun to make a list of fun outdoor winter activities for families to do together. These family bonding activities are a fun way to create memories and spend time outside.
101 Fun Outdoor Winter Activities for Families
There are so many fun winter activities that are perfect for families. There is no way I could include everything, but I tried to include a variety of great ideas to help inspire you to spend more time outside this winter.
This isn’t a to-do list, it’s a list of ideas to help you have fun doing outdoor activities as a family.
Blow Freezing Bubbles
It might not sound like a winter activity but blowing bubbles is a great way to spend time outside during the winter. If it’s cold enough you might even be able to see your bubbles freeze instead of popping.
Make Snow Angels
Making snow angels is a fun way to end your time in the fresh air on those cold snow days.
I like saving this activity for shortly before we go inside since usually making snow angels tends to get snow between the layers and make everyone cold.
Help a Neighbor Shovel their driveway
Helping clear off a neighbor’s driveway or sidewalk is a great way to give some service during the cold days of winter. Plus doing service as a family is a great way to teach kids the importance of helping others.
Make S’mores
Usually, when we think of s’mores we think of summer and fall campfires, but winter is a great time to make a fire and enjoy making s’mores.
Have a Snowball Fight
Is it even possible to go outside in the winter with little kids and not end up getting hit with snowballs?
A snowball fight is a fun activity for the whole family. Depending on the ages of your kids you might have to change up how you play.
For our family, the toddler loves throwing snow but doesn’t love getting hit so we usually have the rule that you can’t throw snowballs at him since he will end up in tears.
Build a Snow Fort or Igloo
As a kid, I always wanted to build a snow fort but I wasn’t ever good enough at actually building one during the winter season.
A few years ago we had a huge snowstorm and we built an awesome snow fort as a family. We had so much fun building and hanging out in the fort.
My kids are hoping we get enough snow this winter to be able to build another snow fort.
Go for a Winter Hike
I feel like those warmer winter days are the perfect time to take a winter hike. Don’t forget to dress in layers, bring snacks and water, and have fun.
Make Tracks in Fresh Snow
There is something magical about being the first person to stomp through fresh snow. It’s so beautiful to feel a part of nature as you explore the untouched winter wonderland.
Make a Homemade Bird Feeder
There are several different types of Homemade birdfeeders for kids you can make. My personal favorite is using pine cones, peanut butter, and birdseed. They are easy to make for kids of all ages and work great for attracting birds!
Build a Snowman
Building a snowman is a must during the cold winter months if you have snow. Even if it’s a little snowman we love building one each winter as a family.
Write a Message In The Snow
Use a stick, colored water in a spray bottle, or footprints to write a message in the snow. You could try writing a small message and writing a big one that can be seen from above.
Writing in the snow could be a fun way to practice writing letters or spelling words.
Make Snow Ice Cream
Snow ice cream is a fun treat to make in the winter. Depending on where you live you might be comfortable eating the ice cream in your yard. If so you can make snow ice cream using snow, sugar, and cream.
If you don’t want to eat the snow you can use it to freeze your ice cream. Make ice cream like you would ice cream in a bag but instead of putting it in a bag of ice stick it in a pile of snow to freeze.
Go Skiing
Going downhill skiing or snowboarding is a fun winter activity for the whole family. There are ski resorts all over the country that have beginner ski hills and more advanced ones for those that love these winter sports.
Sled Down a Hill
Finding a fun sledding hill is one of the best outdoor winter activities in our opinion. We have a small hill in our own backyard that the kids love sledding down when we get enough snow.
Even though the hill isn’t very big (and the sledding isn’t supper exciting) it’s something we all have a lot of fun doing. One of these times if we get enough snow we need to find a bigger sledding hill.
Go Cross Country Skiing
Cross-country skiing is a lot of fun (and a lot of work). Based on my experience I wouldn’t take really young kids cross-country skiing or if I did I would make sure it was a really easy (and short) trail.
Go Snow Tubing
There are some really fun places to go snow tubing. Some resorts in winter areas have special trails for tubing and even have lifts to pull the tubes back to the top of the mountain.
Try Snowshoeing
Snowshoeing is another fun outdoor winter activity, especially with older kids. Depending on the ages of the kids in your family a nature walk snowshoeing could be a fun thing to do to beat the winter cabin fever.
Have A Bonfire
I usually think of bonfires for the fall season but winter is a great time to have a fun bonfire. The fire will feel even better in the cold temperatures than it does when it’s warmer.
Last year we let our Christmas tree dry out in the backyard and had a fire burning it. It was a lot of fun for all of us. Plus we roasted hot dogs which the kids loved!
Have A Hot Chocolate Picnic
We often have hot chocolate in the winter after playing outside. Instead of having it after you come inside bringing the hot cocoa outside with some fun toppings is a simple way to have some outdoor winter fun.
Go to the Zoo
One of the often-overlooked fun things you can do in the winter is going to the zoo.
I’m always surprised at how active many of the animals are during the cooler months. We have always had a great time exploring our local zoo during the winter.
See An Outdoor Light Display
During December and sometimes into January, you can find fun outdoor light displays to visit. Exploring these can be fun and magical outdoor adventures.
Visit a National Park
Exploring National Parks is one of our favorite things to do as a family all year. During the winter months, many of the parks aren’t as busy as they are during the summer.
For some of the national parks, the winter can be the busy season though so be sure to do some research about the national park you plan on visiting.
If you plan to visit multiple national parks in the new year you might want to get a National Parks Pass to save some money. If you have a 4th grader you can get a free pass!
Related Post: Tips for Visiting Mount Rushmore National Park
Go Ice Skating
Many communities have an outdoor ice rink during the winter months. This can be a great way to get some outdoor play as a family and try something new.
Check to see if your town or city has a local ice rink and if they rent ice skates.
Explore a State Park
State parks are another of our favorite places to explore. We love playing in local lakes during the summer and during the winter exploring the trails or going to events at the parks is a lot of fun.
Go on a Scavenger Hunt
The wintertime is a great time to go on a scavenger hunt. You could do a nature scavenger hunt or a color scavenger hunt as a family.
Make Frozen Ice Balls
Make frozen Ice balls by filling a balloon with water (and food coloring if you want) and putting it outside to freeze. Once the water is frozen cut off the balloon and you have a beautiful ball of ice.
Play a Game Of Winter Bowling
Those ice balls mentioned above would be perfect for playing a game of winter bowling. If you have snow you could make mini snowmen to hit over, if you don’t have snow you could other items you find outside as your bowling pins.
Play Tic Tac Toe In The Snow
Tic-tac-toe is a favorite childhood game so why not enjoy playing it outside in the winter weather? You can use sticks to draw an x or o in the snow or find other natural objects to use to mark your space.
Snow Painting
Food coloring and water in a spray bottle is a fun way to paint the snow different colors. If you don’t want to risk wet fingers using a spray bottle you can always try breaking out the paint and paintbrushes and painting the snow this way.
Play at the Local Park
I’m not sure why but during the winter we often forget that going to a nearby park is a great way to get outside.
Make sure to bundle up and have fun on the swings and slides. You might even get lucky and find some other kids at the park to play with.
Related Post: Tips For Finding the Best Parks Near You!
Make Frozen Nature Suncatchers
Have fun making nature suncatchers during the winter. Get a disposable pie tin and fill it with a little bit of water, add items found in nature to the water, and let it freeze.
Once your creation is frozen pull out your frozen nature suncatcher and enjoy your beautiful creation before it melts.
Draw with Chalk
Where we live we don’t have snow all winter so drawing with chalk is a fun activity to do when the sidewalk and driveway are dry. We love creating games and obstacle courses with chalk.
Visit a Farm
Check and see if any of your local farms are open to visitors during the winter. If they are open year-round visiting the farm animals can be a fun winter activity.
Jump on the Trampoline
We play on the trampoline year-round and have a lot of fun. During the winter when it snows, the kids always want to be the first ones to get to the untouched snow on the trampoline.
Go For a Walk
Going for a walk seems so simple but it’s the best thing to do to get my family outside when I’m feeling like I don’t really want to go outside.
We often walk around the neighborhood. Going for a walk on a local trail is always a lot of fun too.
Paint with Nature Items
While we often think it’s easier to find items in nature during the summer I always find it fun to see what we discover during the winter. There are a lot of creative ways you can paint with items you find in the backyard.
If you have pine trees for example pine needles and pine cones make fun and different paint brushes.
You could easily do this activity as a part outside and part inside activity. Gather your items outside and paint inside if that’s easier.
Bird Watch
The winter is a great time to bird watch. We have been lucky enough to see some really cool birds in our backyard including a hawk.
You can do a google search and find places in your area that are good to go bird watching. Don’t forget to bring a book or two to help you learn about and identify the different birds you see.
Explore an Ice Castle
There are several places I know of in the United States that have outdoor ice and snow castle exhibits that you can explore. These are incredible life-size buildings, mazes, slides and more made from snow and ice.
Search for Animal Tracks
The snow during the winter months can make it fun and easy to search for animal tracks. You can have fun searching for tracks around your home or in the woods. You could even compare the different tracks you find.
Go on a Bike Ride
On warmer winter days a family biker ride can be a fun idea. I don’t personally love riding when it’s really cold outside, but it doesn’t seem to bother my kids.
Make a Snow Maze
If you want something fun and different to make try building a maze out of snow. You can go extreme and build tall walls for your maze or keep it simple and make a maze with a little path in the snow.
Cut Your Christmas Tree
One of our favorite Christmas traditions is going to a tree farm and cutting down our Christmas tree. We have a wonderful time each year picking out our tree and spending time outside during the holiday season.
Related Post: Tips for Cutting Down a Live Christmas Tree
Try to Catch Snowflakes
When it’s snowing and we are playing outside we always love to try to catch snowflakes on our tounges. It’s a fun and simple activity that often has us spinning around and laughing.
Make Maple Snow Candy
You can have a lot of family fun making snow candy. This is a treat you might have heard about when learning about the pioneers and history in the 1800s.
Use snow and maple syrup or molasses to make snow candy during the colder months.
Find Hearts in Nature
One of our favorite things to do when we are outside year-round is to look for hearts. Hearts we find in nature are like little love notes from above.
We have found heart rocks, leaves, patches of snow, and more as we spend time outside.
Make a Volcano
We have used the national geographic kit to make a volcano and set it off. You could also do your own volcanic eruption using baking soda and vinegar if you prefer.
Fly a Kite
Depending on where you live the winter can be a great time to fly a kite. You can pick up different kites at the dollar store for cheap fun.
Usually, one of the best times to fly a kite is when the seasons are changing since that’s when we experience the most wind.
Go “Swimming” in a hot tub
If you have a hot tub or your community has a hot tub that is open during the winter it can be a lot of fun to go “swimming” during the winter in a hot tub. It’s fun to experience that cold air and hot water at the same time.
Read Stories Outside
Reading outside is one of our favorite fun activities. Depending on the winter weather forecast you might want to keep the stories short, but even if you only read one good book it’s a fun way to embrace winter.
Stay in a Cabin
Winter is a great time to stay in a cabin. Even in bad weather you can enjoy a little cabin getaway and play in the fresh snowfall.
Go on a Winter Train Ride
See if you can find a winter train ride in your area to enjoy as a family. Many of the trains in our area have a Christmas holiday train ride, a New Year’s ride, and a Valentine-themed one.
Search for Icicles
During the winter it can be fun to search for icicles. I remember having a lot of fun throwing the in the snow and seeing how they seemed to disappear.
Go 4-Wheeling
If you don’t get snow during the winter or if you only have a little bit 4-wheeling can be one of the best ways to enjoy the outdoors.
We have had a lot of fun going on 4-wheeling rides in the mountains. Just make sure you dress for the weather.
Create an Obstacle Course
Obstacle courses are a great thing to do as a family outside. You can use things you find in the backyard, outdoor toys, and even a cardboard box to create a unique obstacle course.
The best part of this activity is that each time you make an obstacle course it will be different.
Visit a Creamery
We love visiting different creameries year round. During the winter some of our local creameries will have heaters so you can still enjoy your ice cream outside.
Ride A Horse
Riding a horse is something you can do year-round in most places. If you have horses that will make this activity easy.
If you don’t have horses this activity can be more challenging to plan, but still a lot of fun.
Plan Your Garden and Start Seeds
So for most of us in the northern hemisphere starting seeds during the winter is one of those winter indoor activities. But it does lead to more outdoor time during the summer so I’m including it on this list.
Explore a National Monument
There are national monuments all across the country that you can visit during the winter. These monuments are not only a great way to get outside but also learn a little bit more about our country.
Ride Scooters
If the sidewalk is cleared you can enjoy riding scooters outside…If it’s too snowy to enjoy scooters outside you can be crazy like me and let the kids ride them inside.
Make Colored Ice Chimes
Use a muffin tin, string, food coloring, and water to make some fun winter chimes to hang outside.
Give someone a “Heart Attack”
One of the fun ideas we like to do around Valentine’s day is to give a neighbor a “heart attack” we put paper hearts taped all over their front door and leave a little treat.
This is a little bit trickier now thanks to camera doorbells, but even if it’s not a surprise it’s still a lot of fun.
Collect Maple Sap and make Maple Syrup
We have a large maple tree in our backyard and this year one of my bucket list things to do is try collecting sap and making maple syrup. I’ll let you know how it goes.
Take Winter Photographs
Have fun taking some winter photos. You could hire a photographer for family photos or just have fun taking candid photos on your phone or better yet with a camera.
Decorate with Twinkly Lights
Twinkly Lights are perfect for the holiday season and anytime you want to make things a little extra magical. You could add twinkly lights to the kid’s bedrooms, playroom, or even the living room.
Go on a Sleigh Ride
Do a search online to find out if you can go on a sleigh ride locally. It would be a great way to enjoy being outside if you have a lot of snow.
Do a Science Experiment
There are a lot of different experiments you can do outside during the winter months. Don’t be afraid to use the snow, ice, and cold temperatures to have fun learning together.
Explore a Beach
Visiting the beach during the winter might not be the time of year you would normally think to visit. Though the winter isn’t the ideal time for swimming there will be fewer crowds and it’s fun to explore the shores.
When we visited ocean city during the winter we were able to find a bunch of fun shells and enjoy playing in the sand (don’t forget sand toys) and walking along the beach.
Play Marbles with Frozen Water Beads
Freeze some water beads and have fun playing a game of frozen marbles outside.
Do a Candy Cane Hunt
A candy cane hunt is a great way to get outside around the holidays. Hide candy canes around the yard or at a park and have the kids go search for them.
Cook in a Dutch Oven
Make a yummy dinner or dessert in a dutch oven to enjoy after playing outside this winter.
Make Bark Rubbings
Grab some paper and crayons and do some bark rubbings of the trees in your yard or at the local park.
Have a Winter Picnic
Pack up the food and head outside for a fun winter picnic. Don’t forget to pack a warm drink!
Tailgate
Enjoy tailgating and attending a college or NFL football game this winter.
Watch a Sunrise
The best part about watching a sunrise in the winter is that you don’t have to get up really early to see it.
Paint with Ice
Make some ice paints in different colors and have fun painting with the colored ice. You can paint the sidewalk outside or use the ice to paint on paper.
Watch a Sunset
There is something so special about slowing down and actually watching the sunset. The colors of winter sunsets are so beautiful, even if they happen earlier than I would like.
Go Stargazing
Stargazing isn’t just something you can do during the summer. Clear winter nights are a great time to search the night sky. Make sure you dress for the weather and have fun.
Find a Covered Bridge
Covered bridges are so fun to explore and they look beautiful no matter what time of year you find them.
Visit a Botanical Garden
If there is a botanical garden in your area plan a time to go explore it. Many of these gardens have both indoor and outdoor garden areas.
Go to a Festival
See what winter festivals there are in your area and have fun attending them. Our state parks often have fun winter festivals and events perfect for the whole family.
Play with Dump Trucks
Winter is a great time to play with dump trucks. Let the kids use them to help move snow or simply play with them in the snow much as you would in the dirt or sand.
Go Ice Fishing
Ice fishing is a popular winter activity especially if you live near a lake or pond that freezes solid in the winter.
Visit an Amusement Park
Some amusement parks are open during the winter and often they are less busy. Visiting an amusement park in the winter is a different experience than during the summer unless, of course, you visit one in a warmer place like Florida!
Drive Remote Controlled Cars
Driving remote-controlled cars through the snow can be so much fun, especially making jumps and different things for the cars to drive on and jump off of.
Go Camping
Camping during the winter can be a lot of fun if you’re prepared with the right equipment.
Geocaching
Geocaching is a fun activity to do all year. Use the app or your GPS to find local geocaching locations.
Play Soccer
Playing soccer in the backyard is something we do all the time. With the easy pop-up nets we got on amazon we can play as a family anytime we want to.
Visit a Nature Center
Nature centers are a great way to learn more about nature in your area. Many of these centers also have paths and sometimes even playgrounds you can enjoy.
Use a Magnifying Glass
Use a magnifying glass to look at snow, ice, and anything else you find outside.
Watch the Clouds
Head outside and watch the clouds can you identify the different types? Can you see any fun pictures to point out?
Have a Snow Sculpture Competition
Gather the family and have a snow sculpture contest, make up the rules together, and decide how the winner will be chosen.
Learn to Snowboard
Learn to snowboard if you don’t already know how. If you know what you’re doing have fun snowboarding your favorite runs.
Jump Rope Outside
Jumping rope is a fun activity to do as a family and a great skill for kids to learn. I remember as a kid spending hours outside with my family learning to double dutch after watching Jump In.
Play Tag
I feel like tag is the classic childhood game that every generation plays. No matter what the weather is like you can always have fun playing a version of tag together.
Go Mini-Golfing
Mini-golfing is one of our favorite family dates. It’s perfect for multiple ages and generally goes fast enough that even little kids love it.
Play Capture the Flag
Capture the flag is another classic childhood game that is fun to play in the summer as well as the winter. It might be a little more challenging to keep things hidden without leaves on the trees.
Go Snowmobiling
Snowmobiling is a fun way to get outside if you have snow to enjoy. You can often find places to rent snowmobiles for a few hours within areas that have fun trails to take a ride on.
Climb a Tree
Climbing trees is something my kids have recently started to love and it’s so fun to watch them test themselves and get over fears as they climb.
Race Go Karts
If you have a local go-kart track that is open in the winter this can be a really fun family activity, especially with older kids and teens.
Play Basketball
There is nothing like playing basketball in the driveway. Grab the ball and as long as the driveway is clear you can have fun playing different games when it’s warm and even when it’s freezing outside.
Play
Head outside without a plan other than to play and see where that leads you. You might be surprised at how much fun you can have without a plan.
No matter how you decide to spend time outside have fun making memories together. It’s not what you’re doing that matters it’s who you’re doing it with.
Free Printable List of Winter Activities for Families
Please keep this printable pdf for personal use and have fun making memories together.