The temperature drops and the evenings are getting darker that must mean one thing – winter is fast approaching. Now everyone loves the winter, it’s such a beautiful time of year and there is so much to look forward to. Christmas and Thanksgiving are just around the corner and the new year is promised with brand new adventures. But what can you do during these often cold months to keep everyone busy and entertained?
To be honest, there are actually loads of fun things to do in winter from ice fishing and dog sledding to scrapbooking and making the perfect hot chocolate. Movie nights are a must as well as a snow ball fight – if you are lucky enough to see some of that white stuff.
Fun Outdoor Winter Activities
There are loads of things to do in the winter if you love the outdoors and are prepared to throw on a few extra layers to keep warm. You might have already thought of things like skiing or snowboarding, which are classics, but what about something a little different? Let’s take a look at a few.
Ice fishing
The first thing on our ‘things to do when it’s cold’ list is ice fishing. This might not be the best family activity if you’re not experienced but it can be a great thing to do on your own for a little. Whether you go for the day or a little longer, you’re sure to have loads of fun and learn a bunch of new things with this activity. So if you’re a fan of fishing but have never tried ice fishing, why not give it a try this winter?
Dog sledding
You’ve no doubt heard of dog sledding before but did you know it can be the perfect winter activity for the family? You’ll probably only really be able to do this if you live somewhere really cold where there’s plenty of snow. But if you don’t it’s definitely something worth traveling for and a chance to make some amazing memories. We’re sure the whole family will love watching the sled dogs pulling sleds across the snow but what they’ll love even more is having a turn themselves. This is definitely one they’re going to remember.
Snowmen and snow angels
This one’s a true classic but to be honest it never gets old. You can never go wrong with building a snowman as a family or making amazing snow angels in the fresh snow. Grab some old clothes, a carrot, and something to give your new friend some eyes and a mouth, and get building. This is where you can let your imagination run wild. Build a snowman family and even a snow dog. You can make as many as you like, your only limitation will be the amount of snow you have. How many do you think you can make?
Snowshoe hiking
You might not have heard of this one before but if you don’t fancy skiing or snowboarding but still want to get out then listen up. Skiing and snowboarding can get very expensive very quickly and can be really hard for some people but snowshoeing is pretty much perfect for anyone and will really help you work off those extra pounds from Thanksgiving and Christmas.
To put it simply, snowshoeing is just hiking but with special shoes that are designed to grip the snow so that it’s easier to walk. These shoes go over your normal shoes and help to distribute your weight so that you don’t sink in the snow. You can easily make this a family activity and make the walk as long or as short as you want.
Tubing or sledding
Tubing and sledding are so much fun and the kids, as well as the adults, are guaranteed to absolutely love it. You can either find a sledding place near you that offers all the equipment you need or if you are lucky enough to live somewhere you can find a big hill, grab your own sled, and head out then even better. Now you might have heard of sledding but tubing is a little different. Instead of sitting on a plastic sled like you’re used to, you sit in an inflatable ring that has a solid base like the ones used for water slides. The rest is pretty much the same as sledding. Go flying down massive snow hills and race the family to see who can get to the bottom first.
Snowball fight
Who doesn’t love a snowball fight? This is one you can do in the garden or down the park and have just as much fun. If you’re doing it in the garden then you can use bits around the house to make shelters and go full army style. Make shelters and barricades and prepare for the battle of a lifetime. You can also do something similar in the park but you might not have as many things to work with. Using a bigger area like a park does however mean you have a lot more room for running around and chasing people, obviously armed with a fabulous snowball. You can also get other people involved if you’re heading to a bigger area. Why not see if some other families or friends are up for a snow down?
Indoor Activities in Winter
Now if you’re not a fan of going out in the winter then there’s no need to panic because there are plenty of amazing activities that you can do from the warmth and comfort of your own home. So what can you do to stay busy inside in the winter?
Homemade hot chocolate
This is the perfect way to kick start the winter vacation because it’s nice and simple but always makes for a lovely family night in. Look up some different hot chocolate recipes and pick one that takes your fancy. You could even make it a little more interesting and try some different flavored ones like cinnamon or chocolate orange. Then why not pop to the store for everyone to pick out their own festive mugs and straws to make it a little more interesting? Now it’s time for the main event. Get everyone involved measuring milk, water, chocolate, and whatever else you’ve chosen to put in your hot chocolate and get cooking. Maybe a side of cake and biscuits wouldn’t be a bad shout either.
The perfect Chile
What about perfecting that recipe you’ve been trying to figure out for the longest time? Chile is a super popular winter meal to make from scratch but if you’re not a fan then you can pick any recipe you’d like. This is great because it takes up quite a big chunk of the day to cook something from scratch but then you don’t need to worry about trying to find something to make for food in the evening. If you’re doing this with kids then it’s a great way for them to learn some new things whilst also having lots of fun with you. If you haven’t got a recipe that you’ve been trying to perfect then why not try and make something brand new that you’ve never tried before? You could even do some festive baking if that’s more up your street.
Scrapbooking
This can be a really nice family activity for days where you don’t want to do something too time consuming or hard. Start by picking out your favorite pictures from the last couple of years and either get them printed or print them out at home. Now grab some bits like stickers, washi tape, markers and other bits you can stick on the pages to make them your own. You can either all make a scrapbook together or everyone can do a page each, either for the same day or separate things you’ve done recently. This will be really nice to see what everyone has really enjoyed doing recently and you’ll have something personal to everyone to keep at the end. You could even make it a tradition and add it to the scrapbook every time there’s a special occasion or family vacation.
Family Movie Nights
Who doesn’t love curling up on the sofa with blankets, snacks, and hot chocolate when it’s cold outside? This is perfect for the winter when you have nothing else to do that day. Why not order a takeout and make some hot drinks with plenty of snacks and then pop on a festive classic? You could even take this a step further with matching family pjs to really complete the activity. If it’s getting closer to Christmas then you might want to do a Christmas movie countdown and let someone different pick the film every night, the kids will love this.
So as you can see, there are so many different things you can do to keep everyone busy in the winter. Some of them are classics like family film night and homemade hot chocolate but others might be things you haven’t thought of before. Maybe scrapbooking or snowshoe hiking will be your new go to winter activity but we’re sure you’ll have an amazing festive season no matter what you choose to do. No more trying to find fun things to do in the winter every time the kids finish school, there are so many possibilities out there.