If your children can not wait for winter and the upcoming snow, you may be at a loss for activities in the cold weather. But there is plenty to do whether it is the weekend or a snow day from school and work!

Playing Outdoors

The bare bones snow is all you need to get started! If you feel like taking it relatively easy with the first snowfall, then backyard activities are the way to go! You can build snowmen and sculptures out of the snow, and even have a contest on the best snowman. You can even have your children pick something to build out of snow, like a cat or monkey, and everyone has to try and build one of their own. You can also have a good old fashioned snowball fight! There are actual snowball guns and other accessories you can purchase, or you can just get an extra warm pair of gloves and use your hands to sculpt the best snowball around! 

If your backyard allows, you can also go sledding! If your backyard is pretty flat, there may be other parts of your town or neighboring areas that have a hill you can slide down. Be sure to find a reliable sled, however, and do not try to use something homemade or fashioned into a sled. These may not work as well on the snow and could cause injuries. You and your children can take turns sledding down individually, or even try riding a bigger sled in tandem for extra fun! You could even gather a group of your children’s friends for a specific sledding outing, and meet at a certain hill on a Saturday for a fun, blustery day of sledding!

Hit the Powder

Another fun activity that can be available to your family is skiing! Whether you are a pro or have never done it, now might be the time to give it a try! See if there are any ski resorts or locations near to you, and make a weekend day (or the whole two days!) out of skiing! If you or your family has not tried it before, it might be a good idea to give yourself plenty of time. You and your kids will want to learn the basics and have plenty of time to practice, which may take up an entire day itself. You can use an extra day to really hit an actual slope if you are feeling up to it, or just spending the rest of the day getting more confident, then breaking for hot chocolate!

Katie Kyzivat