Let’s Enjoy Winter

It is a great winter game that can be played inside or outdoors. To play in the actual snow, use a shovel to carve out a bowling lane. Indoors, place a white runner down on the floor. Then, draw 10 snowmen, penguins, reindeer, snowflakes, or your kids’ favorite seasonal thing on a piece of poster board. Color them in, cut them out, then tape them to 10 empty, two-liter bottles. Set them up like bowling pins at the far end of the lane. Use a white ball as the bowling snowball. Stand at the other end of the lane and roll the ball down to knock over the pins. Keep score just like in a real bowling game.

Have the kids sit around a table. Place a mug or paper coffee cup in front of each player. Scatter mini marshmallows all over the table. Give each kid a straw. Set a timer. Kids must use the straw to suck up marshmallows and drop them into their mugs. When time runs out, count the marshmallows. The player with the most marshmallows wins. When the game is over, fill the mugs with hot cocoa and let them enjoy those marshmallows.

To play this game, set up two buckets on a table. You can use beach buckets with snowflake cutouts taped on them or purchase some winter-themed buckets in the dollar store, party shop, or craft supplier. Fill another larger bucket with fake snow. You can buy fake snow at craft stores or make your own out of confetti or cotton balls. Divide kids into two teams. Give each team a small shovel (the kind you use to make sand castles). Players must race, relay-style, to scoop the snow out of the large bucket and dump it into the smaller buckets.

To prepare for this game, you will need several shoe boxes, each one wrapped in white paper. These are the ice blocks. Separate kids into two teams and give each team an equal number of boxes. Each team must stack their ice blocks to build an igloo-style wall. Have the players gather behind their igloo walls. Give each team a basket full of snowballs (ideas for snowballs: rolled up pieces of white paper, plush white balls, or rolled up white socks). Set a timer or play a snow-themed song. Have teams bombard each other with the snowballs, trying to knock down as many of their opponent’s ice blocks as they can.

While the snowballs are flying, some team members may choose to rebuild the ice blocks that have fallen or collect more snowballs for ammunition. Whatever strategy they use, once the song is over or the timer buzzes, play stops and the team with the most ice blocks still standing wins.

To play this game, kids can either take turns to compete against each other or you can divide the group into two teams. Give each player a box that has a hole cut in the top. The boxes are the player’s houses and the hole is the chimney. Set a timer and have kids throw rolled up balls of white paper at each other as they try to land their snowballs in the chimneys of their opponent. When time is up, empty the boxes and count the snowballs. The player who got the most snowballs into the other player’s chimney wins the game.

For the mitten hunt game, you’ll need several pairs of mittens. Gather at least one pair per player and a few extras for fun. You’ll also need a pile of trinket prizes, at least one per player. Before guests arrive, you must separate the pairs and hide the individual mittens all around the house. When the kids arrive, send them on a hunt to find themselves a matching pair. The first player back with a matching pair gets to pick first from the prize pile. The hunt continues until everyone has redeemed a prize with a matching pair of mittens.

It is a game that will require a little bit of room since players will be racing, side-by-side. To set up the game, you’ll need to mark a starting line and a finish line. You’ll also need two snow shovels and two large snow boulders. To make the snow boulders stuff white pillowcases, mold them into a round shape, and then seal them closed.

To start the game, have two racers stand behind the finish line. Give them each a shovel. Drop a snow boulder in front of each player. Kids must “plow” the snow boulder to the finish line by pushing it with the shovel. The first snow boulder to cross the finish line wins.

For this game, you’ll need two pairs of snow pants, two coats, two pairs of mittens, two scarves, two hats, and two pairs of snow boots. Make two complete sets of the items and pile each set at one end of the play space. Have two teams line up behind a starting line on the opposite end of the play space. Players must race to the clothing, put all of the items on and run back to their teams wearing the snowsuits. Once back to their teams, they must take the snow clothes off and hand them to the next runners. Those players must put them on and run to the other end and back and then hand them off to the next player. It continues until all members of one team have run the relay in the snowsuit. The first team to be done wins.

Like the carnival game of beanbag toss, this game uses white, plush snowballs instead of beanbags. Paint a winter creature such as a snowman, penguin, or polar bear on a large piece of poster board. Cut a hole in the animal’s mouth or belly. Prop the poster board and have kids try to toss the snowballs through the hole.

It is the old favorite party game of musical chairs with a snowflake theme. To play, tape large snowflake cutouts to the seats of the chairs. Instead of ordinary music, play a snow-themed song. Continue to remove the chairs as players are eliminated, one by one.