Fun Ways to Play in the Snow: Creative Winter Activities for Families
Submitted by Carlie Ramotowski, Lethbridge School Division
Winter can feel long, cold, and a little daunting, but it also offers magical opportunities for families to play, explore, and enjoy the outdoors together. With a bit of imagination, a snowy day becomes a playground full of colour, adventure, and creativity. Here are some fun, easy and low-cost ways to make the most of winter weather, along with a few reminders of the health benefits that come from spending time outside, even when it’s chilly.
Add Colour to the Snow with Spray Bottles
A few drops of food colouring in water and a spray bottle can turn your yard into a snowy canvas. Children love creating rainbow designs, drawing shapes, or decorating snow sculptures. You can even set up a “snow art gallery” and take pictures of their creations. This simple activity encourages creativity and builds fine-motor control through squeezing and spraying.
Build Snow Animals — Not Just a Snowman
Move beyond the classic snowman and try shaping different snow animals instead. Penguins, owls, turtles, snakes, or even a family pet can be sculpted with a little help from shovels, mittens, and imagination. Kids enjoy deciding which animal to create and figuring out how to shape the snow to match their vision. Add sticks, rocks, scarves, or coloured snow spray for extra personality.
Try Old-Fashioned Snow Games: Fox and Goose
Before playgrounds were full of equipment, kids invented outdoor games using the winter landscape. One of the oldest — and most fun — is Fox and Goose. To play, stomp out a large circle with “paths” branching out like spokes on a wheel. One player is the fox and the others are the geese. The fox tries to tag the geese, but everyone must stay on the paths. It’s a perfect way to get warm and active on a cold day, and it doesn’t require any equipment. This game build coordination, balance, and cardiovascular fitness, without children even noticing that they’re exercising!
Make Snow Pies, Cakes and Potions
Pull out some old kitchen tools — ladles, muffin tins, empty containers, wooden spoons — and let kids create a snow “bakery.” Packed snow becomes pies, cakes, or pretend soups. Add nature items like pinecones, sticks, or evergreen needles to enhance their recipes. This kind of imaginative play supports problem-solving, language development, and cooperation if siblings or friends join in.
Create a Snow Racetrack for Cars and Sleds
If you have a collection of toy cars or trucks, carve out a snowy racetrack. Smooth the snow with your hands or a shovel, add twists and turns, build snowbanks, or sprinkle coloured water to mark lanes. Kids love sending their vehicles racing down slopes or through tunnels. Add a “construction site” with shovels and dump trucks and fill containers with snow to make ramps or jumps. This type of play promotes spatial awareness and encourages kids to experiment and test ideas.
Why Winter Play Matters: The Health Benefits
Playing outdoors in winter is more than just fun, it’s great for children’s mental and physical health:
Exercise strengthens the body - Outdoor winter play strengthens the heart, lungs, muscles, and bones, and helps maintain a healthy weight. (Mayo Clinic Health System, n.d.; Mayo Clinic News Network, 2023) Mayo Clinic News Network+2Mayo Clinic Orthopedics+2
Mood, mental health, and stress relief - Spending time in nature helps improve mood, reduce stress and anxiety, and support mental well-being. Recent research emphasized by the Mayo Clinic shows that time outdoors can refresh the mind, improve memory and cognition, and uplift mood — an important benefit when darker, shorter winter days can affect energy and motivation. (Mayo Clinic Press, 2024) Mayo Clinic Press
Family bonding, reduced screen time, and healthy habits - Engaging in inexpensive outdoor play helps reduce screen time — freeing time for active play, imagination, and social interaction. Being present and active helps children and parents connect, build relationships, and model healthy habits. (Mayo Clinic Health System, n.d.)
Embrace the Season - Winter doesn’t have to mean staying inside. With a little creativity and a willingness to get snowy, families can turn frosty days into opportunities for learning, exploring and laughter. So, grab your mittens, bundle everyone up, and head outside — there’s a whole world of winter fun waiting right outside your front door!
Sources and references
Mayo Clinic Health System. (n.d.). Warm up to the idea of winter exercise. Retrieved from Mayo Clinic Hometown Health web site. Mayo Clinic Health System
Mayo Clinic News Network. (2023, March 2). Q and A: Exercise safety in cold weather. Retrieved from Mayo Clinic News Network. Mayo Clinic News Network+1
Mayo Clinic Press. (2024). The mental health benefits of nature: Spending time outdoors to refresh your mind. Retrieved from Mayo Clinic Press web site. Mayo Clinic Press