10 Fun winter activities the whole family can do together
Taking a break from the routines of everyday life at home and celebrating the holiday and winter vacation together as a family in entirely new surroundings is not just about gaining a new perspective. It also allows you to spend time together in an entirely new way.
To inspire your family getaway this winter and holiday season, we have created a list of 10 fun and cozy winter activities for you to enjoy together.
1. Build snowmen
Few things are better than waking up to freshly fallen snow outside your window just waiting to be transformed into snowmen. Go outside in the snow together and build a snowman each, which you can decorate and make entirely personal, or build a snowman together.
What you need:
Carrot for the nose
Stones, buttons, or other items for eyes and mouth
Scarf, hat, or other things the snowman may borrow to stay warm
Sticks or small twigs for arms
2. Make snow lanterns to light up the darkness
The days around Christmas and New Year are the darkest of the year, and it's super cozy to sit inside with a cup of hot cocoa and look out at the snow lanterns glowing in the darkness. Let everyone make their own snow lantern, and remember to place them so that you can enjoy the sight of the lanterns from inside the cabin in the evenings.
What you need:
Tea lights
Matches
3. Make a bench and a bonfire spot in the snow
When there's a lot of snow outside, you have the opportunity to do a really cozy winter activity ~ take a shovel with you and dig out a bench to sit on, and a bonfire spot where you can grill sausages and marshmallows. Just remember to make the distance between the bench and the fire large enough. After you've dug out the bench, you can bring sit mats and blankets, dress warmly, and enjoy something warm to drink while grilling. This is especially cozy to do in the evening under the stars or in the blue hour as the darkness creeps in.
What you need:
Shovel for digging
Firewood and matches to build a fire
Sit mats, blankets, or sheepskins to sit on
Sausages, marshmallows, or anything else you’d like to grill
Sticks for grilling
4. Experience the downhill slopes on sleds
Playing with sledges in the snow is something many of us associate with the youngest members of the family, but the truth is that it's an activity that both young and old can enjoy tremendously. The abdominal muscles often get sore from laughter, while the legs get a workout on walking uphill. So awaken the childlike joy and have a fun day in the snow together – you can often make a nice sledding hill right outside the cabin.
What you need:
Sleds
Food and drinks, you’ll need extra energy walking up that hill
5. Ski trips in the local area
Gorgeous winter weather, snow-covered mountains, and beautiful ski conditions. The holiday season and winter months often offer incredible skiing experiences. When taking the little ones on to the cabin, going on shorter ski trips in the nearby area is an often overlooked gem. It's not about how many kilometers you cover.
So, pack your backpack with something to sit on, wood to build a fire, food, and something warm to drink, and enjoy a day in the snow together. Those who want to go a bit further on skis can do that, while the others can stay back to make a fire and play in the snow.
What you need:
Cross-country skis
Backpack with food and drinks
Wood and matches if you want to light a fire
Something warm to sit on
Extra clothes to keep you warm when you're sitting still
6. Make hot cocoa
No winter getaway is complete without hot cocoa. Whether it's for the family breakfast, in the thermos on a ski trip, around the fire in the snow outside the cabin, or in front of the fireplace with a good book. And the best part is that it can be made exactly the way you like it.
What you need:
Milk, sugar, cocoa powder
Vanilla, cinnamon, or cardamom, and a couple of squares of dark chocolate for an extra rich taste
Whipped cream or marshmallows for topping
7. Bake something delicious together
Freshly baked cinnamon buns taste good all year round, but they might taste a little extra good under a blanket on the couch or in front of the fireplace on a cold winter day. Baking something delicious together is also an activity that is enjoyable for both young and old, and a piece of cake or cinnamon bun is perfect as a treat during a ski trip or accompanying your coffee in the sunshine while the kids play in the snow.
What you need:
Your family's favorite recipe
8. Create winter decorations
The cold winter months are full of activities both indoors and outdoors, so why not combine both? Pick pine cones, spruce branches, and other fun things when you're out in the snow and create beautiful decorations with them when you come back into the warmth. Perhaps this year's toilet paper roll Santa or matchbox containers can get some seasonal winter decorations?
What you need:
Spruce branches, pine cones, and other things you can find outside the cabin
Glue, glitter, paper, cardboard, matchbox containers, and other things you want to use
9. Read a book together or have a movie marathon
One of the best things about being at the cabin is that it's just as cozy even if the weather isn't at its best ~ perhaps especially in winter. So even if the winter storms are howling outside, there's ample opportunity for cabin coziness inside. Gather in the sofa, light up the fireplace, and read a book aloud together or tailor a movie marathon with your family's favorite films.
What you need:
This activity works especially well with hot cocoa and cinnamon buns.
10. Play Board Games
Games and cards are activities that both young and old often greatly enjoy. Perhaps you even have a game that you always play together as a family? Whether you want to end the day with games after many hours in the snow or enjoy games while others are in the kitchen or playing outside, there are many different games to play. Just remember that the same rules apply at the cabin, and cheating is of course not allowed (at least not if someone is watching).
What you need:
Your family's favorite game
Ask your hosts what games they have at the cabin, or bring your own.
Book a cabin available for Christmas and New Year or explore cabins for the winter vacation.
5 Things to Consider When Planning the Cabin Trip
- Involve the children. Ask what they want to do and plan together.
- Don't plan too much. The natural breaks in the day are just as nice to share as the activities you can do together.
- Prepare things in advance so that you are sure you have what you need for the activities you want to do.
- Make a list of cozy activities you can choose from when you're at the cabin so that you don't have to come up with everything on the spot.
- Lower your expectations. There are many cozy things you want to do, but days rarely go as planned, so lower the threshold for what can be a nice activity and just enjoy yourselves together
Get inspired by the article on 6 different types of cabins that create a beautiful setting for Christmas.
