Inexpensive Ideas for Winter Fun
Cheap or Free Winter Activities
Winter is a difficult time for keeping not only kids, but the whole family, from going stir crazy. Of course there are great activities that can be done during the winter months but it can take a little bit of creativity to really come up with some good cheap or free winter activities.
You can keep your family active and entertained on a budget this winter without listening to the ever popular “I’m bored” plus you’ll feel good that they’re spending a little extra time away from their screens!
Snow Fun
Winter is the only season where you get that wonderful, powdery, white stuff! Enjoy the snow while it is here! There are certain activities that you can only enjoy when there is snow on the ground.
Have a snowball fight, build a snowman, go sledding or snowboarding, take a nice stroll through the snowy woods and find out how easy it is to spot wildlife with a blanket of snow present! There are so many great ways to enjoy winter activities in the snow and best of all, they’re free!
When it snows at our house, the kids {and me, too!} love to go sledding down the hill in our front yard. It’s just so much fun! And nobody cares that it’s below freezing temps when you’re having that much fun.
Ice Skating / Hockey Games
You all know I’m an ice skating mom. We’re at the ice rink every week… all year long. But ice skating is such a great winter activity – and who knows, maybe your child will fall in love with the sport like mine did!
Most places that provide ice skating are indoors but during the winter there are a lot of outdoor places that pop up! Check out a local ice skating rink and give it a shot!
Many indoor and outdoor ice skating rinks are low cost and some even offer skate rentals if you don’t have your own! And, if you have a hockey enthusiast on your hands winter is a great time to enjoy some just for fun games! No pressure, the whole family can join in, and you’ve got a great activity that will even get everyone some great exercise!
Indoor Fun
If you prefer to stay out of the cold with your family during the winter there are still lots of fun winter activities that you can enjoy! Check out your local community center or library for some programs and classes that interest you. Most local libraries are free and they offer programming for the entire family to enjoy.
Game and movie nights, reading clubs, classes, and more, free and local! If your library doesn’t offer a lot of winter programming you might consider taking a trip there anyway. It’s a great way to spend an afternoon and the whole family can select some books to keep their mind working hard during the cold winter months.
Game Time!
Because winter can be boring and dull in the activities department you might consider teaming up with some other families to create a board game or play date schedule. Get your kids moving around and hanging out with their friends, or include the whole family and have a pizza and board games night! This can give you all some quality time together, or it came help give you a break from bored kids, either way you win.
The great thing about board game nights is that they require almost no planning, make it a potluck to avoid a big menu cost, and everyone brings their families favorite game so you don’t have to buy new ones.
At our house, we play board games all year long – often several times a week. My kids love to play games together.
Here’s a few of my top picks:
1. The Settler’s of Catan games and expansion packs are hands down one of our all time favorites.
2. The Game of Things is incredible fun – be prepared for lots of laughs!
3. Quelf is hands down one of the most hilarious games we’ve ever played. We play several rounds in one sitting and the laughter never ends!
4. UNO is always a hit – even with the younger kids. You just can’t go wrong with this one.
5. Clue was one of my favorite games as a kid and my kids love it now.
MORE: Be sure to check out more games our family loves here.
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