Check out these activities for Frozen/winter family activities and movie night fun! Frozen II is available now on Disney Digital and on Blu-Ray February 25, 2020! If you haven’t seen it, now’s the time. If you have, you already know you want to own it. We’ve brainstormed some fun family activities you can do to celebrate the release. Pick one (or more!) and celebrate, then end your day with a movie night… or 2-movie double feature!
Our family was invited to a local skate rink for an open skate, as well as some goodies to celebrate the release of Frozen II.
Ok. You might already know this, but in case you don’t: I HATE being cold. Which is a bummer, because I’m ALWAYS cold.
The reality is though, I live in a place where winter is very wintery. So instead of curling under a blanket and hibernating by the fire, which I sometimes think would be a fabulous choice, I’ve had to find ways to enjoy life in spite of the frigid temperatures and never-ending gray skies.
(Ok, right now my kids are playing outside because the sun is shining. But it still feels like 26°F, so it’s not like they’re making the obvious choice – no matter how bundled they are. I give them about 15 minutes before they’re inside because they can’t feel their fingers.)
There is so much to do around the holidays, whether you’re at home, on vacation, or visiting family somewhere like here in Cincinnati. It’s the doldrums of late January through early March, though, where it can become mentally fatiguing. So in an effort to keep all of us from curing up in a ball and crying until the temperature rises, it’s time to suck it up, bundle up, and have some frozen family fun.
Classic Outdoor Winter Activities for Everyone
These will all require proper snow attire, but if you can bundle up enough to where you can barely walk but can still somehow manipulate sporting equipment or snow balls, they’re a great place to start.
Ice Skating
I grew up thoroughly enjoying ice skating. I never got into figure skating or synchronized skating or anything like that, but I got my own beautiful, white ice skates for Christmas one year and went relatively often. My son is now in a beginner hockey program, which makes this NHL-loving Mama suuuuuuper stoked.
He’s taken to it quite well, so we were excited to bring the rest of the family to one of our local ice skating rinks this weekend, to officially celebrate the release of Frozen II on Disney Digital and BluRay.
Skiing, Snow Tubing, & Sledding
We took our family skiing and snow tubing this year, for the first time. They all LOVED it, and caught on much more quickly than I would have expected – even with the literal ice that replaced snow by the time we were just a couple of hours in.
On that note, if you haven’t been skiing before, be sure to check the snow report on your local slopes. I’m no expert, but I do know that powdery snow is much easier for kids to learn on – and for anyone to fall on – than ice. It IS a super fun family activity, though!
“Do you wanna build a snowman….?”
Obviously, no list would be complete without the most classic of outdoor winter activities. There are no shortage of ways to make your snowman unique. Can you make your whole family? Use each person’s accessorize to personalize your snow family.
…or a Snow Fort/Igloo
I had sort of forgotten, until I started thinking about this list, just how much my cousins and I used to play in the snow. We made amazing igloos and snow forts, but my kids have yet to have this experience. Now that it’s front of mind, we’ll have to make it a priority next time we have a chance!
Make Snow Angels
Another classic. I don’t know what makes this so much fun, but we still enjoy it even as adults!
Get Creative in the Snow
If you have little artists or kiddos who are looking for a little creative outlet, these are some great options!
Snow Painting
Arm yourself (and your kids, if they want to play, too…) with spray bottles of cold water tinted with food coloring, and go out and create a masterpiece! Experiment with the nozzle to create wide, dusting sprays and concentrated, controlled lines. Or you can purchase snow painting kits and make it even easier!
Blow Frozen Bubbles
When I saw this activity from Fireflies and Mudpies, I thought to myself, “Gosh, now I wish it were less than 32 degrees!”. Don’t worry, the thought was fleeting – and I checked the weather app to make sure I hadn’t jinxed us. Still, if you DO find yourself in sub-freezing temps, try to blow some beautiful frozen bubbles! She says it works best in single-digit or slightly warmer temps than it does right below freezing; the next time that kind of bitter cold tries to ruin our day, we’re definitely going to try this one out. It’s sure to buy us at least a few minutes of happiness! 🙂
Potato Head Snowmen
These Mr. Potato Head accessorized snow people are SO cute; I wish I’d have thought of it or come across this post from Happy Hooligans when we still had TONS of Mr. Potato Head stuff. (Seriously, we had like a giant tote full, thanks to the expansive, now-defunct Mr. Potato Head room at Walt Disney World’s Once Upon a Toy. RIP.)
Living as far north as we do, we have long, cold winters (compared to half the country). Living as far south as we do, our long, cold winters often include more ice than powdery snow. Thus, our “snowmen” are often of the “pile” variety. This would have made them so much more exciting!
Dig for Buried Treasure
If your snow is soft enough to easily move around (versus the kind covered in thick layers of ice, where deep footprints, etc last until the snow melts), this is a super fun activity. Hide some “buried treasure” throughout your yard, and cover it back with snow. Then let everyone loose! It’s that simple.
Be sure, though, that your “buried treasure” is waterproof and can withstand the cold… especially if it remains unfound until springtime!
Winter-THEMED Family Activities – from the Comfort of Your (Warm) Home!
Indoor Snowball Fights
One recent Christmas, I got the kids “snowball slingshots” for their stockings. They were so cute – and so much fun – that this winter I bought boxes of indoor snowballs (which are, lets be honest, just white felt balls that I probably should’ve have paid for. But they were on clearance, so it’s fine).
An indoor snowball fight is fun enough, and a must-try at least once. I suggest hiding out and making a surprise attack on your kids. You can also try a bucket toss, relay race, knock-down game, or some of these fun “snowball” activities.
Snow Cream
On Gimme Some Oven, they said it perfectly: “When life gives you lemons, make lemonade. When life gives you snow, make…snow ice cream.” They’ve got a great recipe and fun ideas to make your snow cream extra sweet!
Bring (a Little!) Snow Inside
When my girls were little, they liked to play in the snow. They didn’t love it though, and I didn’t love taking 45 minutes to bundle toddler twins up for them to play outside for 10 minutes, followed by an additional 30 minutes to clean up after the oh-so-productive playtime.
However, there were times – especially when they were babies – that we wanted them to experience the snow. I’m big enough to admit that it’s pretty cool (no pun intended), if you think about it. We have family on the other side of the world and friends in the Caribbean that have literally never seen snow; that makes (even) me try and appreciate it.
So what’s a mom to do? Bring some snow indoors! We just allowed them to check it out, but it made for some fun memories. Kate at kitchen floor crafts combined the indoor snow play and snow-painting for a fun, family friendly activity!
Crayon-Resist Snowflakes & Other Art Projects
We love painting with crayon- or pastel-resist techniques. Deborah used an snowflake art project and some beautiful macro photos to create some fun pictures – and teach about the science of snowflakes!
You should also check out these other fun winter-related art projects!
- Felt Snowman Activity Tray
- Snowman Toilet Paper Roll Craft
- Paper Bag Snowman Puppet
- Paper Snowflakes (we love this template book!)
- Plastic Plate Snowglobe
Bake Snowman (or Snowflake) Cookies
We decorate a TON of cookies during the holiday season; as such, they tend to be adorned with lots of reds and greens. This year, we were unable to get to our cut-out cookies on our marathon cookie baking day. We’ll be taking a grey, yucky day – the kind that screams for baked goods anyway – and busting out all sorts of fun winter-themed treats instead! You can do the same – perhaps more easily and less time-consuming – with Rice Krispy treats.
Melting Ice Game
My son’s preschool book described this game, so we gave it a try. It’s been three years, and it’s still one of my kiddos favorites. They found it absolutely exhilarating… and all crossed their fingers to get a four! 🙂
Roll-a-Snowman Dice Game
One recent winter (which can be the doldrums of a homeschool year…), my kids and I played a super fun “Roll-a-Penguin” dice game. It was mostly a mindless break for us, but it was fun – and the penguins turned out cute! I LOVE this similar game from A Girl and A Glue Gun, featuring our Frozen favorite… Olaf!
Frozen Karaoke Party
I mean, have you ever seen such a franchise with so many karaoke-ready tunes? Tackle the iconic “Let it Go” or recent favorite “Into the Unknown” if you’re feeling confident. Grab a kid or sibling and rock out a “Do You Wanna Build a Snowman?”. Give dad the microphone for Kristoff’s 80’s-style ballad, “Lost in the Woods”. Then give everyone a microphone (real or imagined) and end with a family rendition of “Some Things Never Change”.
Classic Family Fun – Winter Movie Night
We have movie nights somewhat regularly – though not NEARLY as often (or as elaborate) as when we used to have our monthly “Disney Family Days“. I miss those days, but we’ll take a themed movie night any time we can make one happen.
On those nights there isn’t time for a themed movie night (so, like…. at least 360 nights out of the year), a “regular” movie night still provides the same family togetherness and downtime. Grab some hot cocoa and throw M&Ms in your warm, buttery popcorn, and enjoy a movie of your choice. Here are some great winter options for the family —
- Frozen
- Frozen II (available now on Digital and on BluRay 02/25/20!)
- Happy Feet
- Miracle
- The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe
- Groundhog Day (on February 2nd)
- March of the Penguins (or as I like to call it, “The Many Deaths of Penguins – including the babies – as told by Morgan Freeman”. But lots of people like it.)
- Ice Age (but please, not the 4928 sequels. I’m ready for them to stop. My $0.02)
- Mr. Popper’s Penguins
- Cool Runnings
- Snow Buddies
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Grab Frozen II and have fun with these winter family activities!
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