Winter fun: 17 active games and other outdoor activities

2024 Author: Malcolm Clapton | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 03:44

When the skates and skis are already tired.

1. Modeling a snowman and other figures

If loose and sticky snow has fallen, then it's time to make a snowman! You can not be limited to a standard snow woman with a bucket on your head, but show your imagination and dazzle something unusual. Watercolors or gouache, old clothes and any other props that just come to mind will help you with this.

Also, sculpting a snowman can be turned into a fun game: who will roll the biggest lump in a limited time. To do this, you need to divide into teams (it is better that there are no more than two participants in each), timed (5 or 10 minutes) and give a signal to start the competition. After the time runs out, the participants determine the largest ball, and those who blinded it become the winners. The resulting snow globe can be used as the basis for a generic large snowman.

2. Construction of the slide

On your own site or even in a city courtyard, you can build an ice slide. It is not difficult to make it: warm up the snow, tamp it, fill it with water and wait until it freezes. Children will be happy, especially if they are involved in the process.

3. "King of the Hill"

For this game you need to find a high snowdrift of dense snow or throw a snow "mountain" yourself. Its height depends on the age of the players.

One of the players rises to the top and becomes its "king". He must prevent the others from taking the "throne", because the goal of each other participant is to become the king of the mountain himself. Since the participants will often fall during the game, you need to take care of safety: make sure that under the “mountain” there is a layer of soft snow, and that there are no fences, trees, corners of buildings and cars nearby that can be hit or injured.

4. "Ice"

For this game, a circle is drawn in the snow with a diameter of about 5 meters with a small depression in the center. 10-12 pieces of ice are placed in it. These do not have to be exactly pieces of ice: you can use small pieces of wood, cardboard, and so on.

Players choose a driver who stands in the center of the circle. The rest of the participants are distributed outside of it. Their task is to pull out (or knock out) all the pieces of ice outside the playing area. Players can enter the circle, and the driver can only be inside it. If the driver touches one of the participants, the "soldier" takes his place. The game ends when all the pieces of ice have left the playing area.

5. Playing snowballs and building snow fortresses

Both adults and children love to play snowballs, as this is a great opportunity to actively spend time with friends or family. The construction of snow fortresses will help to diversify the process. In this case, the snowballs will turn into a full-fledged snow battle. You can introduce a rule: the one who is hit by a snowball is eliminated from the game.

6. "Who's up the mountain?"

For this fun, a large snowball is being molded, which will play the role of a mountain. Participants stand around him holding hands. On command, each of them must pull the neighbors up the "mountain" and try not to fall on it himself. Those who nevertheless touched the “mountain” drop out.

7. "Bouncers"

To play this game, the participants stand in two lines opposite each other. There should be 3-4 steps between the players, and 12-15 steps between the ranks. A leader is also selected who will give commands. He must either know the participants by name, or distribute them by numbers (the same for both teams). The presenter calls out the names or numbers of the participants, and after they have responded, he commands: "Pli!" After that, the named players must blind each other in the snow and throw them at each other.

You are allowed to dodge and squat, but you cannot move. Anyone hit by a snowball is eliminated. A participant who "knocked out" his opponent can throw a snowball at any of the opposing team. The team with no players left loses.

The facilitator should give directions quickly so that the game does not get stuck and is fun.

8. "Vorotz"

You can make your regular roller coaster ride even more fun. Below, under the hill, build a collar of snow, sticks without sharp ends or spruce branches. They do not have to be in the center of the descent, because the task is just to slide down and fall into the gate. You can ride anything: on a snow scooter, regular sledges, tubing, or just on an ice floe.

9. "Battlefield"

For this game, you also need to split into teams: "shooters" and "targets". "Targets" are divided into two ranks and stand 15 steps opposite each other. The “arrows” do the same, standing in two lines perpendicular to the “arrows”. The resulting square is the battlefield.

At the signal, one of the group of "targets" runs to his teammates from the opposite side. His task is to dodge snowballs, and the aim of the "shooters" is to hit the runner on the spot in order to knock him out of the game. As soon as one of the "targets" has reached the other line or dropped out of the game, the next movement starts from the opposite side. After a few rounds, the teams switch places.

10. "Salki with snowballs"

For this fun, you need to designate a large square, which will become a playground. All players are on it, except for two drivers. You cannot run out of the square, otherwise the offender will join the drivers. Those must hit the rest of the players with snowballs: in this way the drivers knock out other participants from the game. You can add a rule that eliminated players also throw snowballs. Those two, whom they could not get into, become new drivers.

11. Winter football

If you miss summer and its fun - arrange winter football! Draw a gate in the snow, split up into two teams, and simplify the rules a little, because playing in the snow is not only more fun, but also more difficult. For example, goalkeepers can be canceled and not penalized for random handplay.

12. Sled racing

On a sled, you can arrange real races if you divide into crews: one person is lucky, the other is driving. You can come up with a difficult route or just compete on a straight line. It is best if parents or older children are lucky.

In another version of the race, you can remove the carrying ones so that the "riders" ride on their own with the help of their legs. To do this, it is better to find a flat area and mark the start and finish lines on it. For more fun and excitement, participants can sit on the sled in pairs.

Another modification of sled racing can be a relay race. In this case, it is also advisable to choose a flat area with marked start and reversal lines. To do this, you need to split into teams with an even number of participants in order to make several pairs of them. The first crews get on the line, start at the signal, reach the opposite side of the site, turn around and come back. Then the next pair is sent. The team, all "crews" of which complete the relay race faster, wins.

To add fun, you can create additional terms. For example, leave one sled for each team so that the "crews" change each time. Or arrange a relay race, in which each participant must drive his stage himself, sitting on a sled and pushing off with his feet.

13. "Who is stronger"

On the sled, you can also arrange an analogue of a tug-of-war. To do this, two participants sit on one sled with their backs to each other and, with the help of their legs, try to leave each in their own direction. Also, one participant can try to leave, and the second must slow him down.

There is a third option for such fun: participants on two sledges are placed opposite each other. Each one holds the rope from the opponent's sleigh. At the signal, they should try to win each other to their side.

Unfortunately, not in all regions of our country in winter there is enough snow for the entertainment described above. Therefore, we offer several options for a situation when there is little or no snow at all.

14. "Two Santa Claus"

For this game, with the help of a counting rhyme, you need to choose two drivers - Santa Clauses. After that, mark two lines at a distance of 15–20 steps. The rest of the participants stand on one of them.

To add New Year's mood (especially if children are playing), Frosts can say: "I am Frost Red Nose!", "And I am Frost Blue Nose!" Then they give a start to the beginning of the game: "Well, who of you will dare to set off on a path-path?" The players answer: "We are not afraid of threats, and we are not afraid of frost!" And Frosts command: "One, two, three - run!"

After that, the players run to the opposite line, and the Frosts must touch the participants so that they stop in place - "freeze". When all players, except the "frozen" ones, reach the goal, the drivers give the command for the next start. During each subsequent race, competitors can tap to “unfreeze” less fortunate teammates.

Another version of this game assumes that the participants are divided into two teams and stand facing each other so that there are 15–20 steps between the groups. Each team chooses its own Frost. On a signal from both sides, one player runs out. Their task is to reach the opposing team. Frosts are trying to hit the members of someone else's team with snowballs in order to "freeze" them. The “frozen” ones should freeze in place. As soon as the player reaches the opposite side or is "frozen", the next one begins to move.

15. "North wind, south wind"

For this game, participants choose two drivers. One becomes the North Wind, and the other becomes the South Wind. The rest of the players scatter around the court. The north wind catches the participants and "freezes" them so that the participants stop. And the South wind “unfreezes”, touching them with a hand and loudly saying: “Free”. Moreover, the South wind can also be “frozen”.

It is best if the game will take place on a limited area, and the South Wind could not be frozen for good - for example, only for the time during which it counts out loud to 30.

16. "Twelve Sticks"

To play Twelve Sticks, you need a wooden board set on a stone or block so that one part is raised up, and the other lies on the ground or snow. It turns out a kind of "swing". On the half of the board that lies on the ground, put 12 small sticks. The first driver is also selected.

The game begins when one of the players, stepping abruptly on the upper edge of the board, throws out sticks. After that, the driver must collect them, and the rest are hiding at this time. The driver's task is to find them. Having found out where one of the participants is hiding, the driver must loudly shout his name, and also indicate the place where he hid. If the driver named everything correctly, the found one should go out.

While the driver is searching, one of the participants can quietly run up to the board and, shouting "Twelve sticks are flying!", Scatter the sticks again. While the driver collects them, all discovered players can hide again, and they will have to be searched again.

17. "Winter has come"

The participants of this game choose the driver, and then everyone except him scatters in a specially agreed space - for example, along a part of the yard - and hide behind any cover: behind a tree, a pillar, on a playground, and so on. The driver says: "Today it is warm, the sun is shining, go for a walk!" - and the players run out of cover to the site. When the driver says “Winter has come! Hurry home!”, The other participants in the game again run for cover. And the driver tries to catch them before they have time to hide.

Dress warmly, go outside more often and enjoy life!