the ultimate winter bucket list for families – 100 awesome ideas

My twins looked out the window, mesmerized by the tiny pieces of white clouds falling down from the sky.  Their little brother was watching, too.  This was the first time in their conscious lives they saw snow.  Living in the south, it’s a real treat when we get anything that remotely resembles snow.  

It snowed twice more that winter season, which was more white goodness than we could ever ask for.  We didn’t have sleds or mittens, so we used laundry baskets and double socks on our hands to slide down the hill and play in the snow.  

I’m all for making memories with kids, and there are so many more ideas for things to do in the winter months other than playing in the snow. This post contains affiliate links. This means if you make a purchase after clicking a link, I will earn a small commission, but it won’t cost you a penny more.  Click here to read my full disclosure policy.

No matter if you live in a warm climate or if you get snowed in often, these ideas will keep the family fun going all winter long.

100 ideas for a Fun Winter Bucket List for Families

Want this list as a free printable checklist?  Join the motherhood tribe email list below and it’ll be on its way to your inbox.

1. Bake a pie
2. Go bowling
3. Make s’mores
4. Feed the birds
5. Go snow tubing
6. Make hot cocoa

7. Roast chestnuts
8. Have a tea party
9. Enjoy a campfire
10. Look at old photos
11. Have a pajama day
12. Get Elf on the Shelf
13. Mail letters to Santa
14. Cook dinner together
15. Go see Disney on Ice
16. Go to a hockey game
17. Go to a winter festival
18. Stay up past midnight
19. Go Christmas caroling
20. Play with instant snow
21. Go see the Nutcracker
22. Have a role switch day
23. Decorate for Christmas
24. Get an advent calendar
25. Have a “no screen” day
26. Go on a scavenger hunt
27. Have an indoor Nerf war
28. Host a Christmas dinner
29. Take pictures with Santa
30. Make a popcorn garland
31. Make spiced apple cider
32. Visit an indoor waterpark
33. Have a silly dress-up day
34. See a live Christmas play
35. Have breakfast for dinner
36. Go to a Holiday Craft Fair
37. Watch a Christmas movie
38. Wear Santa hats in public
39. Cut out paper snowflakes
40. Have a family reading day

41. Have a “sleep in” morning
42. Build a gingerbread house
43. Start a new family tradition
44. Take a Christmas light tour
45. Volunteer at a soup kitchen
46. Camp out in the living room
47. Build a fort in the living room
48. Play a new fun holiday game
49. Do a random act of kindness
50. Make a Christmas countdown
51. Host a cookie exchange party
52. Do a family winter photoshoot
53. Write a letter to your older self
54. Learn to cook in an Instant Pot
55. Attend a tree lighting ceremony
56. Have story time by the fireplace
57. Donate winter coats to a shelter
58. Have a family board game night
59. Make a DIY Christmas ornament
60. Set family goals for the new year
61. Send a care package to a soldier
62. Buy groceries for a family in need
63. Catch snowflakes with your tongue
64. Make up your own Christmas Carol
65. Have a picnic by the Christmas tree
66. Fill an Operation Christmas Child box
67. Pint family photos and make a collage
68. Bake and decorate Christmas cookies

69. Host an Ugly Christmas Sweater party
70. Write handwritten letters to each other
71. Feed someone’s expired parking meter
72. Build a giant puzzle and glue it together
73. Decorate your own Christmas stockings
74. Buy Christmas gifts for someone in need
75. Attend a midnight Christmas Eve Service
76. Visit the library and get new books to read
77. Support artisans by buying handmade gifts
78. Decorate wrapped Christmas gifts together
79. Make a pinecone wreath for your front door
80. Blow bubble outside and watch them freeze
81. Go see the latest family movie at the theater
82. Take a Christmas photo in matching pajamas
83. Invite a family in need to have dinner with you
84. Have a Home Alone movie watching marathon
85. Swim in hot springs or an outdoor heated pool
86. Leave a nice surprise on a neighbor’s doorstep
87. Write thank-you notes to friends and loved ones
88. Declutter closets and donate clothes to a charity
89. Visit a tree farm and pick out your Christmas tree
90. Learn to say “Merry Christmas” in another language
91. Make or order Christmas cards for friends and family
92. Have a Christmas music dance party in the living room
93. Make a photo album with pictures from the previous year
94. Invite friends over and perform a Christmas play for them
95. Have an indoor snowball fight using socks rolled into balls
96. Bring Christmas cookie and candy canes to kids at the hospital
97. Invite another family over and play charades against each other
98. Bundle up and take an evening walk to look at neighborhood lights
99. Paint your freshly snowed-in yard with water and food coloring in spray bottles
100. Drive around your neighborhood to look at houses decorated with Christmas lights

What do to with this huge list of winter bucket list for families

Check these activities off the list as you complete them, and see how many you can do in one winter.  Do it again next winter and see if you can beat your own score.  

Want this list as an easy free printable checklist?  Join the motherhood tribe email list below and it will be on its way to your inbox.

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The Ultimate Winter Bucket List For Families – 100 Awesome Ideas