Winter birthdays come alive with fun and activity when you take the party outdoors
Everyone likes to play in the snow, so why are winter parties so often confined to the indoors? Take the party out and watch the cost and time invested diminish, while the fun factor sky rockets. Theming your winter party after the Olympic games is a great idea; it will get everyone moving and having some competitive fun. If you're hosting your party in the same year as the winter Olympics, even better!
Key Points
- Make a competition out of different winter activities, like a snowball fight or snowman building.
- For older kids, consider making the challenges harder.
- Make a cake that looks like a gold medal to really tie the theme together!
Winter Olympic Games Party Theme
Life is Just a Bowl of Snowballs
There are scads of games to play outside in the winter. Try having a snow man building contest. Divide the party into groups, provide them with an assortment of odd accessories, a work area, and let them create the snow person of their collective dreams. Its fun, it’s imaginative, and takes little effort on your part.
Other perennial winter favorites are sledding, snowball fights, or a relay race. A great relay race that combines the best of snow adventures is as follows:
Divide into teams. Set up a course that has each team member run to several stations and complete a snow related task before they move on. Station one: make 10 snowballs. Station two: Make a snow angel. Station three: pull a sled through a slalom course. The first them to complete each task with all members wins.
Older Kids
Snow parties for older kids can be even easier. Drop them off at their favorite ski resort and pick them up at the end of the day. Simple right?
If this is not an option, many of the games above can be adapted to please an older crowd. The relay race will still be a hit, but challenge them more at each station. For example add a target that they must hit with a snowball in the first station.
A snowball fight and snowman building contest will still be fun, no matter the age. Make it more challenging for older kids by assigning them a theme they have to copy or an item they have to create for the other teams to guess. This would be like Pictionary using snow, instead of a pencil and paper. Or, if you want to keep it a simple snowman contest, add at time limit.
If your kids are too old for an Olympic-themed party but you can't afford a day at a ski resort, consider introducing everyone to a new winter activity. Cross-country skiing, snowshoeing, snowmobiling, and ice fishing are all great winter activities. A lot of times, you can rent supplies for these activities for a reasonable cost. Everyone will have a great time trying something new out, and laughing through the struggles.
Let’s take a breather!
When it is time to come indoors and warm up serve, hot chocolate and warm cinnamon rolls. This will please even the most finicky eaters and warm them tummy to toes.
Why make a cake when an extra large and sticky cinnamon roll topped with a candle does the trick! This is a great way to simplify things and still have a candle blowing for the birthday kid. An informal cake can be very fun.
If you decide that you want to go ahead and bake a traditional cake, consider making a circular cake. Frost it with golden frosting to look like a gold medal! If you can't find golden frosting, yellow frosting will work just fine. This is an easy way to make a cake that fits the Olympic party theme. Even amateur bakers can frost a single, solid color onto a cake.
If you're not doing an Olympic-themed party, but still want a cake, consider making a gingerbread cake. Many people think of the cookies first when someone says “gingerbread”, but gingerbread cake deserves some love, too! This cozy and comforting cake will be a hit with everyone after coming in from a cold day outside. You can also try making a Yule log if it's close to Christmas.
Make sure to have water on hand for any thirsty competitors! You can't keep it outside with you on a below-freezing day, so keep it somewhere indoors where partygoers can easily access it. Use a plastic pitcher and plastic cups with younger kids in case there are any accidents. Plastic will bounce a lot more times than glass!
Let Jack Frost take care of the décor and kick the party outside while you stand by with a camera to capture all those memories. Happy Birthday!