Hat Trick
Kids build a snowman then take turns trying to land a hat on his head in "Hat Trick." From roughly 10 feet away, kids throw a baseball cap or top hat as they would throw a flying disc. The kid who lands the hat on the snowman's head (or the one who comes closest) wins.
Ice Games
Rather than sticks and a puck, players use brooms and a rubber ball to play the ultimate ice game. For "Broomball," kids have an equal number of players on each team, set up goal areas, and play the game as they would hockey.
Kids can winterize bowling by using frozen, plastic quart or liter bottles (filled with colored water) as bowling pins and frozen, gallon jugs as bowling balls. Kids set up the "pins" on the ice, roughly 10 feet away, and try knocking down the "pins" with the "ball."
A skater's obstacle course could include paths through items such as benches, boots and hockey sticks. Skaters could step or jump over boots that have balanced sticks over them, or pass under a stick that two kids hold at hip level. As a finale, skaters may pass through a human tunnel. The kid who completes the course in the quickest time wins.
Ice Races
Individual racing on ice is fun, but kids may prefer playing in teams. For a "Runner Sled Race," one kid sits on a sled, while his partner pulls it along the ice. Whichever pair races around the area the fastest wins. "Backward Hockey Pull" also involves teams of two. Team members face each other, each holding the end of a hockey stick. The puller skates backward and tows her partner as if she were water skiing. The team making it around the area first wins.
Snowball Games
Kids turn baseball into snowy target practice by mounding up snow to create a pitcher's mound and three bases, about 2 feet high and 20 feet apart. After stacking tin cans on each base, kids take to the pitcher's mound and throw snowballs at the stacks, in order from first to third base. The kid who knocks the stacks down with the fewest pitches wins.
For "Frosty Toss," kids squirt colored water on the snow to create a target, then they try to hit the target with snowballs. The kid who hits the target in the least amount of tries wins.
Kids paint a bull's-eye on cardboard and attach it to a tree for "Practice Your Pitch. " After establishing each colored ring's point value, kids take turns trying to hit the target with snowballs. The kid with the most points wins.
Swing Away
Kids take to the white and show off their best swing in "Swing Away." After packing down a section of snow every few feet, kids set up holes by putting tin cans with the tops cut off halfway down in the snow. Kids mark holes with mini flags and use plastic golf clubs and balls to golf.
Tic-Tac-Snow
Players use snow to draw the outline for this classic game. While kids also can play the game totally with snow, they also may use crisscrossed sticks and pine cones as game pieces. The kid who claims three squares in a row, either horizontally, vertically or diagonally, wins.