Updated on November 6th, 2025
AD – Sponsored | With prices on the rise, you may be looking for ways to save money this winter and with kids being off from school during winter break, I wanted to share a list of free fun activities you can do as a family.
If you are saving up for a family vacation, a new car, or you want to have money set aside for emergencies, you can use the savings goal calculator to plan how much money to deposit each month over a period of time. The calculator also factors in the interest rate. Therefore, the monthly deposit required is more accurate to reach your savings goal. In this post, I have included a list of free family activities to help save money that you can put toward your savings goal.
#1 Attend Local Events
During the winter, there are usually free events you can attend with your family. Some events can include Christmas markets, winter parades, and tree-lighting ceremonies. To find local events in your area, you can search on Facebook or Eventbrite. You can also visit museums or the zoo throughout winter, as many museums and zoos have free days. Furthermore, some museums always have free entry, which can help you save money with the rising costs of living.
If you are unable to physically attend local events, you could possibly attend them virtually. Groovy Gecko is a frontrunner when it comes to hybrid event solutions. They connect in-person and online audiences with on-site and remote presenters. Both audiences remain engaged, and their events are an inclusive experience for all attendees.
#2 Go Outdoors
There are plenty of outdoor activities you can do with your family during winter. You can go to the park, and if it snows where you live, you can build snowmen, make a snow fort, or go sledding. However, if it is too warm for snow, you can go on a short hike, do a scavenger hunt, and collect items like pinecones, pine branches, and rocks to use for crafts. You can also go to the beach during winter and collect seashells and build sandcastles if the sand is not frozen.
#3 Read
Reading is beneficial for children of all ages, and your children can read winter-themed books and you can also read books for them. You can visit the library as well and find more books for your children to read. Some winter-themed children’s books include:
- Animals in Winter by Henrietta Bancroft
- Blizzard by John Rocco
- A Charlie Brown Christmas by Charles M. Schulz
- The Dog Who Found Christmas by Linda Jennings
- Goodbye Autumn, Hello Winter by Kenard Pak
- How the Grinch Stole Christmas! by Dr. Seuss
- The Mitten by Jan Brett
- The Night Before Christmas by Clement C. Moore
- The Nightmare Before Christmas by Tim Burton
- The Polar Express by Chris Van Allsburg
- Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer by Robert Lewis May
- Snow by Uri Shulevitz
- The Snowy Day by Ezra Jack Keats
- The Story of Snow: The Science of Winter’s Wonder by Mark Cassino
- There’s an Elf in Your Book by Tom Fletcher
- The Tomten by Astrid Lindgren
#4 Write
Your children can also write short stories and you can help them as well. They can also create pictures to go along with their story and turn it into a picture book. Furthermore, they can write letters or Christmas cards to family members and friends or even to Santa, and handwritten letters are always nice to give and receive.
#5 Build a Blanket Fort
Winter is the time to be cozy, and you can help your kids build a blanket fort. You can use blankets and pillows to make the fort cozy, and your kids can play, read, and relax in the blanket fort. Instead of making a blanket fort, you can also set up a tent indoors and watch a movie, eat marshmallows, and do nature crafts. When it gets dark, your kids can use flashlights to make shadow puppets, read books, and tell stories.
#6 Bake and Cook
Baking is common during winter, and you can bake chocolate chip cookies, cupcakes, and muffins with your kids. You can also use the air fryer for baking to save some money on electricity as air fryers use less energy and have around 20% less cooking time than ovens. You can also cook hearty meals including potato soup, pasta with leftover turkey, and air fryer quesadillas. Furthermore, you can host a tea party for your kids and make sandwiches with cucumber and cream cheese, peanut butter and jelly, ham and cheese, chicken salad, or egg salad. For sides and dessert, you can have fruit cups, vegetable sticks, and baked goods.
#7 Have a Movie Night
You can also host a movie night with your family. You can watch Christmas movies on Netflix, Disney+, or any other streaming platform you have. Your children can also make their own movies and dress up or even make a puppet theater.
#8 Host a Game Night
As well as a movie night, you can also have a game night with your family. You can play board games together or even do a puzzle. There are also plenty of co-op video games you can play with your kids including games on Roblox, which many are free to play.
#9 Have a Crafting Day
If your kids enjoy making crafts, you can have a family crafting day and use materials you have around your home. You can make paper snowflakes, toilet paper roll snowmen, glass jar lanterns, milk carton gingerbread houses, and cardboard ornaments. Your kids can also draw and color, and you can find and print winter-themed coloring pages online. If you collected items with your children at a park or forest, you can paint rocks, make pinecone animals, twig ornaments, and a wreath from pine branches.
#10 Do a Toy Swap
For the last suggestion, you can host a toy swap with other families. Your kids and the other kids participating in the toy swap will gather the toys they no longer play with and then they will be able to pick out new toys the other kids have brought. Toy swaps are a great way to be sustainable by not throwing away old toys and instead finding them a new home. Also, your children can donate any toys they do not play with and hopefully, find them a new home that way.
These are such great ideas of activities to do with your family. I love the idea of a day of crafting – I love to craft, so does a lot of my family! The blanket fort is also a great idea even for me as an adult ha ha. Thank you for sharing.
Lauren x
Thank you so much! Crafting days are fun to do and my daughter loves them too! Haha
The toy swap is such a great idea! There are so many fun and free activities to enjoy in the winter and I’m looking forward to experiencing as many as I can!
I agree! A toy swap allows children to find a new home for their old toys and in return, they can find “new” toys for themselves! Same here!
Getting outside for a bracing walk, and scouring Facebook for local events is something we do a lot of. And snuggling up for a readathon or movie night is always a good option too – fab suggestions, thank you!
Thanks! It is always nice going for walks and attending local events. Movie nights are fun too!
So many good activities, I wish I had this list on hand when i was nannying last year! Still going to try and do some of these xx
Thank you! Yes you can still do some this winter!
Toy swaps is a good idea. And you’re right, there are so many activities one can do to save up on money. You just have to be strategic and pro to think them up and do them. The local visits that are either free or don’t cost much is another good idea. Liked it. Xx
Isa A. Blogger
I got the idea to include a toy swap from when my daughter did one at her school. It is a great way for kids to get new toys without parents having to go out and buy toys.
Yes there are usually so many free or cheap activities to do around the holidays, which would be great for families!
These are such great ideas! I have to say I love the baking and also craft ideas. I have such nice memories of making Christmas cookies as a kid and also making Christmas ornaments was one of my favorite things. Nice post to show you dont’ need to spend tons of money to create nice family memories. Thanks so much for sharing!
Thank you! I love baking and my daughter loves making crafts! That’s wonnderful you have such good memories of making Christmas cookies and ornaments as a kid.
These are such fun ideas, I love going to local events! Reading is also one of my favourite things to do, as well as baking and cooking x
Thank you! I love going to local events too as well reading and baking with my daughter!
Yep!!! These are cool winter activities to do by yourself or with family. I like the blanket fort idea. Thank you for sharing.
Thanks! My daughter loves building blanket forts and luckily in our apartment here is a big area by the balcony doors where she can set up her fort without blocking the way to the kitchen.
What a lovely list of ideas that are actually manageable over the holidays. I love the list of book ideas (Charlie Brown!). Thanks.
Thank you so much! I haven’t read Charlie Brown in YEARS, but A Charlie Brown Christmas is perfect to read around the holidays!
Some great ideas here. I absolutely love a Winter movie night, especially around Christmas!
Thank you so much! Me too! I already started watching Christmas/winter-themed movies with my partner and our daughter haha
Movie nights are especially good around Xmas. Wholesome, none taxing, feel-good family movies. Plus, there’s snow on the tv even if there’s none outside.
Yes I agree! I already started watching Christmas and winter-themed movies with my partner and our daughter. Even though it isn’t technically winter yet, it definitely feels like it here with the weather!
I particularly love baking during the winter months as it’s so cozy (plus you get a tasty treat too)! I really like all these ideas and I am going to enjoy doing these!
Thank you so much! I love baking any time of year, but I especially love baking around Christmas because there are so many good Christmas cookies and other treats!
Some really lovely, fun and free Winter activities for families. Getting in the outdoors is such a good way to spend quality time with your family! x
Lucy | http://www.lucymary.co.uk
Thank you and I completely agree!
Some really lovely ideas here, it’s important to find some low cost activities to do this time of year as it’s such a stressful time for money x
Thank you and I agree!
These are all amazing ideas, especially for getting ready for the holiday season. We can’t wait for holiday markets and seeing lights.
Thank you so much! I’m excited for the Christmas markets too and they’ve already started putting up Christmas lights here, which is nice to see.
These are all so good. I love good baking, gaming and movie sessions. Definitely my favourites! The toy swap is a very interesting option and a good opportunity to teach the art of letting go. Thank you for sharing.
Thank you! I love baking too and I’ve already started watching Christmas and winter-themed movies with my partner and our daughter haha
A few weeks ago my daughter did a toy swap at her school, which gave me the idea to add it here. It is a good opportunity to teach kids to let go of things especially toys they no longer play with then finding them a new home.