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Family Fun

Fun Snow Fort Building Toys

January 7, 2020 By Terri Thompson

What do you do when there’s several inches of fresh snow on the ground?

You go out and play in it, of course!

You can sled, have a snowball fight, or even build an awesome snow fort. This fun selection of snow fort building toys will give you all you need to build amazing snow structures.

All the awesome snow fort building toys you need to make the most amazing snow structures.

Disclosure: There are Amazon Affiliate and other affiliate links in this article which means, at no additional cost to you, we could receive compensation for our recommendations. You can read our full disclosure policy on our Disclosure Page for more details.

Build an Amazing Snow Fort

Have you ever built a snow fort before?

You’ll need to work on packing the snow to build the walls of your structure and you’ll want to make sure it will stay standing.

You can definitely build a snow for without the use of tools, but shovels, molds, and other tools can make the job much easier.

Check out all these items to help you build an awesome fort.

Shop this list here.

Snow Fort Building Toys

Have fun in the snow when you use these awesome snow fort building tools to make your own snowy structures.

Sand Pal Beach Sand & Snow Castle Building Kit, 9-Piece with Carrying Case

Get everything you need to make an awesome snow fort with this all-in-one kit that comes with its own carrying case.

Ideal SNO Bucket of Fun Kit Kids Outdoor Snow Activity

This fun kit has shovels, molds, and color packs to help you build colorful snow forts and igloos.

Unplugged Explorers 6 pc. Ultimate Snow Toys Kit

This fun kit has everything you need to build an awesome snow fort and make the snowballs you need to throw! (Plus, it's even got a sled!)

Color My Worlds Sand and Snow Coloring Kit Snow Toy 

Make very colorful snow forts with this fun building kit that includes color tablets, a brick maker, and a bag to keep it all in.

Superio Snow Block Mold Brick Form & Sand Mold Block Red 10 Inch

You need bricks to build a snow fort and these simple molds are perfect for the job.

ESP Kid's Snow and Sand Castle Play Kit

Trim your fort out with some parapets when you use these fun snow molds.

Superio Snow Tower Mold Cone Shape & Sand Mold Castle Tower Red 10 Inch

You can also add some awesome molded cones to your fort (or snow castle).

Flexible Flyer Snow Fort Building Kit Brick Form & Sand Castle Mold Block, Winter Toy

This mold kit has all you need for short and long snow bricks, as well as decorative bricks.

Create A Castle - Sand or Snow Castle Split Mold Set - 6 Piece Pro Building Set

Create a snow castle instead of a fort with this kit with molds and more.

Matty's Toy Stop 28" Heavy Duty Wooden Snow Shovels with Plastic Scoop & Handle for Kids 

Shovel up all the snow you need for your forts with this 2-pack of shovels.

Matty's Toy Stop 9" Kids Short Handle Sand Scoop Plastic Shovels (Yellow, Blue & Green) Gift Set Bundle - 3 Pack

Use these simple scoops to mold, scoop, and build.

Annymall Garden Tools 4-Piece Shovel Set, Metal with Sturdy Wooden Handle

Hand shovels are a great help when it comes to building a snow fort and this set would be so useful.

Superio Snow Toy Set Trowels Bundle 2 Pack

Stack all your snow bricks with the help of these snow trowel set.

Snow Fort Building Toys Make Great Gifts

These snow fort building tools make great gifts. They’re perfect for kids from preschool through tween who love to be outside. They even make a perfect family gift for families who love adventure!

Wrap them up for a winter birthday or put them under the tree for Christmas. Now matter what, they’re the perfect gift to encourage active outdoor play.

You can buy one of the all-in-one kits or make your own kit with shovels, molds, and trowels. There’s plenty of ideas to fit most any budget.

Which of these fun snow toys are you going to get for the kids in your life.

These fun snow fort building toys will help you get outside and have some fun this winter building lots of amazing snow structures.

You May Also Like One of These Winter Fun Ideas

Fun Snow Play Toys for Kids

Winter STEM Projects

10 Ways to Explore Nature in Winter

Snow Day Scavenger Hunt at Fun-Loving Families

Do You Want To Do More Activities With Your Family?

Join our fun Facebook community, Creative Family Fun for Busy Families, for daily activities that are great for kids and families. We’ll chat, share, and have fun. It’s a safe and private place to share ideas for family and kids activities.

I’d love for you to join me! Just click the link below, request to join, and answer the questions (they’re easy, I promise). Come join the fun! Join the Creative Family Fun for Busy Families community here.

10 Fun Family Exercise Ideas

October 15, 2019 By Orlena Kerek

When I was young, my dad used to take us swimming every Sunday. Sometimes we swam up and down. Sometimes we played in the shallow end. And, sometimes he threw me in the air and squirted me with water.

I have amazing memories of swimming as a child. Now as an adult, I’ve returned to my “swimming roots”. It’s my hobby, sport and “energy giver”.

It’s one of the tools I use to help me feel fit and fabulous.

Doing these fun family exercise ideas is a fantastic way to get off the sofa and create memories for your kids. It will also set your kids up for life if they develop an activity habit. They won’t even think they’re “doing exercise”, it will just be “having fun”.

Spend some quality time together with your kids and get in shape when you try one of these fun and simple family exercise ideas.

10 Simple Family Exercise Ideas

Roller Skating. Such fun! I learnt to roller skate at the age of 37, using my double buggy for support. Now I can whizz up and down, keeping up with my kids! Well nearly!

Trekking aka Walking. Simple but fun. I had a friend at school whose family did “letter boxing on Dartmoor” in the UK. The modern equivalent is geocaching. A simple walk will do. My kids love collecting sticks in the wood. We don’t get far but we have fun!

The possibilities are endless here are 10 more fun walk ideas for families.

Swimming. Pool or sea depending where you live! A fun way to exercise for everyone.

Friday Night Disco. Celebrate the end of the week with a family night disco. Put on your favourite tunes and twist and turn. Another family favourite. We even bought a glitter ball for extra sparkle!

Family dance party in the living room

Games in the Garden or Park. You don’t need heaps of space to do some outdoor games. Kick a ball around or play some playground favourites such as “Grannies Foot Prints” and “What’s the Time Mr Wolf?”. If you can get to a wood, our favourites are hide and seek and rin tin tin.

Cycling. If you have young kids you can use a bike seat or tow bar. We have cycle routes near us. (I’d be too scared to take my kids on a busy road!)

House/ Garden Work. Get them started young! House work and gardening is great exercise and a fantastic way to build team spirit. Kids will take pride in the work that they contribute.

Skipping. Either with a rope or elastic. Both are cheap and a great way to have fun and burn up some energy.

Go to the Beach. We love the beach in the winter when we can play frisbee and ball. And in the summer when we can swim.

Pack a Pic Nic. Combine a walk with a pic nic. Explore somewhere new and include some activities simple activities.

Family playing ball at the beach

More Adventurous Family Exercise Ideas

There are heaps of adventurous activities that you can try out (depending on where you live and the age of your kids.)

These activities normally cost more.

  • Kayaking/ SUP
  • Sailing
  • Skiing/ snow boarding
  • Horse riding
  • White water rafting
  • Tree activities (fine a centre that has ropes and activities in the tree tops)
  • Rock climbing (find a climbing wall near you)
Family kayaking

Pick Something You’ll Enjoy

Remember that the aim is fun and connection. It doesn’t have to be expensive (unless you want it to). Just simple, easy fun and activity.

You May Also Enjoy One of These Family Activities

The Best Family Fun Ideas

Discover a New Playground for Outdoor Family Fun

Tips for Hiking With Young Children

50+ Fun Scavenger Hunts for Kids

Do you want to do even more activities as a family?

Join our fun Facebook community, Creative Family Fun for Busy Families, for daily activities that are great for kids and families. We’ll chat, share, and have fun. It’s a safe and private place to share ideas for family and kids activities.

I’d love for you to join me! Just click the link below, request to join, and answer the questions (they’re easy, I promise). Come join the fun! Join the Creative Family Fun for Busy Families community here.

Discover a New Playground for Outdoor Family Fun

May 1, 2019 By Terri Thompson

Are you often trying to find ideas for outdoor family fun?

I don’t know about you, but I struggle with this all the time.

I check out community resources and think about some of our favorite locations and other family fun ideas we’ve done in the past… that is, IF I’m actually thinking of things ahead of time.

Normally, though, the weekend sneaks up on me. Almost every single week. I have nothing planned and we end up spending all weekend at home. Sound familiar?

Don’t get me wrong, it can be nice to have a relaxing weekend at home. But, sometimes, we just want to get out and do something fun. That’s when you need a few go-to, easy ideas in your pocket that you can do anytime.

One of those ideas that we’ve done on occasion is to discover a “new to us” park. 

Go on a fun and inexpensive family adventure by discovering a "new to you" park together. You'll be able to get outside and have fun together.

Disclosure: This post is written in support of the 7th Annual Kids to Parks Day from the National Park Trust. All ideas and opinions are my own. There are Amazon Affiliate and other affiliate links in this article which means, at no additional cost to you, we could receive compensation for our recommendations. You can read our full disclosure policy on our Disclosure Page for more details.

What is a “new to us” park?

Basically, a “new to us” park is any park that we’ve never visited. Simple.

It could be a park in your hometown or one in a neighboring city. Just find one you’ve never visited, because part of the adventure is discovering someplace new.

Where can I find a “new to us” park for outdoor family fun?

Luckily, thanks to the internet, it’s easy to find a new park.

To start, you can simple search for “parks in [insert city and state]” and very often you’ll easily find some results. When we moved to a new city last summer, I did this soon after we unpacked. I easily found all of the parks in our new town and we had tons of fun checking them out.

Another way to find new parks is to just pay attention while you drive. Make a mental note or jot locations down on a piece of paper if you pass a fun park. I discovered one on our last road trip in a nearby small town that we’re going to have to check out soon.

You never know what you might discover!

We’ve found some absolute gems by just picking out a random park on a map. We’ve discovered farm theme playgrounds and petting zoos.

Some parks have gone above and beyond with unique playgrounds and open-ended toys. One such playground in a local nature center had a bin full of kid-sized shovels and an open invitation to dig. Awesome!

But, even if you discover a a very typical style playground, you’ll still have tons of outdoor family fun. Explore, play together, laugh, and enjoy your family adventure.

How can you make the most of your outdoor family fun at the park?

There are so many things you can do to make the day even more special.

Pack a picnic lunch and eat together before playing. Many parks have picnic tables you can use, but pack a blanket just in case they don’t. You’ll always find a grassy area to spread your blanket.

Have a scavenger hunt. There are tons of ideas online that you can print, or you can do something simple like this scavenger hunt we went on in our backyard that could be easily adapted for any park.

Bring along some fun outdoor toys. Bring a Frisbee, a football, or a beach ball along. This is especially fun if you happen to find a park with big open grassy areas.

Explore the neighboring areas. If you’re visiting a park in a nearby town, see if there is anything else fun to do. Are there nearby nature trails for a walk? Or maybe there’s a fun ice cream shop for a treat? Explore and have fun.

And, most important of all, relax and realize that no matter how good or bad the park is, the most important thing is time together with the family. (If the park is truly terrible, just pack up and find another park. You can always go to a tried-and-true favorite.)

Have fun exploring a “new to you” park together? It’s great fun, inexpensive, and the best part is that you can go on this family adventure again and again any time you want some outdoor family fun.

Have some outdoor family fun and adventure by discovering a new park together. Get outside with this fun and free family activity!

You may also like one of these family fun ideas:

Volunteer as a Family: Support Your Local Food Bank

Family Bird Watching Club

10 Reasons to Visit a State Park this Weekend (Or Any Weekend)

July Simple Family Fun Ideas

Spend Quality Time Together as a Family in Summer at Rainy Day Mum

Fun Toys to Bring to the Park

If you want to add to the fun on your family adventure, you can bring a simple toy to play with while you’re there. Here are a few fun ideas:

Do you want to do more activities with your family?

Join our fun Facebook community, Creative Family Fun for Busy Families, for daily activities that are great for kids and families. We’ll chat, share, and have fun. It’s a safe and private place to share ideas for family and kids activities.

I’d love for you to join me! Just click the link below, request to join, and answer the questions (they’re easy, I promise). Come join the fun! Join the Creative Family Fun for Busy Families community here.

The Best Family Fun Ideas

March 24, 2019 By Terri Thompson

It seems like life is just so busy these days. And, because of those days, it’s hard to fit in family fun time.

But, that time is so important! So, let’s find some pockets of time and reconnect with our family.

These family fun ideas will give you tons of ideas, whether you’ve got an hour or a whole day. Let’s make some memories together!

Connect with your family and make lot of memories with these simple and fun ideas for family fun and adventures. You'll have a great time together!

Disclosure: There are Amazon Affiliate and other affiliate links in this article which means, at no additional cost to you, we could receive compensation for our recommendations. You can read our full disclosure policy on our Disclosure Page for more details.

Family Fun Ideas

Whether you want to use your family time to give back to your community or you want to settle in for a cozy evening at home, you’ll find plenty of ideas below.

Which of these ideas are you going to plan?

Family Fun Ideas

Make memories and go on adventures together with all of these awesome family fun ideas.

Family Friendly Movies for Family Movie Night

Have a family movie night together! Here are some great tips and movie suggestions.

Discover a New Playground for Outdoor Family Fun

Get out and explore together while you discover a new park.

Tips for Hiking With Young Children

Get outside and explore on a hike. These tips will help make your trip fun and successful.

10 Fun Walk Ideas for Families

Walks don't have to be boring! Check out these great ideas for family walks.

Easy to Play Card Games for Family Game Night

Have a family game night with one of these great card games.

June Simple Family Fun Ideas

These simple family fun ideas are perfect for summer!

Tips for Observing the Night Sky for Kids

Go outside and observe the night sky with your family.

Gratitude Conversation Starters

Start a conversation about gratitude with this free printable set of conversation starters.

Fun Ways to Help Your Local Animal Shelter

Volunteer together to help your local animal shelter with these fun ideas.

10 Reasons to Visit a State Park This Weekend (Or Any Weekend)

Go on an adventure to visit a nearby state park. There are so many fun things to do there!

Family Bird Watching Club

Start a new hobby with your family and learn all about birds.

Top 10 Simple Summer Field Trips

Go on a simple field trip with your family. These ideas are fun for summertime, but you can really do them any time of the year.

200 Fun Ideas for Your Summer Bucket List

Make a summer bucket list and fill it with one of these great ideas!

Creative Family Fun Nights: Spooky Stories

Have a fun family night telling spooky (but not too scary) stories.

Creative Family Fun Nights: Family Olympics

Get active together with this fun idea for a family outdoor game day.

Creative Family Fun Nights: Paper Airplane Races

Build and race paper airplanes with this simple family fun night idea.

Creative Family Fun Nights: Family Interviews

Get to know each other better with a fun night of family interviews.

Perfect Puzzles for the Family to Enjoy This Holiday Season

Work a jigsaw puzzle together with these great suggestions.

July Simple Family Fun Ideas

Have some summer fun with these simple family adventure ideas.

Spring Family Fun Ideas to Do in May

Spring is a great time to go on a family adventure. Try one of these simple ideas!

Neighborhood Halloween Scavenger Hunt

Explore your neighborhood this Halloween with this fun scavenger hunt idea.

Recommended Resources for Family Fun Ideas

I keep several books at home that are full of fun things I can do with my family. It’s so nice to have all these ideas at my fingertips! Here are some books I recommend:

More Resources for Families

Fun STEM Projects for Kids

Simple and Fun Activities for Toddlers

Tips for Observing Nature With Small Children

Nature Activity Books for Young Explorers

Connect with Other Families

Join our fun Facebook community, Creative Family Fun for Busy Families, for daily activities that are great for kids and families. We’ll chat, share, and have fun. It’s a safe and private place to share ideas for family and kids activities.

I’d love for you to join me! Just click the link below, request to join, and answer the questions (they’re easy, I promise). Come join the fun! Join the Creative Family Fun for Busy Families community here.

Perfect Puzzles for the Family to Enjoy This Holiday Season

December 18, 2018 By Terri Thompson

Puzzles are a great way to spend that quiet, still time between Christmas and the New Year.

It helps bring everyone together for memorable and quality family time, while building on family teamwork.

No matter the age of the parents or kids, puzzles are literally a connecting piece to enjoy around the holidays. 

Here are some fun puzzles for the family to enjoy between Christmas and New Year’s Day.

Enjoy the quality time the holidays bring by introducing a family jigsaw puzzle tradition. Find a list and assortment of great puzzles for the family here!

Holiday Family Puzzle tradition for kids of all ages

An easy way to make sure that the time is spent less on screens and more with hot cocoa and conversations is to put a puzzle in front of everyone. It’s a holiday tradition that any family can enjoy, even those with little kids and can be continued with teens and grown children.

Simply wrap up a puzzle that everyone opens up on the 26th and enjoy putting it together all day or throughout that down time before the New Year begins!

Puzzles for the family to enjoy this holiday season

Disclosure: There are Amazon Affiliate and other affiliate links in this article which means, at no additional cost to you, we could receive compensation for our recommendations. You can read our full disclosure policy on our Disclosure Page for more details.

Sometimes it is hard to judge a good puzzle; you have to decide if it’s going to be one that’s challenging enough that it worth it, not so challenging it never gets finished, and simply one that will be enjoyable. Especially with younger kids around, it feels like there always has to be a happy medium in choosing a good puzzle for the family.

Related: Ten things to do when you’re stuck inside

Enjoy the quality time the holidays bring by introducing a family jigsaw puzzle tradition. Find a list and assortment of great puzzles for the family here!

Ceaco Puzzles by Jane Wooster Scott

Many of the scenes come in your option of size meaning that each age group in the family could actually work on the same puzzle but independently or in small groups and it could actually be a competition to see which team wins. So if you have a wide age range like kids ages 3-18, pick out a three hundred piece puzzle for the 3-8 year olds to team up on and the same design in a thousand pieces for the 9-18 years olds to work on.

The other thing to note about these puzzles is that they are very thoughtfully drawn. Most typically, there will be similar patterns or people in different parts of the puzzle that aren’t the same, but forces kids to have a discriminating eye. Like a woman wearing a yellow dress with brown polka dots versus a picnic blanket on the other side of the puzzle board that’s yellow with red dots.

Even the boxes typically are thoughtfully made with the picture on the back being high enough to fit above the box lid so it can be propped up without hiding the whole puzzle picture.

Find an assortment of these puzzles here:

A Picture Perfect Day

Circus Pandemonium

Waterfront Artistry

More From Jane Wooster Scott

Enjoy the quality time the holidays bring by introducing a family jigsaw puzzle tradition. Find a list and assortment of great puzzles for the family here!

Family puzzles with multiple piece sizes

One of the best ways to incorporate puzzles into the family routine or to do as you cozy up during the holidays are multi-size puzzle piece puzzles. They’re most typically called “family puzzles” and come with pieces in three different sizes so that they can be divvied up by age and let every complete the same puzzle together on their own skill and development level.

A few examples of recommended family puzzles:

Wild Savanna by Springbok Puzzles

Disney Christmas family puzzle by Ceaco

Frosty Friend by Cobble Hill Puzzles

A few notes about family puzzles. Many times they come in four hundred piece sets, but this can vary. Sometimes companies like Cobble Hill call them “multi” puzzles and sometimes there are only 2 sizes instead of three.

Related: Indoor Winter Activities for Preschoolers

Get the family excited with a unique jigsaw puzzle

Especially as kids get older, finding a unique puzzle for the family is a way to get everyone more excited about completing it together. Choosing a glow in the dark puzzle and doing it under a blacklight or finding a really unique 3D puzzle based on what the kids are currently learning are just a few unique puzzle ideas.

Check out these cool puzzle options:

Unicorns by MasterPieces Glow in the Dark Hidden Images Puzzles.

St. Basil’s Cathedral by CubicFun

Disney Castle by Ravensburger

Wooden Mechanical Locomotive by Robotime 3D

Related: How puzzles boost kids’ brain development

Enjoy the quality time the holidays bring by introducing a family jigsaw puzzle tradition. Find a list and assortment of great puzzles for the family here!

Choose a puzzle based on your goals or dreams for the coming year

It can be big trip your family is taking visiting all the states, some place with a notable destination, or something else. In general there are so many types of puzzles, find one that fits with that theme! Not only will it be quality time spent together, but also something to get your family dreaming together.

You may also like one of these family activities:

Family Friendly Movies for Family Movie Night

10 Fun Walk Ideas for Families

Easy to Play Card Games for Family Game Night

Gratitude Conversation Starters

Are you looking for more kids activities?

Join our fun Facebook community, Creative Family Fun for Busy Families, for daily activities that are great for kids and families. We’ll chat, share, and have fun. It’s a safe and private place to share ideas for family and kids activities.

I’d love for you to join me! Just click the link below, request to join, and answer the questions (they’re easy, I promise). Come join the fun! Join the Creative Family Fun for Busy Families community here.

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