January is a wonderful month when it's time to detach from laptops and gadgets, go outside, and remember that we used to spend hours joyfully rolling in the snow, not thinking about mindfulness, spiritual benefits, and other perks of this simple activity. We offer simple ideas for January winter evenings.
Outdoor Ice Rink
People holding hands on the ice automatically become a team. This, you must agree, is quite good for bonding. Even if no one knows how to skate, that’s the thrill — supporting a wobbling partner while you’re falling over yourself, catching each other, laughing at shared falls, and finally making those first hesitant laps. And afterwards, of course — hot tea in a thermos or cocoa at the nearest café.
Building a Slide and Sliding Down It
This is not just for kids. A snow slide can be built in the yard, in the woods, or on a park slope. Pack down the snow, pour water over it (remember that hot water paradoxically freezes faster in the cold?), let it set, and you have your own track. You can slide on anything at hand — sleds, toboggans, cardboard, bags, or just on your jacket.
Making a Snowman
Yes, it sounds somewhat cliché. But it works for entertainment purposes without fail. You can make not just an ordinary snowman, but one with character: a nose made of a carrot or a pine cone, a scarf from an old blanket, buttons, a funny face drawn with charcoal. You can hold a competition for the strangest or most unusual, the tallest, or the most whatever else snowman. This simple activity sparks imagination and brings childlike joy, which fosters closeness.
Skiing or Snowboarding
If there’s an opportunity to go out of town, skiing together is a great way to spend time with the whole family in motion. Friends can be invited too. Even if one skis better than the other, there’s a natural care, support, and shared progress with small victories over oneself at every meter of the trail.
Playing in a Snow Castle or Snowball Fight
Here you just need to turn on your memory — and recreate what we played many years ago. You can build two camps, make walls, towers, fortifications, and have a fair snow battle. Or, on the contrary, build one big snow castle — with corridors, niches, and even a throne room. Yes, you will come home with rosy cheeks and covered in snow, so you’ll have to put your pants and socks by the radiator to thaw — but that’s the whole point!
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