Do you struggle like me to plan winter birthday parties for kids? The cold weather can really put a damper on your party plans this time of year. But don’t worry as a mom of a winter baby, I have found tons of fun winter birthday party ideas to make the day special. Cool ideas for a birthday celebration using outdoor activities like ice skating or sledding, and indoor activities like game nights or laser tag that kids of all ages will love.
Learn how to throw a winter wonderland party outdoors, the ultimate indoor slumber party indoors, or the easiest party of all at a trampoline park. You’re sure to find an awesome birthday party theme your child and party guests will never forget.
So use this list of 30 fun winter birthday party ideas to inspire the perfect way to host your child’s next unforgettable birthday party this winter season.
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Super Fun Winter Birthday Party Ideas for Kids
Ready to have a good time at your child’s next birthday party? Here are our family’s favorite winter birthday party ideas I hope your kids will love too.
Find more birthday party ideas by age group too:
9 Year Old Birthday Party Ideas
10 year Old Birthday Party Ideas
11 Year Old Birthday Party Ideas
12 Year Old Birthday Party Ideas
13 Year Old Birthday Party Ideas
Coolest Birthday Party Ideas for Boys
Epic Teen Birthday Party Ideas
1. Go Ice Skating
The great part about winter ice skating parties is you can host them at outdoor ice skating rinks or indoor ice skating rinks. See if either location will rent skates for the kids to use. Then for an indoor rink, you can often rent a party room to have pizza and cake afterward. At an outdoor rink bring hot cocoa and donuts for the kids to have in the shelter area after skating.
Consider bringing music for the kids to listen to as they skate and planning a relay race or skating contest to entertain the kids. Make sure to invite guests to dress warm for the party.
2. Roller Skating Party
Often roller skating is a little easier for kids than ice skating so this is a good option if you have a big group of kids. Find a local roller rink where you can either rent a party time slot or utilize their public skating time. Often the open skate time will have silly themes that might be fun for older kids. Make sure to ask if they rent roller skates and a party room to use afterward to enjoy pizza and cake.
3. Go on a Scavenger Hunt
Kids will love competing to see who can find all the items on a scavenger hunt list first. It’s a great party game that doesn’t take a lot to set up. You can either choose to do an indoor birthday party scavenger hunt, a photo scavenger hunt with tweens and teens, a winter nature hike scavenger hunt, or a holiday lights scavenger hunt throughout your neighborhood.
Which one you choose will depend on how cold it is outside for the kids to do their run around on the scavenger hunt. Kids can either do the hunt in pairs or individually. Make sure to have a prize for the winner.
4. Winter Hot Chocolate Bar & Gingerbread Houses
Play into the winter season with a festive hot chocolate bar and decorating gingerbread houses. First set up your hot chocolate station with bowls of small marshmallows, snowflake sprinkles, chopped-up andes candies, small candy canes, and cinnamon.
Next on a long table set out a Gingerbread house for each child, frosting, and toppings to decorate while they drink their hot chocolate. Make it a contest and let all the kids vote on who created the best Gingerbread house. If it’s around the holiday season play festive music in the background to get everyone into the winter party theme.
5. Plan a Game Night
Plan an awesome game night filled with tons of birthday party games for the kids. You could divide kids up into teams to play games like Charades or Minute to Win It Games. These could either be competitive games to see which team will win or just play for fun with younger kids.
The Minute to Win It games are quick to play and easy to set up with items you most likely have a home. Pick 4-5 of them to play and have the kids do a rotation through the games.
6. Thrilling Escape Room Party
Plan an exciting escape room game at home or take the kids to a local escape room place. We love hosting an escape room birthday party at home with printable games that have all the clues and storylines to engross the kids in the escape game. They’ll have a blast working together to understand the clues and keys to find their way out of the room.
7. Host a Snowball Party
If you’re lucky enough to have snow take advantage of it with an outdoor party this year. The kids can have a snowball fight, build a snowman, or snow fort, and paint the snow. Make sure to provide items to decorate the snowman and then have a contest to see who built the best snowman.
When the kids need a break use a fire pits to roast marshmallows and make smores. Ask the parents to send their kids with snow pants, coats, gloves, and hats.
No snow? Don’t worry you can have an indoor snowball fight too with these artificial snowballs.
8. Go on a Sleigh Ride
Find a local farm that is hosting sleigh rides in the winter months and head out on an adventure. Make sure to bring warm blankets and hot chocolate to drink. Ask if the kids can pet and feed the horses when you’re done.
9. Go to an Indoor Water Park
Just because it’s cold outside doesn’t mean they can’t swim. If your child loves to swim host a pool party at a local indoor pool or water park. This can get expensive though so you might have to just invite their close friends. Either way, they’ll have a blast escaping the winter in the warm pool.
10. Run Through an Obstacle Course
Create a fun obstacle course to get the kid’s energy out in a large living room or basement. Set up obstacles for the kids to go around, climb over, or balance across.
For instance, a long piece of wood to balance across, set up a tunnel with chairs and blankets across it, and place small items to hop over. When they’re done send them through a DIY hallway laser maze they have to go through on their way to the birthday cake.
Create a snow obstacle course outdoors. This would be a blast!! Here are some ideas – Stand up hula hoops in the snow to crawl through, build a small snow wall to jump over, throw a snowball at a target, slide down a backyard hill, weave through outdoor chairs, fill a toy dump truck with snow, and bring it to the other side of the yard to dump.
11. Outdoor & Indoor Laser Tag
Host an indoor laser tag party at your local laser tag location. This is a super easy party to host! The location will usually have a party package and an event space to have cake and pizza after the laser tag game.
DIY Snow Laser Tag – Host an outdoor laser tag party in the snow with your own laser guns. Kids can build snow forts and walls to hide behind throughout the backyard. Running through the snow will add an extra challenge and they’ll love pretending to fall down in the snow when they get hit. This party would be so much fun!!
12. Go Snow Tubing
Take a small group of kids to a snow tubing hill and let them whizz down the hill. The kids can race each other to see who makes it down the hill the fastest. When you’re done stop at a pizza place or cupcake shop for a birthday snack.
13. Jump in the Trampoline Park
Head to your local indoor trampoline park to host your next birthday party. Kids will love jumping for two hours with their friends. Many locations even have dodgeball and basketball games on the trampolines to play.
14. Indoor Bounce Houses
If you have younger kids find a local indoor bounce house location to host the party. It’s a great way to entertain younger kids in a safe and fun location. Most also offer party rooms to have the birthday cake and pizza after the kids jump.
15. Host a Slumber Party
Slumber parties are one of the best parts of childhood so plan a really fun sleepover party for your child. Invite their best friends over to spend the night and bring their sleeping bags. Make sure to have your child’s favorite foods to eat. The kids can have a movie marathon, play games, sing karaoke, play video games, play a game of hide and seek, or do a spa night.
Find more ideas in the Best Things to Do at Sleepovers to Entertain Kids.
16. Make Your Own Pizza Party
Let the kids make their own pizza to eat. Give each child a premade pizza crust and then let them add their toppings. Create a pizza bar with different toppings for the kids to customize to their pizza.
Pizza toppings ideas – cheese (cheddar, feta, mozzarella), pepperoni, sausage, spinach, bell peppers, olives.
17. Board Games
If you plan to have a smaller group of kids such as just their closest friends plan a board game marathon. Pick out your child’s favorite board games to play. Try some of our favorite Collaborative Board Games to get kids working together to solve the game.
If you have older kids try the best board games for teens & tweens.
18. DIY Lego Party
Is your child a huge Lego fan? Then create a fun DIY Lego party at home by hosting a Lego challenge. Buy a large amount of creative brick Lego pieces. Add the random pieces into large bins around a big table.
Then start the Lego challenge by giving kids 10-15 minutes to create something from the items in the bin. You can give the kids a theme to give them a focus such as something you can drive or something you can live in. Fin Lego challenge ideas on Pinterest.
19. Pottery Painting
Take the kids to the local pottery shop to paint together. Most pottery locations will have a birthday package that will give the kids a range of items they can paint in the store. They’ll enjoy hanging out and talking while painting their pottery. At the end of the party, they can take home their project as their goody bags.
20. Go to a Local Museum
Does your child love learning about animals, local history or art? Find a topic they really love and take a small group of friends to visit a local museum that reflects their interests.
21. Have a Spa Day
Host a sweet DIY Spa day at home. The girls will have a great time enjoying face masks and painting their nails. Then serve small sandwiches, cookies, and lemon water to go along with the spa theme.
Add this spa party to your slumber party and your whole night is set.
22. Cookie Decorating Time
What kid doesn’t love eating cookies? Make or buy large sugar cookies for the kids to decorate or give the kids dough to cut out cookie shapes to bake. Then give each child a cookie or two on a plate and frosting. In the middle of the table add bowls with a spoon and different toppings for cookies.
Cookie Topping ideas – Different color sprinkles, snowflake sprinkles, small chocolate chips, crushed-up candy bars, crushed-up candy canes, small nuts (if no allergies), shredded coconut, or M&Ms.
23. Winter Craft Idea
Creating Ice Suncatcher Ornaments is a fun outdoor craft for kids. You’ll need a pie tin for each child, twine, and small items to add to the ornaments. Kids will add the items they want for decorations into the pie tin and add a looped piece of twine at the top. Then add water to the pie tin. When it freezes pull the ornament out and let the kids take it home to hang on a tree at their house.
Ornament decoration items – red berries, twigs, leaves, small pine cones, evergreen branches
24. Go Kart Races
Let the kids feel the rush of speed at an indoor Go Kart track. Older kids will love competing to see who can get to the finish line first. Most site has a track for younger kids and a track for older kids so that it’s safe and fun for kids of all ages.
25. Visit the Zoo
I know it sounds odd to go in the winter to a zoo but it’s actually a great time. Most zoos have tons of indoor buildings to walk through and keep warm. Plus it’s a good time to see animals outdoors that live in cold weather areas such as polar bears. The best part is it’s never crowded so it’ll feel like you rented out the zoo for the birthday party.
26. Visit a Winter Festival
Is there a cool winter festival in your area? Such as an ice castle display or holiday lights event. A fun winter birthday party idea is taking advantage of winter festivals in your area. The kids will have a blast walking around and participating in the activities.
27. Go Sledding
If you have snow for your child’s birthday take the kids all to a local snow hill to go sledding. Bring a bunch of sleds or snow tubes for the kids to use at the hill. Then let them take home the sled as their party favors.
You can also bring hot chocolate and cookies for the kids to eat when they need a break. Don’t worry too much about the cold all the walking up and down the hill will warm them up!
28. Karaoke Night
Does your child love to sing? Then host a super fun karaoke night at home. This is a very easy party to throw! Get a karaoke machine to use then fun accessories for the kids to wear like boas and big sunglasses like a star would wear. You can even make it a theme party and ask all the kids to dress like Taylor Swift or their favorite artist.
29. Glow in the Dark Dance Party
Crank up your child’s favorite songs and make it a dance party. Make it unique by lowering the lights and giving the kids glow-in-the-dark necklaces & glasses to wear. You can even have a cool disco ball throwing off lights to the sounds of the music. Bonus when the lights are lower the tweens won’t be as self-conscious of their dancing so everyone will dance.
30. Visit a Local Sporting Event
If your child loves sports take a small group to a local sporting event in your area. It doesn’t have to be a professional team try visiting a college or high school team. In the winter you could watch basketball games, hockey games, ice skating competitions, or a gymnastics event. If it’s a more expensive event let your child pick just one best friend to bring to the game.
31. Indoor Sports Party
Does your child have a favorite sport they play? Use that as your party theme by renting an indoor space you can host a soccer party, basketball party, football party, hockey party, gymnastics party, or even an indoor baseball party.
32. Jewelry Making Party
Let the kids show off their artistic side with a jewelry-making party. All you need is a jewelry-making kit that will have all the beads, tools, and string you need for the kids. Set all the beads in different bowls on your table and help the kids cut the string to the size they need. Then let the kids chat while making beautiful jewelry.
Here’s a kit for young kids with plastic beads and a kit for older tweens or teens with crystal beads.
33. Holiday Shopping Party
Tweens and Teens will love a shopping excursion for their birthday. Take their closest friends to a shopping area they usually don’t get to go to. This could be an outlet mall further away or bigger shops in the city. Let the kids shop for holiday gifts and items for themselves.
Then set a meeting time when you take all the kids out to lunch or dinner to celebrate the birthday girl or boy.
34. Winter-Themed Movie Marathon
Have a movie marathon with all winter-themed movies. Add this theme party to a birthday sleepover party and your night is set.
Winter Movie Ideas – Home Alone, Frozen, Polar Express, A Christmas Story, The Nightmare Before Christmas, The Mighty Ducks, Miracle, Snow Day, Jack Frost, Cool Runnings, Mr. Poppers Penguins, Ice Age, Snow Dogs.
Winter Party Themes
Here are some winter party themes you can add to the birthday party ideas you’ve just read about.
– Frozen
– Frosty the Snowman
– Ugly Sweater Party
– Penguin Party
– Winter Wonderland
– North Pole Party
– Snowflake Party
– Everything Ice
Party Favors
Don’t forget the goody bags at the end of the party. This is really more important for younger kids but big kids still like it too.
Add all the goody bag items into a snowflake paper bag.
Party Favor Ideas
– Winter Snow Glasses with cute shapes & characters
– Snowflake Squishy Fidget Toys
– Snowflake Stickers for Kids Waterbottles or Binders
I hope you found enough winter birthday party ideas to get you ready for your upcoming kids’ birthday party. All are fun ways to keep kids entertained and make it a special day for the birthday child. If you’re still looking for more ideas here are a few more birthday ideas kids will enjoy.
More Birthday Party Ideas
Find tons of ideas on our Birthday Party Ideas Page too.
Party Themes:
9 Year Old Birthday Party Ideas
10 year Old Birthday Party Ideas
11 Year Old Birthday Party Ideas
12 Year Old Birthday Party Ideas
13 Year Old Birthday Party Ideas
Best Birthday Party Ideas for Boys
43 Epic Teen Birthday Party Ideas
20 Meaningful Birthday Traditions to Celebrate with Kids – No Party
Birthday Party Games:
40+ Birthday Party Games Kids Love
Coolest Escape Room Birthday Party
Fun & Cheap Balloon Games for Parties
Birthday Scavenger Hunt – A fun way to find birthday gifts
Birthday Gift Ideas:
71 Hottest Tween Girl Gift Ideas for 9-12 Year Olds
70 Coolest Gift Ideas for Boys
Best Gifts for Fortnite Players & Gamers
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