With the arrival of winter comes the arrival of so many wonderful winter activities. Whether it’s skiing, snowboarding, tubing, building-snowmen, or skating, the colder months can truly feel like a special time for getting to enjoy the outdoors. But what happens when the weather turns too frigid, and common winter conundrums like snowstorms occur? This is where a plethora of equally wonderful indoor activities can take center stage. In fact, we’ve compiled a list of our top 4 family-friendly indoor activities below!

1) Have a board-game or puzzle night

This is one of the most classic ways to spend a cozy night with friends or family (and is a guaranteed way to have fun). Stick to classic games like chess, UNO, Clue, or Monopoly depending on how many people are playing, OR try some newer board-games like Chameleon, Betrayal at House on the Hill, a creative tile-game where a “betrayal” at some point in the game will change the rules as you know them! Don’t have any board games? A puzzle can go a long way, as can a deck of cards! Traditional games like GoFish, Rummy, and Black Jack can easily help you occupy hours of family fun.

2) Throw a movie-night

With so many streaming services at our fingertips, and renting made possible through Cineplex, bringing a theater-level movie-night to your home can truly be as easy as pressing a button. Use this time to set-up some of your favorite snacks, make your space cozy, and choose that latest release everyone in yourfamily has been eager to see. No streaming services? Time to bring out the old DVDS (or even VHS) and enjoy a nostalgic movie night instead!

3) Don’t underestimate co-op video games!

There are a plethora of family-friendly and super creative video-games that can be enjoyed by the whole family. Have a Wii or Switch? Mario Kart and / or Mario Party can truly occupy an entire evening with their various modes, their replay ability factor, and their fun! Have a PC? Try playing a Jackbox game! Made specifically to be played with company, Jackbox “party-packs” contain multiple board-game style games that go from drawing games to social deduction and everything in between. Along with fantastic musicand graphics, the coolest part about them is that they’re displayed on a screen, but are played through your phone! Don’t have any video game consoles or platforms? Don’t underestimate the fun that can be had through apps like “Heads Up”, which can be accessed through most major smart phone app stores.

4) Try cooking together

Few things feel as special as a warm, delicious meal enjoyed with those we love in colder weather. If you’re snowed in for a night, it can be a wonderful opportunity to put on some music and host a family cooking night! Have each person, or pairs, etc. prepare one part of the meal and then cook it altogether. This will work especially great with pizzas, pastas, soups, or even desserts (like cookies or a cake!). What a delicious way to spend some quality time indoors.

So, whatever the winter weather has in store for you this season, know that the indoors can often be just as fun (if not more) as the outdoors!