Minus 30 windchills aside, who doesn’t love a little breeze in the air and experiencing winter activities with your kids, hands-on outside? And while some kids activities might carry a high ticket price on them, there are so many FREE and FUN kids activities in Montreal you can do as a family…festivals, skiing, snow/inner tubing, sleigh rides just to name a few! Keep these in mind for after school pick-up time (while you’re preparing supper), weekends, or even date nights when the kids are down and you want to have some grown-up “be-a-kid-again” fun!

Building igloos and snow forts brings back great memories of my childhood. We would build one or two of these every winter, although I must admit most of the work went in by my brother and dad, while I just got to enjoy the finished product. Last week, my preschool-aged son and I got into our snowpants and started up our own igloo. I can’t wait to see how it’ll turn out (and whether or not we’ll turn this into our own winter tradition)! Now with the internet as our no. 1 resource, it’s easy to pop “build your own igloo” into a search engine and find step-by-step instructions and even videos, just a click away. If you aren’t so much into putting the work into building your own igloo (or don’t have the space for it), consider going to the Snow Village at Parc Jean-Drapeau!  And while you’re there, there are so many other great winter activities to be found which are free or very modestly priced.

Who doesn’t love a great slide down the hill on a toboggan? Remember losing control and crashing into trees? Now our own kids can share in that excitement! Accidents and frozen toes aside, our winters wouldn’t be complete without at least one great slide down a snow hill!

Whether it’s pick-up hockey or a practice skate session you’re looking for, nothing beats an outdoor skate at a local park. There are so many to be found, and many are quite well maintained, with changing shacks, beautiful lighting at night, and smooth ice!

Here is a new activity provided by the Biosphère Environment Museum, and available to download and use right across Canada! Ever heard of the BioKit?  It’s an interactive outdoor adventure where you can learn about biodiversity. Simply print out the downloadable kit, and go on an adventure in your own surroundings. Free, fun, and everyone (even mom and dad) learns something new in the process!

After all that outdoor fun and energy well spent, warm up to the fireplace and a mug of hot chocolate. You deserve it!