Winter Word Games: Printables & DIY Ideas

Solving a word search puzzle with a winter theme is a great way to help kids identify terms specific to the coldest months of the year. To access a fun printable winter word search and answer key, just click the image below. Use this guide to printables if you need help with the document.

A winter crossword puzzle is a great activity for wintertime fun. Kids are sure to love completing the printable crossword puzzle you can download via the image below. It includes an answer key to make easy work of checking the results.

A word scramble is a perfect way to settle kids down and warm their wintry souls. Players are given a jumbled up set of letters and must rearrange them to form an actual word. For example, they'd have to unscramble "netmist" to form "mittens."

• Use these Christmas word scrambles if you’re looking for a holiday-themed version.
• Opt for a DIY version using terms from this list of wintry words for frosty fun and learning.

Whichever option you choose, you can make the game competitive by awarding first prize to the child who is the first to correctly unscramble the words.

This game is somewhat similar to hangman, a basic spelling game that kids are probably familiar with. The idea is for a team to correctly answer more questions about winter words than another team. You may want to choose snow-related words due to the theme of this game.

1. Start out by drawing two identical snowmen on a whiteboard or chalkboard, each with 10 to 16 parts, like two or three circles for the body, arms, buttons, eyes, nose, mouth, and so on.
2. Divide the children into two teams.
3. Ask the first team a question about a winter word. You could give them a word and ask them to spell it, define it, read it, or answer a question about it.
4. Allow a set amount of time for the team to confer before they have to answer.
5. If the team answers the question correctly, they can erase one part of the other team's snowman.
6. Repeat with the second team.
7. Continue playing until one snowman has completely disappeared (or “melted").

The team with any of their snowman left on the board wins!

Hint: If you start erasing at the top and move down, it'll look more like the snowman is melting.

This winter word game has an artistic twist. It's essentially a simplified DIY version of Pictionary. Kids can play individually or they can be divided into teams.

1. Set up a whiteboard or flipchart at the front of the room.
2. Write some winter words on index cards or slips of paper and place them in a container.
3. Decide who will go first and have that child (or team) draw a word from the container.
4. One player (or team) goes to the board and starts drawing a picture that represents a winter word.
5. The child (or team) that guesses the word first gets a point.

The child (or team) that scores five points first is the lucky winner of a treat. Depending on the number of children or teams, you may want to opt for a higher or lower number of points

Winter password is a great word guessing game. You could also title it "Winter Clues" or "Name That Winter Word."

1. Pick two kids to stand in front of the room, facing the other players.
2. Select a winter word and show it to the rest of the kids on a poster board.
3. The other kids should come up with clues to help the players at the front try to guess the word. Instruct the kids to raise their hands when they have a good clue.
4. The two players at the front of the room will take turns calling on kids who have their hands raised to hear their clues.
5. The two players must attempt to guess the answer, continuing to alternate calling on participants for more clues until someone guesses correctly.
6. The player who guesses the answer correctly remains at the front. The one who gave the winning clue takes the other player's spot.
7. The game starts over with a new word, repeating through a set number of rounds or a set amount of time.

The winner of the final round is the winner, and so should be recognized as the Winter Password champion!

Trivia games are always a lot of fun. They provide a way to help children apply what they have learned about the winter season while reinforcing and expanding their vocabulary.

• This collection of winter trivia for kids includes a wide variety of seasonal trivia questions, from holidays to weather and fun facts.
• This printable Christmas trivia game is a good option if you are looking for a game specific to a Christmas party or other event.

There are several ways for kids to play trivia games, with kids answering questions individually or in small groups. Consider setting the game up like a spelling bee (except with trivia questions instead of spelling words) or DIY Jeopardy game.

It can be challenging to come up with fun wintertime games and activities for kids, especially when the weather isn’t great. These winter word games are a great option, but they’re not the only ones to consider. Playing charades can be a fun game for kids too. You can use any of the winter word lists suggested above, or use this Christmas themed version of charades.