Filed under: Active Games
What kid (or adult!) doesn't enjoy a snowball fight? This is a particularly great opening game when you have a energetic group with some energy to burn. It's a great, safe alternative to a real snowball fight, with many different variation opportunities.
Each snowball is made by balling up a sheet of paper, then wrapping it in packing tape. They are soft, cheap, and they fly well over short distances. How many you need to make depends on the variation of the game you play and the size of your group, but as cheap as they are it's a good rule of thumb to begin with 3 per child so there are always snowballs flying around.
Since they're wrapped in tape they are nearly indestructible, and they're not likely to break a window!
We usually split the children into two roughly equal teams, form a dividing line, and let them have at it! Add in chairs and benches and other obstacles for the kids to hide behind. We don't set a lot of rules and let them run in "chaos mode" until they start to get tired or it's time to begin the service.
This is also a great game for small spaces!
Variations:
Dodgeball
The paper snowballs make a great ball for dodge ball for younger kids. Older kids might find it too easy to catch them and dodge them, but if there are enough of them flying around that is not a problem.
The balls are so light that children often don't feel them and don't realize they are hit. It's good to have a referee watching each team to call the children out or to settle disputes.
Hot Snowball
This variation adds some order to the chaos. Draw the dividing line as usual, and place all the snowballs on the line. Split the children into two evenly matched teams. Have a watch ready to go.
When you say, "go!" the kids will attempt to grab and throw the snowballs to the opponent's side of the line. The goal isn't to hit the other kids, but to simply keep their side clear of snowballs while moving as many as possible to the other side.
60 second matches are usually a good length here.
After you yell, "stop!" all the snowballs are collected on each side and counted. The team with the fewest snowballs gets a point.
Game Details
| Age Range | 4 - 13 years old |
| Group Size | 6 - 100 |
| Location | indoors small space large space |
| Noise Level | raucous |
| Play Time | 5 - 25 minutes |
| Setup Time | 5 minutes |
| Required Props | tape paper |