Skip to main content

10 Fun Things to do with Kids in Winter

Winter can be hard on parents (I suppose). In summer kids keep themselves occupied outside, riding bikes and building tree forts. In winter, however, options can be a bit limited. Especially since in most parts of Switzerland snow is a passing occurrence and winter days are usually just gray, wet and cold.

Activities for Kids in Swiss Winter

I tried to remember what kind of activities my mom came up with while growing up and realized most things can still be done today. Have a look:
  1. Zoo: visit the zoo in Basel or Zurich. Some animals are even more active in winter such as penguins. Visiting Indoor housing is great for warming up!
  2. Alpamare: visit Switzerland's most popular water park. Slides, hot pools and more will keep you busy for a whole day!
  3. Sledding: Switzerland has great sledding slopes where you can take a train or gondola up the mountain and sled down at your own pace. Rigi and Bergün are my favourites!
  4. Public pool: almost every town in Switzerland has a public pool. The water is usually not hot but at a pleasant temperature for swimming and goofing around!
  5. Ice skating: many Swiss towns also have an ice skating rink. Weekends are usually quit busy so if you have a free afternoon midweek make use of it!
  6. Movies: yepp, the movies! Treat your kids to a funny film and a bag of popcorn - always a winner!
  7. Indoor rock climbing: there's a huge rock climbing gym in Schlieren but also many more all over the country. Most offer activities or courses for (older) children.
  8. Technorama: I'll never forget touching that static thing that made hair look really crazy! :) Great fun for kids and adults!
  9. Papillorama: personally, I'm not too fussed about butterflies. On a cold day it might still be nice to observe these colorful fliers in a nice warm environment!
  10. Kambly Factory: one of Switzerlands more famous cooky factories offers tours and activities for kids. I've never been - let me know about it if you go!
winter fun - berggeist007  / pixelio.de

For more ideas on what to do on those short winter days check the following articles:
10 Fun Things to Do Inside in Winter or 10 Fun Things to Do Outside on a Snowy Winter Day



© 2014 IRENE WYRSCH "A HUMOROUS GUIDE TO SWITZERLAND" ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Schätzli, Schnüggel and Müüsli - Terms of Endearment in Swiss German

Kiss -  Oliver Haja  / pixelio.de If you've ever been invited to the home of a Swiss couple, you are probably familiar with the most popular Swiss German term of endearment "Schätzli" ('little treasure') or one of it's many varieties like e.g. "Schatz" or "Schätzeli" . Obviously, this is not the only pet name used by Swiss couples (or parents for that matter). Like many other languages, Swiss German offers a wide variety of words and phrases that you can use to address your loved one. Swiss German Terms of Endearment What most of these pet names have in common is the ending "-li" which basically turns the thing or person a word refers to into something small or cute. For example "Haus" means house and "Hüüs li " means small house. Plus, this ending "-li" can also be added to first names as a means of endearment, e.g. Benjamin li , Esther li or Fabienne li . I tried to come up with a colle...

How to Say 'I Love You' in Swiss German

To be completely honest, I'm not very fond of hallmark holidays and Valentine's Day is probably the mothership of them all. In my home there will be no cheesy cards or flowers on that day and, personally, I'm happy about it. However, I know that there are many people who like to celebrate Valentine's Day and take it as an opportunity to show their love and appreciation to their loves. Even in Switzerland, there are plenty of people celebrating it nowadays. If you're short on ideas for this years Valentine's Day in Switzerland you might find some inspiration here: Valentine's Day in Switzerland . If you're already set and have the perfect date ready, how about surprising your loved one with a few romantic Swiss German phrases? You should know that the expression "I love you" has only recently made its way into Swiss German from the High German "Ich liebe dich". Swiss people used to simply say "I like you" or "I like ...

How to Spot a Swiss Person

"You're not from here, right?!" These were the words the saleslady of a small clothes store on a busy Tel Aviv street directed at me a few years ago. I was surprised she had spotted my foreignness so easily. After having lived in Israel for a few years and mastered the local Hebrew, I thought I was able to blend in quite well by then. So, I asked her how she knew. She replied with a smile and said: "You nicely folded the clothes you tried on before bringing them back out!" Oh that! Something I assumed was 'normal' but, apparently, the locals didn't do that. My Swiss background gave me away.  A Stereotypical (Swiss) Person As an expat I can usually spot fellow expats right away even if at first they seem to fit right in. Be they Swiss people I encounter abroad or foreigners living in Switzerland. Mostly, I catch a word or a phrase in a foreign language or see clothes or other items that are clearly not local. Here in South America it's very easy t...