Snowman Slam: A Game That Promotes Social Play, Counting, Stacking Skills, and Target Throwing

One of my first wishes when I was young and growing up in a neighborhood full of kids during the winter months is to see the first snowfall of the season. I remember waking up during a bone chilling winter morning anxiously awaiting for the first snowflakes to arrive and praying for a snow day. Well, those days didn’t come quickly enough. But, when it did, my sister, brother and I would jump out of bed and immediately put on our winter gear to go outside knowing that our friends were already frolicking in the elements. Snowball throwing and making snow angels were our immediate go to. Then, after a while, we would all gather items from our homes and meet at one of our yards to make a neighborhood snowman as big as our eyes could see. Most likely, some of the adults were involved with the snowman making.

The Snowman Slam Game is a wonderful activity for kids of all ages and abilities, including adults. Children learn to stack, count, and practice target throwing while engaging in social play. Below I explained how to create and play this simple and family fun winter game.

One of my first wishes, when I was young and growing up in a neighborhood full of kids during the winter months, was to see the first snowfall of the season. I remember waking up during a bone chilling winter morning anxiously awaiting for the first snowflakes to arrive and praying for a snow day. Well, those days didn’t come quickly enough. But when it did, my sister, brother and I would jump out of bed and immediately put on our winter gear to go outside, knowing that our friends were already frolicking in the elements. Snowball throwing and making snow angels were our immediate go-to. Then, after a while, we would all gather items from our homes and meet at one of our yards to make a neighborhood snowman as big as our eyes could see. Most likely, some of the adults were involved in the snowman-making.
The Snowman Slam Game is a wonderful activity for kids of all ages and abilities, including adults. Children learn to stack, count, and practice target throwing while engaging in social play. Below I explained how to create and play this simple and family fun winter game.

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ITEMS NEEDED:

● 6 – 12 white Styrofoam cups (or as many as you would like to make)

● Colored markers to draw faces on each of the styrofoam cups

● Packaging tape (optional)

●Fake snowballs

DESCRIPTION:

1. Create your snowman image on each styrofoam cup using the colored markers.
2. Wrap each cup with packaging tape to keep them from breaking
3. Stack the cups 3 on the bottom, two in the middle, and one on top
4. Make sure the stack of cups is on an even surface.
5. Stand approximately 5-10 feet away from the cups (depending on throwing ability)
6. The goal is to knock the snow cups down with 3 or less throws.

VARIATIONS:

1. Roll the snowball towards the stack of cups
2. Add more cups to the stack
3. Create your own cup-stacking display
4. Stand further away to increase the challenge
5. Kick the snowball towards the stack of cups
6. Jump up in the air and throw the snowballs

ONE ON ONE CHALLENGE:

Create two stacks of snowmen. Designate distance for each player. Give each player enough snowballs to play this game (10 each). On the signal, see who can knock down their stack first.

ADAPTATION: (if you use a mobility device)

1. Place the stack of cups on a table. It may be easier to push the table against the wall and add borders to each side of the table. This method will help keep the cups and snowballs on the table during the game.
2. Tape two snowballs together if you are not succeeding in knocking the snowmen stack down.

 

 

 

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This post originally appeared on our November/December 2023 Magazine