Family Activity Idea: Snowflake Making Competition
A few years ago, when I was stumped for an idea for our activity advent calendar, I came up with a friendly snowflake-making competition for my family of four to compete in. It had been years since I’d made paper snowflakes, and probably even longer for my husband, and I decided it would do us all some good to sit and craft as a family, something that rarely happens in our house full of active boys.
The rules I gave to everyone were simple: grab some paper from the craft cabinet’any colour or size will do’and make the best snowflake you can in 30 minutes or less. I thought that was a straightforward set of instructions, until the boys started peppering me with questions: could they consult the Internet for how-tos on making snowflakes? Should they be in separate rooms of the house so they couldn’t see what their competitors were making? Who will judge the snowflakes and determine the winner? Clearly, I was missing a few details, which I ironed out on the spot, and now the yearly snowflake-making competition is one of our favourite advent activities.
If you’re interested, here’s how we do it today:
- All family members have five minutes to collect their craft supplies. This can include, but isn’t limited to: paper (any size, colour), scissors, glitter, markers, and stickers.
- Everyone is welcome to consult the Internet or any books in the house for tips on making the best snowflake possible.
- Each competitor has 30 minutes to make a snowflake.
- Competitors must choose a room in the house that no one else is using to make their snowflake. This prevents others from ‘borrowing’ their snowflake-making secrets, and makes it easier to concentrate on the craft.
- To determine the winner, I post the pictures on social media (sometimes Facebook, sometimes Instagram) and ask our friends and family to choose which snowflake they like best. This is done blindly; judges have no idea whose creation they are choosing.
- Usually the winner receives the title of ‘The 2015 Snowflake-Making Champion’ along with another prize such as a small box of chocolates, or the right to choose the next movie for family movie night.
Tell us, do you have any silly games or family competitions you participate in during the holidays?
