Our Calgary Family Winter Activity Bucket List

The New Year is upon us and with it, more opportunities to spend quality time together as a family. Before you get too caught up in old routines, be sure to check out one of these family-friendly events.

Lace up your skates and hit the outdoor rinks with the kids. Nothing says winter fun like a day out in nature enjoying the ice together. Bowness Park, Carburn Park and Prince's Island Park all offer expansive and beautiful rinks (read: no competition with hockey players) and the best part: they are all free to enjoy. Put together a thermos of hot chocolate to keep little hands warm and get some exercise as a family. Christmas may be over, but that's no reason to go out walking in a winter wonderland.

It's the last chance to get some sparkle in! The Lions' Festival of Lights ends tomorrow, and it's a lovely way to bring a close to the holiday season. With over 300,000 lights, the striking volunteer-driven display is a great reason for a road trip to the Northwest. Pack some snacks and take a leisurely ride through the display. It's a great way to end a day of skating with the family!

If curiosity is a common occurrence in your home, consider heading to the Glenbow Museum to catch the Cabinets of Curiosity installation before it is gone on January 17. These ‘wonder rooms', inspired by a 17th century tradition, are collections filled with crazy and exotic ‘curiosities' from rubber spiders to ant nests and more.

The High Performance Rodeo is an international festival of the arts in Calgary which incorporates theatre, music, dance, comedy and art. For four weeks in January, local, national and international performers converge on Calgary to put on award-winning performances. Many are more suitable for older kids, but one family-friendly one we're looking forward to catching is Haircuts by Children where children aged 8 to 12 years of age from the Abbeydale School in Calgary have been trained to cut hair, and the audience is challenged to let the kids show their stuff—on them.

Get the year off to a roaring start by joining in the tiger training at the Calgary Zoo in the renovated habitat starting on January 4. The training sessions occur at 11:30 am daily and include some fun cat tricks.

Take a break on a Tuesday morning to enjoy a classic story with the kids at Heritage Park. It's a sweet way to bond with the little ones while fostering a love of literature.

In partnership with Autism Speaks Canada, Cineplex offers sensory friendly screenings of popular films so that kids who need a quieter, brighter environment can enjoy seeing a movie, too. The latest hit, Star Wars: The Force Awakens, will be showing on January 9 at 10:30 am.

In celebration of their 90th Anniversary, on January 13, the family can take in a day of skiing with lift tickets costing only $0.90. It's a great opportunity to introduce skiing to the little ones at a low cost.

Little racers and engineers will love the Cardboard Sled Derby on January 22. Using basic items including garbage bags, glue, cardboard and string, the homemade sleds are then raced down the mountain to try and win prizes!