How to Have a Safe Snowball Fight

A brisk, rousing snowball fight is one of the few societally sanctioned ways in which kids can work out their aggression—but that doesn’t mean it’s okay to exile your children to the front yard after a blizzard, leave them unattended for the entire afternoon and then pop out before dinner to round up the casualties. Here’s how to start a snowball fight that won’t end in tears.

Instructions

Difficulty: Easy

1. Establish a minimum throwing distance. There’s nothing a mischievous kindergartner likes more than to creep up behind his playmate, tap her on the shoulder and mash a giant snowball in her face. Make sure your kids are separated by a safe distance but aren’t so far apart that they can’t reach each other with a good throw—say, 10 or 15 feet for little kids, or 20 or 30 feet for bigger ones.
2. Don’t allow head shots. Usually, kids can be trusted to agree to the “no heads” rule among themselves (it has something to do with the evolutionary instinct for self-preservation). If one kid in the bunch has played “Doom” a few too many times, instruct the others to tell you if he’s aiming for their faces. Remove him from the fight pronto if he won’t cease and desist.
3. Clear the field of obstacles. Ideally, a snowball fight should be staged on a clear, open field, so kids can build snow forts to hide behind. One or two trees are also fine—any more and kids are at risk of running straight into one as they elude a carefully aimed throw. Be sure to clear the arena of any snow-covered lawn furniture, unless you want your snowball fight to produce as many broken legs as the Scott Expedition.
4. Ban secret weapons. There’s always one would-be assassin in an otherwise sweet collection of kids who likes to wrap his snowballs around rocks or icicles. Not only is this unfair, but it’s also extremely dangerous, and can result in serious injury. If you suspect one of your kids (or one of their friends) has been tampering with snowballs, remove him or her from the fight immediately.
5. Set a time limit. Kids usually know when they’ve had enough outdoor fun and it’s time to head indoors for hot chocolate. Kindergartners, though, may be too shy to opt out of a snowball fight, and will endure soaked feet and frost-nipped noses with the stoicism of front-line soldiers. If you’re not sure, at least stick your head out periodically and ask the kids if they’d like to come inside.