I'm a mom of 2 on an island in Alaska. Here's how I keep my kids entertained during the dark days of winter.

• My family moved from Los Angeles to a remote island in Alaska. The change has been positive for us.
• During the winter, the sun sets at 2 p.m. That doesn't keep us from having fun.

There were other people standing on the frozen lake, and a few were even skating. But when my 8-year-old asked if she could step onto the snow-topped ice herself, I balked. "Please," she pleaded. "I'll be careful." I nodded, and we walked out onto the solid ice together, in the same spot where, this past summer, she'd paddled a raft around with a group of giggling friends.

We made our way back to shore after a few minutes, my daughter grinning and exhilarated. The sun was getting ready to fall behind the mountains. It was 2 p.m.

For those of us who live in places with far more night than day, winter can feel long and dark. Those beachy summer days are like a distant memory. So what do we do all winter? That answer is contingent on the weather, but having fun is guaranteed year-round. My family and I moved from Los Angeles to a remote island in Alaska. We craved a closer connection to nature and less of the chaos that big cities offer.

The key is to stay busy, regardless of the weather

When there's snow on the ground, we sled down the unplowed streets in our neighborhood. We build epic snow forts — which are roofless for easy access and an added measure of safety against collapse. We pull every riding toy we can find out into the snow and see which of them moves best through the powder.

We go to the beach. There we can explore frozen eddies, build a fire, and eat crackers and cheese. The key to these activities is the right cold-weather gear, a cache of favorite snacks, and a reliable boot dryer at home.

On nasty days — when rain falls on top of snow and the streets are sheets of ice — I reserve the right to stay inside.

We bake, cycle through our collection of board games, and let the kids ride balance bikes and scooters around the living room. We chop vegetables and make a big pot of soup. They play vet clinic, bandaging stuffed animals and writing prescriptions.

We pull out a huge stack of library books and read to a theme: picture-book biographies, animal babies, holidays around the world. We listen to an audiobook while the kids focus on an activity, such as drawing or playing with Matchbox cars. When they need to get loud and busy again, it's back to the bikes and scooters.

I can't be precious about small people knocking into walls or ramming each other with their vehicles. The long winter means there will be some days when their only exercise happens between four walls.

Open-ended toys are key for imaginative play

Both my kids have winter birthdays, and I've noticed that new toys, especially those that are open-ended and spark imagination, keep them busy for long stretches.

We can't get new toys every day, but rotating them in and out means they have time to forget about something and get excited when they see it again. So I have a bin of toys ready to be employed when the kids are at their wits' end.

Sometimes I have to be more of a tour guide in the winter: "And if you look to your left, you'll see a toy kitchen. Perhaps someone would like to make me a plastic pancake?" But other times they determine new interests they'd like to pursue, all on their own.

That can mean that, by springtime, we have a lot to show for ourselves. Learning some chords on the guitar, for example, or making a collection of small bowls out of air-dry clay.

We need only agree not to let winter defeat us. We need only allow ourselves to step out onto frozen lakes. When he left a doctor's appointment not long ago, my son said, "I'm so proud of me."

By the time I pack away the winter jackets and turn off the radiator, I feel the same way.