The recent heatwaves have left some wishing the unbearable heat away and dreaming of getaways in subzero temperatures surrounded by mounds of snow.

Thoughts of après fondues and cosy chalets come to mind, as well as time spent out on the slopes with your family before all huddling around the fire with hot chocolates in the evening. If these images are making you long for the ski season to arrive, it might be time to plan a family ski holiday to a child-friendly resort in Andorra, Finland and Slovakia in the next winter break.

There are plenty of ways the whole family can enjoy a ski holiday if they head to resorts with gentle terrain, wide nursery runs and patient ski schools that help little legs to get the hang of the slopes their first few times around. Plenty of resorts also have more challenging pistes for the experienced skiers in the group.

Skiing can be a pricey pursuit, so it often helps to book in advance and take advantage of early-bird discounts. Here are the family-friendly winter destinations that toddlers, teens and in-betweens will love, to inspire your next ski holiday with the whole clan.

1. Les Contamines, France

Best for: Budget breaks

At the foot of Mont Blanc, Les Contamines is a quiet and traditional resort with 120km of varied slopes above 1,200m altitude, suitable for all abilities of skiers. Families will particularly enjoy the dedicated beginners areas at the Loyers and Nivorin slopes, Ludopark fun runs and evening snowshoe outings. For the smallest members of the family, there is a nursery for infants aged two to four, with activities including throwing snowballs, while there are six ski schools in the resort for those who are just starting out. Families can choose from hotels, short-term lets, gites, mountain refuges and campsites to stay in.

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2. St Johann, Austria

Best for: Family-friendly chalets

There are 210km of groomed pistes and toboggan rides awaiting broods visiting the alluring St Johann resort, 60km from Salzburg. Think famed schnitzel at cosy huts, slopes for both seasoned and shaky skiers and the tranquil family area of Hahnbaum in this enchanting Austrian Tirol ski destination. Off-piste, Murmi’s Kinderland indoor playground, indoor climbing walls at Koasa Boulder and water slides at Panorama Badewelt promise to entertain little ones.

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Andermatt, Switzerland

Best for: Off-piste fun

Andermatt’s fun slopes, toboggan runs and slope-side family car parks make the rising Swiss ski resort a wonderland for groups with children. The Andermatt+Sedrun+Disentis area offers a welcome range of blue slopes for beginners with plenty of gentle terrain. Traditional wooden chalets meet luxury hotels in the town’s centre and – midway up the Gütsch-Express cable car – the Matti Family Paradise outdoor playground offers endless hours of fun on swings, peak-inspired climbing walls and slides.

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3. Soldeu, Andorra

Best for: Ski schools

A family trip to Soldeu, Andorra’s largest ski area, features 210km of slopes easily accessible for all ages, including a dedicated “Snow Garden”, an enclosed area for children between three and five years old to play in the snow. The main schools in Soldeu are run by snow sports organisation Grandvalira, which offers English-speaking instructors for group and private lessons, as well as a nursery drop-off service at the top of the gondolas for Snow Garden visits, storytelling and games. The tree-lined valley’s relaxed atmosphere and quaint accommodation will suit holidaymakers with little ones, and kids under six fine-tuning their ski skills are entitled to free lift passes across the ski area.

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4. Ruka, Finland

Best for: Winter activities

A winter wonderland for the whole family, Ruka in northern Finland sees 200 days of snow blanketed across 24km of slopes and 100km of cross-country skiing trails. The Rosa & Rudolf Family Park features wide slopes, six magic carpet beginner ski lifts and a tubing hill, complete with charming elf houses and an outdoor fireplace for grilling sausages. Skiing aside, a Ruka itinerary includes snowmobiling, husky sledging, Northern Light hunting and reindeer sleigh rides for guaranteed festive fun at Christmas.

Read more: The best snowy getaways for every kind of skier

5. Jasna, Slovakia

Best for: Great-value skiing

Jasna, Slovakia’s largest ski resort, and in the Tatra Mountains, has 50km of steady slopes running down two sides of Mount Chopok for a great-value classic ski getaway. Easy pistes, peaks above 2,500m and affordable bowls of spicy goulash at slope-side restaurants make the Slovakian ski resort an inviting destination for families. A fenced area, Maxiland, also offers safe skiing for children and beginners away from more experienced skiers.

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6. Beaver Creek, Colorado, USA

Best for: An American adventure

Beaver Creek in Colorado’s Rocky Mountains has a relaxed rhythm of gentle glade runs, rolling forest pistes and sun-soaked on-slope restaurants. Picture cruising down blues that all abilities will enjoy, wood-fringed nursery slopes and an efficient lift network connecting the total 150km of slopes, all complemented by luxury lodgings. Better still, come Christmas, torchlight parades, sleigh rides and twinkling ice rinks greet visitors to Beaver Creek – you can even expect a visit from Santa.

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Abruzzo, Italy

Best for: La dolce vita

The Abruzzo region, to the east of Rome, boasts not only the almost-3,000m peaks of the Apennine Mountains and a pretty solid snow record, but a ski season from December to April that welcomes families for half the price of some of the big-name resorts in the Italian Alps and Dolomites. Beginner slopes in Aremogna offer wide blue runs while the beginner’s ski school area at the base of Roccaraso-Pizzalto teaches youngsters technique, safety and how to master the dreaded button lift.

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