Planning a Big Sky trip with the kids? Good call. Big Sky, Montana is genuinely one of the most family-friendly mountain destinations in the country: nearly 3,000 acres of beginner and intermediate terrain, on-mountain childcare that actually exists, and a town small enough that nothing is more than fifteen minutes away.
The 2026/2027 season runs November 25, 2026 through April 11, 2027. This guide covers every childcare and babysitting option in Big Sky, the resort's kids ski programs, baby gear rentals, and what to do with the kids once they are here.
One rule above all others: book childcare and ski school the same day you book lodging. Big Sky has limited capacity in both, and holiday weeks fill first!
On-Mountain Childcare
Lone Peak Playhouse
Ages: 6 months to 8 years
Hours: Daily, 8:30 AM to 4:30 PM
Mountain Village: Snowcrest Building, (406) 993-2220
Madison Base: (406) 993-6060
Email: [email protected]
Website: Big Sky Resort winter childcare
Big Sky Resort's full-service daycare, and the reason a lot of families with toddlers choose Big Sky over other destinations. Two locations sit right at the base areas in Mountain Village and at Madison Base, offering morning, afternoon or full-day care. Inside you will find themed indoor play areas, art projects, organized games, storytime, outdoor play when weather allows, a kitchen and eating area, and separate nap rooms for infants and toddlers. Teacher-to-child ratios run better than state requirements.
The best part: the Playhouse coordinates directly with the Mountain Sports School, so children 2 and up can add a ski or snowboard lesson to their day and an instructor will collect them and bring them back. Parents get a full day on the mountain without a single handoff to manage.
Read this before you call: reservations are required prior to arrival and payment is due in full at the time of booking. Day-of reservations may carry an additional fee. Holiday weeks book out first.
What to pack: a labeled change of clothes, warm jacket, snow pants, boots, hat and waterproof gloves. Diapered children need at least four diapers per full day plus any creams; wipes are provided. Infants and toddlers 6 to 23 months bring their own labeled bottles, pre-measured formula and meals with feeding instructions. Children 2 and up get two snacks and a lunch provided. No peanuts, tree nuts, almond milk or coconut products. Label absolutely everything, boots included.
In-Home Babysitting and Nanny Services
For date nights, adult dinners, or care in the comfort of your own Big Sky vacation rental, two local agencies serve the valley.
Big Sky Sitters
Phone: (406) 282-3092
Website: bigskysitters.com
A local Big Sky referral service with personally interviewed, screened, reference-checked and CPR-certified sitters. Their roster includes nannies, childcare workers, certified teachers, Montessori-certified teachers and education majors, and the emphasis is on imagination and outdoor play rather than screens. They cover on-call daytime and evening sitting in your rental, overnight care, and on-site babysitting for weddings and family reunion events. Rates are based on the number of children with a four-hour minimum. They also handle house and pet sitting, which is useful if you brought the dog.
Four O Six Nannies (406 Nannies)
Phone: (406) 813-1896
Website: 406nannies.com
Service area: Big Sky and Ennis, plus Bozeman, Belgrade, Livingston and Paradise Valley
A full nanny agency covering everything from a one-time sitter for a night out to a part-time or full-time in-home nanny for your whole stay, plus special event and wedding care and pet sitting. Every provider goes through interviews, certifications, background checks and experience verification. They keep infant specialists on staff for the very young, and their sitters arrive with crafts, games and outdoor activities planned rather than a tablet. Local families can use subscription options to save on booking fees.
Local's tip: book childcare when you book your reservation. Sitter availability in Big Sky is genuinely limited, and holiday weeks and Presidents Day go first.
Licensed Childcare for Locals and Long Stays
Staying a season, relocating, or here long enough that a preschool makes more sense than a sitter?
Morningstar Learning Center
Address: 659 Spruce Cone Dr, Big Sky, MT 59716
Phone: (406) 995-2565
Hours: Monday to Thursday 8:30 AM to 5:30 PM, Friday 8:30 AM to 3:45 PM; closed weekends
Big Sky's licensed preschool and childcare center, serving local and seasonal families. Licensed capacity in the valley is limited, so get on the waitlist early if you are relocating or spending a full winter here.
Kids Ski and Snowboard Programs at Big Sky Resort
The Mountain Sports School has been running kids programs for more than 40 years, with child education-certified instructors across every age and level.
Skiwees (Ages 3 to 4)
Format: Morning half-day lessons, 9:45 AM to 12:00 PM
Locations: Mountain Village and Madison Base
Website: Skiwees program details
Built specifically for 3 and 4-year-olds at every level, from complete first-timers to little rippers who already have a season under them. Two and a quarter hours is the sweet spot for introducing this age group without overwhelming them. Big Sky has already published 2026/2027 session dates:
- December weekends: December 5 to 6 and 12 to 13, 2026
- Session 1: January 1 through February 7, 2027, on Thursdays, Fridays, Saturdays or Sundays
- Session 2: February 18 through March 27, 2027, on Thursdays, Fridays, Saturdays or Sundays
Lift access is not included with Skiwees. The Lone Peak Playhouse also coordinates childcare before and after lessons, so you can build a full day.
Kids Seasonal Programs
Seasonal programs run week after week for skiers and riders of all ages, focused on real progression rather than a one-off lesson. Programs build technique at the younger levels and safety, camaraderie and mountain judgment as kids get older.
Important pass note for seasonal program families: the resort recommends a Gold or Black pass for kids enrolled in seasonal lessons. Blue and Freestyle passes carry blackout dates that can conflict with lesson days, though you can buy a discounted add-on ski school lift ticket for those days through the Mountain Sports office. The Twin Tips pass is not recommended, since it has no overlap with seasonal lesson dates. Participants in the Rippers program are required to have Lone Peak Tram access.
Group, Private and Teen Lessons
- Private lessons for the fastest progression, and worth the money on day one
- Group lessons for all ages and abilities, with four-pack season options that save money
- Teen programs for ages 13 to 17, a blend of group lesson and guided exploration where they ski with peers instead of with you. Full day, Mountain Village only.
- Guided experiences, including headlamp night skiing on Andesite for older kids and teens
The thing everyone forgets: lift tickets are not included with private or group lessons. Book both.
Adaptive Lessons
Eagle Mount Bozeman
Website: eaglemount.org
Eagle Mount partners with Big Sky Resort to provide individualized adaptive ski and snowboard lessons for people with disabilities and for youth with cancer, operating out of Mountain Village, Madison Base and Spanish Peaks. They offer adaptive lessons, guide options and multi-week programs. Whatever your child's abilities, they will get them on snow.
Kids Lift Tickets: $1 a Day
One of the best deals in North American skiing. Lift tickets for ages 6 and under are $1 per day. One catch worth knowing at the gate: every child, including the $1 crowd, needs a valid ticket and a Sky Card, a one-time $5 reusable card. Parents holding a Big Sky season pass can also get a season pass for a child 6 and under at the ticket window, so ask.
New this season: the Lone Peak Tram and Kircliff are included with every lift ticket, and children 6 and under ride the Kircliff scenic ticket for $1 too.
Kid-Friendly Things to Do in Big Sky
On the Mountain
- Kircliff, the glass observatory at the summit of Lone Peak at 11,166 feet. Reachable by gondola and tram with no skis and no hiking, which makes it the single best outing for a family where not everyone skis. There is a glass floor.
- The Enchanted Forest on Andesite Mountain, reached by the Ramcharger 8. A forest strung with lights, open from mid-December through late March. A guaranteed hit with under-tens.
- Avalanche dog demos at the Explorer Gondola mid-station. Meet the patrol dogs and learn how they are trained. Free and short.
- Sno-Go bike rentals and lessons, ziplines and other resort winter activities
- Letters to Santa at Kircliff and photos with Santa around Christmas. See our holiday events calendar.
In Town
- Marty Pavelich Ice Rink in Big Sky Town Center. Open skating is free, with skate rentals steps away at East Slope Outdoors, 44 Town Center Ave, (406) 995-4369. Schedule posted by the Big Sky Community Organization.
- The Waypoint, 50 Ousel Falls Rd, (406) 995-7827. A bistro with an actual movie theater inside, plus a weekly family night. The best storm-day plan in town.
- Big Sky Scoops, 145 Town Center Ave, (406) 995-2294. Family-owned ice cream, open daily 3 to 9 PM. Get the huckleberry.
- Yeti Dogs at Town Center, 211 Town Center Ave, (406) 995-7335. Loaded gourmet hot dogs and a fast, low-drama lunch.
- Best in the West Showdown skijoring returns in February 2027 at a new Town Center course on Aspen Leaf Drive, with kids obstacle courses, sledding and ice carving alongside the racing.
Off-Slope Adventures
- Dogsledding. Kids can ride under a blanket or help drive the team. Spirit of the North Sled Dog Adventures, (406) 682-7994, or Yellowstone Dog Sled Adventures, (406) 580-0053.
- Sleigh ride dinner at Lone Mountain Ranch, (406) 995-4644. Cowboy singers, a feast over a railroad stove, and a horse-drawn ride out and back.
- The Montana Dinner Yurt, (406) 995-3880. Snowcat ride up the mountain, dinner in a candlelit yurt, and torchlit sledding for the kids between courses.
- Snowshoeing. The Ousel Falls Trail is easy, short and ends at a frozen waterfall, which is about as good a payoff-to-effort ratio as kids will find. See our Nordic and snowshoe guide.
- Yellowstone winter tours by heated snowcoach. Geysers steaming against snow and bison at close range, without anyone getting cold.
More ideas on our Big Sky Kids guide and our top winter activities roundup.
Baby Gear and Equipment Rentals
Packing for a family trip is hard enough without a pack-n-play through airport security. Rent it instead.
Big Sky Baby Gear
Phone: (406) 995-2994
Website: bigskybabygear.com
Locally owned and operated by Kami Hussey, a Big Sky mom who built the business after realizing how much gear a small human requires. Order online and, for a modest delivery fee, sanitized gear arrives at your Big Sky vacation home before you do. The inventory covers baby bathtubs, booster seats, high chairs, potty seats, infant swings, pack n' plays, full-size cribs, toy bins by age, sound machines and video monitors. For getting outside, they rent single and double strollers plus child carriers built for actual mountain trails rather than sidewalks.
Big Boys Toys Rentals
Address: 25 New Ventures Dr, Bozeman, MT 59718
Phone: (406) 201-7259
Hours: Monday to Saturday 9 AM to 5 PM; closed Sunday
Website: bigboystoysrentals.com
Based in Bozeman with a large inventory of baby and children's rental gear, all safety-checked and sanitized between uses. The lineup covers bouncers, booster seats, infant and toddler car seats, full and compact cribs, pack n' plays, strollers and hiking backpacks. Convenient if you are picking up at the airport end rather than having gear delivered. They also rent the grown-up toys, which is a separate conversation.
Ship Skis
Prefer your own gear? Big Sky Vacation Rentals partners with Ship Skis for door-to-door shipping of extra baggage, ski and snowboard equipment, and baby and toddler gear. Ship Skis includes $500 of insurance on all shipments at no charge, plus a $200 reimbursement for delayed luggage. Reserve your rental first, then set up your shipment through our portal.
Family Trip Planning Checklist
- Book lodging. Everything else depends on it.
- Reserve Lone Peak Playhouse the same day, with payment in full.
- Book ski school, and remember lift tickets are separate.
- Reserve a sitter for any evening you want out.
- Order baby gear delivery or arrange shipping.
- Buy lift tickets and Sky Cards, including the $5 card for the little ones.
- Book one or two off-slope activities, since sleigh rides and the yurt sell out by Thanksgiving.
- Check your pass blackout dates if your kids are in seasonal programs.
Stay with Big Sky Vacation Rentals
Trade the hotel kitchenette and mini fridge for a real home. Our collection of Big Sky condos, cabins, mountain lodges and Platinum Collection properties is built for families, with full kitchens for early breakfasts and late dinners, space for kids to spread out, and hot tubs for after everyone is asleep.
Stay in Mountain Village for the shortest possible walk to ski school drop-off, near Town Center in Meadow Village for the ice rink and restaurants, or in Moonlight Basin for quiet and trails from the door. Traveling with grandparents or another family? See our multi-family homes.
Browse all Big Sky vacation rentals, check current specials, download our Big Sky Vacation Guide app, or call our team at (888) 915-2787.
We live here, we play here, and our kids grow up here. We know Big Sky.
Provider hours, rates and availability change seasonally. Contact details were verified as of publication. Please confirm directly with each provider before booking, and note that all childcare arrangements are between you and the provider.