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Observations were made on the behavior of female polar bears (Ursus maritimus) with cubs of the year in the first post-denning period in a densely populated denning area at Kongsoya, Svalbard. This period has formerly not been studied. During 2 field seasons 3,148 hours of observations on females, and 6,185 hours on cubs, were obtained from 25 family groups. Mean litter size was 1.96, mean breakout date 17-18 March. The bears usually emerged on sunny days. Mean period spent in the area was 14 days. Family groups tolerated each other within certain limits, but no evidence for a social hierarchy was found. Cub motor ability and play intensity increased throughout the period, as did mutual distance within the groups. Females ate vegetation and bear droppings, but the groups were mainly dependent on the females' fat reserves. Females were inactive 93.5% of their total time, cubs 91.6%. The post-denning period is probably of major importance for training and developing the cubs for hard travels on the ice.