As a school nurse…I love snow days! As a mom…snow days can sometimes become stressful. These snow day activities will help you make the most of your special white day!
A snow day at our house usually starts out with the kids sleeping in (once they've gone back to sleep after receiving the wonderful news of “no school”). Once they get up and get around…it's outside they go! The problem is that with a snow day usually comes extremely cold temperatures. The kids don't last too long outside.
The stress can start once they have come back inside. I am always busy doing lots of extra, wet laundry from all the fun in the snow. It doesn't take long for boredom to set in….BUT not if you have a plan for cold, snowy days! These snow day activities are easy to do and will keep the kids entertained!
Outdoor Snow Day Activities
1. Build a Snowman:
I know this is an obvious snow day activity…..but there are some ways to make this even more fun! The kids could work to build a giant snowman…they could have a snowman building contest…they could build an army of tiny snowmen all over the yard, they could build an upside down snowman. The ideas are endless…it is fun to see the creative ways kids build snowmen or snow creatures! If you want to plan ahead you can even buy a Snowman Kit! You will be ready when the snow flies.
2. Have a Snowball Fight:
Do your kids want to throw things at each other, but you usually stop them? This is their chance to throw something at their sibling with parental permission! My son got a snowball maker one year and if the snow packs….he can make tons of perfectly round snowballs with it!
3. Go Sledding:
We live in Kansas….in the flat part of Kansas. What we do here is not “real” sledding! My kids are lucky that we live on the only street in our town that has a hill…so they sled down the hill by our house or down our neighbors driveway because it is steep. I know in other parts of the country “real” sledding can happen! We have tried lots of different sleds over the years…my favorite is still the good ‘ole saucer sled!
4. Build an Igloo or Snow fort:
I have driven by some really amazing snow forts the past few years. It is impressive how much time these kids put into making these forts! I think the key to building a good snow fort or igloo is having a snow block maker! These are pretty affordable and if each child has one you can build a pretty good size fort in no time!
5. Make Snow Angels:
I love to watch my kids make snow angels! I remember the simple pleasure of seeing my own snow angel when I was young. Creating scrapbook pages of my kids and their snow angels is one of my favorites.
Indoor Snow Day Activities
1. Bring the Snow Inside:
This works really well if it is too cold outside or if you have toddlers who can't be out in the cold for very long. Just bring put snow into a plastic tub and bring it in. You can use water bottles that have water colored with food coloring to spray the snow and “paint” it. You can also use beach/sand toys to mold the snow into shapes and to shovel the snow in the tub.
2. Snow Hide & Seek:
Hide some small objects in the tub of snow and have a race to see who finds the objects first. You could hide small plastic toys, rocks, bouncy balls…anything that won't be damaged by water. This can be done over and over again…until the snow melts or the kids get bored.
3. Paper Snowflakes:
I think it is always fun to make paper snowflakes…you can decorate them with some glue and glitter….make them with colored paper or even patterned paper. You can decorate the inside of your house with your children's unique creations. If you need some help with a good pattern for making paper snowflakes…head over to Education.com. They have good instructions and a template to get you started!
4. Make Snow Ice Cream:
We make snow ice cream every year. It is easy and if you find a good recipe…it can be very tasty!
5. Drink Hot Chocolate:
After playing out in the cold, nothing tastes better than a mug of hot cocoa! Add your favorite toppings and you are set. We have a favorite homemade hot cocoa mix recipe that is divine. This is probably a good time to pull out your favorite snow day movie and cuddle up on the couch for some down time!
6. Do “Snow” Related Activities:
We like to make Banana Snowmen on a Stick for snacks. There are fun snowman songs to sing. We even have fun making snowflake crafts! There are tons of “snow” related activities you can do to keep the snow theme going. My toddler loves to build her own snowman with this free snowman printable.
What are Your Favorite Snow Day Activities?
I would love to hear how you keep your kids happy on snow days!!! What are your favorite activities??
- Ultimate Summer Camp Packing List for Kids (Free) - June 5, 2023
- Free Printable Worm Coloring Page - May 31, 2023
- Cricut Fathers Day Ideas Dad Will Love - May 29, 2023
Now that I live in the Caribbean, I can’t say I REALLY MISS the cold weather, but I do miss SOME days of snow fun! Hopefully one day we can put these good ideas to use… but only for a couple of days a year, hahaha!
It would be nice to change places for a few days…I could use a few days in the Caribbean and you could enjoy a few days of snow!
Great Ideas Here! Thanks for sharing. We are getting our first snow of the year and the kids are itching to get outside. Visiting from the Simplified Life.net
these look like some great ideas to keep the kids busy for their February break as well, thanks for sharing
I don’t have kids, but a lot of these sound really fun! 😀 If the giant hill I lived on didn’t spit out onto the highway, I’d totally go sledding right now. 😛 I will probably have to just make do with hot chocolate (I’m too much of a wimp to go outside ._.).
Hills that end in highways can be very bad! 🙂 Sounds like you should just stick with the warm drinks!
I’m so jealous we don’t have anything like snow days! These all sound like so much fun. 🙂
I live in the desert so we never have snow days 🙁 but some of these activities would still be fun for my son to do.
I would really hate to never have snow…I LOVE snow! I guess you could take “winter” vacations to snowy destinations! 🙂
I am loving the indoor activities. I’ll let my husband do the outdoor ones (I don’t like the cold haha!) 🙂
If only we had snow! I don’t ever get the white stuff! Thanks for stopping by and linking up at the Home Matters LInky Party
Thanks for the fun link up!
I will definitely be trying to bring snow inside now that we actually have snow! My little guy will love it!
I love all these wonderful ideas that could make kids happy both indoor & outdoor. My kids enjoy Snowball fighting & I join them along with my husband to make it all so much of fun. The indoor activities suggested by you are so great too. Thanks for sharing.
Lisa, it is so fun when the whole family gets involved!
My son is still a little too young to enjoy most of these, but I will definitely be using these ideas next year!
These are some awesome ideas to keep children entertained (which can be so hard!)
I am visiting from Blog it Forward. Nice work here. Stay warm and safe!!!
I live in North Carolina, today is an “ice day.” When we get snow even an inch or so, major city shut down. I’m originally from New York, so you can imagine how funny this is to me. Anyways, your ideas take me back to snowy days with my children in NY. Fun times and yes, it can become very long! Enjoy while you can, the heat will be here soon enough.
So true Michelle!
These are such fun ideas. There have been WAY too many cold/snow days this year in Chicago….
Amanda
http://www.queenofthelandoftwigsnberries.com
Yes, you guys have been hit hard the past couple of years!
This is a great list and sounds like so much fun! The kids should never be bored again…at least we would hope 🙂
Great ideas! Here in Florida, we have rain days, but some of your ideas will work for those, too! Thanks so much for joining us over at the #HomeMattersParty – be sure to send your blogging friends our way! And we hope to see YOU again next week!
Thanks so much Kristen!