8 Snow Day Activities For You and Your Little Ones

 

You can’t plan a snow day, but you can have a few tricks and ideas up your winter coat sleeve to make the day extra magical.

We know that during a year when we’re already spending so much more time at home, a surprise snow day can really stump you. You’ve long exhausted your usual go-to’s for keeping your kids entertained, and there will be no trips to the park if there’s ice on the road.

But we choose to think of snow days as a lovely chance to return to traditions that you yourself enjoyed as a kid. We’ve been throwing snowballs at our siblings since before screen time even existed, and the falling snow is a great push to prioritize bonding time as a family.

America’s families treasure the ritual of braving the cold and returning home to cozy up so much that they checked out Ezra Jack Keats’s The Snowy Day from the New York Public Library system more times than any other book since the NYPL opened in 1895. The 1962 picture book had been checked out a whopping 485,583 times as of last January. How’s that for a snowstorm?

So, of course, if you’re looking for things to do on a snowy day, you can turn to Keats and Peter in his red snow suit. Or, you can browse the eight snow day activities we’ve put together below.

Don’t forget to grab the hats and gloves, and have a happy snow day! 

Build a Snowman

It’s the oldest snow day activity in the book, but you can’t beat a classic. You can get creative about what to use for features and attire, or you can just go with whatever is in the yard. You can work as a team on one person-sized Mr. Frosty, or you can have your kids each build tiny snow people to let them customize their new friends.

Snow Paint

If you all love to look at snow but want to keep your hands as warm as possible, we understand and we offer a solution: snow paint. Grab a few spray bottles (old, washed-out cleaning spray bottles will do) and mix water and a few drops of food coloring in them. Go outside and paint your part of town red or green or blue...or you get the idea.

Perler Beads

Okay, let’s be honest—a lot of us are puzzled out at this point. Every set has sacrificed pieces to the great puzzle eater in the sky, and we cannot watch another fight break out over 1,000 bits of jigsaw clouds. If you’re looking for an activity to occupy your kids at the table (with minimal supervision from their guardians), have them make perler beads. You might’ve played with them back when you were a kid on snow days, but if you aren’t familiar, perler beads are plastic beads with a hollow center that you place on a mat, then apply heat to fuse together (they’ll need your help for that part, of course). Here’s a simple step-by-step to get your family started, and your kids can spend hours making their own designs or following one of these fun patterns.

They’ll end the day with a new creation they can proudly display in their rooms.

Frozen Bubbles

Convince your kids into thinking you know Elsa personally by breaking out the bubbles. Bubbles will quickly freeze below 9 to 12 degrees, but you can blow them onto a flat surface and give them more time if the weather is around 20 degrees.

Bake Cookies

We hope you are safe and snug at home with everything you need, but if you don’t have a ton of baking ingredients on hand, you can browse these lists of recipes that call for just three ingredients. We also love the idea of bringing the campfire in for the winter with these Sugar Cookie S’mores that would warm the coldest of days.

Make Maple Candy

If the only sweet thing you have at home is a bottle of maple syrup, you’re still in business. Head outside and start a new tradition of making maple syrup snow candy. Heat up the syrup, roll it in some fresh clean snow, and you’re ready to enjoy your wintry maple “taffy.”

Have a snow-themed movie marathon

When it’s a multiple-day snow extravaganza or you have zero time or desire to step outside (no judgement, been there), turn on the TV and make it a movie marathon. You can have special cold weather snacks, like hot cocoa and fresh (or warmed up in the microwave!) cookies, and make it festive by bringing all of the blankets to the couch. “Snow Dogs,” “Frozen,” “Ice Age,” “March of The Penguins,” “Happy Feet,” “The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe,” and “Cool Runnings” are all kid-friendly choices that are fit for any month of winter.

Build A Fort

You’re all stuck at home, so why not transform your space and build your own little oasis for the day. Stay warm and get cozy and pretend you’re on a camping trick with snacks and stories. You can also listen to audiobooks together or just take a group nap. If you’re not an architect by trade, you can read an interior designer’s tips for making the best blanket fort ever here.