Growing up in Michigan, I could usually count on a few snow days each winter. I remember how excited my brother and I would get when we watched for our school name to pop up on the local news (Remember this before schools starting calling and texting at 4:00am??!). My girls now don’t even know it’s a snow day until they wake up well after their scheduled time because their lunatic of a mother (that’s me) runs tiptoes around like a crazy person shutting off alarms praying that everyone sleeps half the day away!
It’s not that I don’t enjoy these spontaneous days with my girls… but when we get two, three, maybe even four in a row, it can be exhausting- especially if we’re physically snowed in due to freezing temps and excessive snowfall.
I always thought that as my girls got older it would be easier for them to entertain themselves..sometimes this can be true but for the sake of their eyes not burning out of their heads from watching YouTube clips, I thought we better come up with some fun activities to keep us sane during snow days this winter!
Whether you’re feeling adventurous or just plain cuddly, here is a list of fun at-home activities that my girls and I came up with!
When You’re in a Cozy Mood
- Breakfast in bed, either for them or you
- Pj day
- Have a movie marathon
- Build a fort- the kind that takes up the entire room
- Silent reading time
- Let them have screen time
- Write poems about the snow (or summer!)
- Let your kids take pictures with your camera all day
- Make hot cocoa
- Bake cookies
If You’re Feeling Playful
- Play board games
- Make an indoor scavenger hunt
- Have a Nerf war
- Play snow day bingo
- Have a singing contest
- Have a dance party
- Build with Legos
- Play charades
- Have a pillowcase race
- Dress up and have a fashion show
- Play laundry basket skee ball
- Create a crepe paper laser maze in the hallway
- Set up a bowling alley with TP rolls
- Make marble races (cut a pool noodle in half for the track)
- Put colored tape on the carpet to make roads and a town
- Freeze water in a baking dish to play mini ice hockey with spoons
- Use a old cardboard box to make a slide on the stairs
- Put up a real tent in the basement and campout
If You’re Crafty
- Make (and eat) homemade ice cream
- Make huge paper snowflakes
- Make coffee filter snowflakes
- Make slime
- Make play dough
- Make fake snow with baking soda
- Bring in snow and do science experiments
- Make friendship bracelets
- Make sun catchers with crayons and waxed paper
- Write letters to family or friends (and mail them the old fashioned way)
- Finger paint with shaving cream
- Combine shaving cream and corn starch to make foam dough
- Make sock puppets and have a puppet show
- Make borax snowflakes
- Build houses out of toothpicks and marshmallows
- Put a bar of soap in the microwave to make and play with soap clouds
- Make a glitter snowglobe
- Make a bird feeder
When the Kids Want to go Outside
- Build a (obligatory) snowman
- Build an igloo
- Try ice fishing
- Snowball fight!
- Go sledding
- Ice skating
- Take a nature hike or walk
- Make snow angels
- Blow bubbles and watch them freeze
- Paint the snow (water and food coloring will do the trick)
- Make giant ice marbles
- Make a snow volcano
- Create a snowy obstacle course
- Snowball fight (face shots are off limits over here)
- Bowling with frozen water balloons
- Make a snow maze
- Gather pine cones
- Shovel snow (hey they might actually like this)
- Have a hula hoop contest (hilarious with a snow suit on)
I am always looking for new ideas so I would love suggestions to add to our list! What do YOU do on a snow day??
