11 Snow Day Activities Your Whole Family Will Love
Updated: Feb. 12, 2021When the weather outside is so frightful, you're stuck at home, make it an adventure. Instead of catching up on emails or turning into couch potatoes, spend your snow day doing these fun, new things to do.
Woo Hoo! Snow Day!
When Mother Nature goes crazy in winter, it’s time for a snow day. Sure, the idea is fun for everyone—the kids are off from school while adults work from home—but with nowhere to go and nothing to do, snow days run the risk of being, well, boring.
If you don’t want to spend the day binge-watching whatever’s on Netflix, here are 11 snow day activities the whole family can enjoy.
Make Snow Cones
Sledding and snowball fights are all fun and games until someone experiences the first signs of frostbite. Want to bring the winter wonderland inside? Ask the kids to collect balls of fresh snow. Back in the kitchen, drizzle lemon juice and a pinch of sugar on the packed balls, and presto! Homemade snow cones in a snap. Add some pizzazz by coating your cone in colorful food dye. You can even make snow ice cream!
Turn Your Kids into Mini-preneurs
The kids will be begging you to go outside, but you still have bills to pay, deadlines to meet and lunch to cook (psst…check out these kid-approved snacks). The perfect solution? Encourage your kids to create their own snowy startup. Your little workers can go to your neighbors’ homes and offer services like shoveling walkways and brushing off patio steps for a small fee.
It’s a win-win for everyone: The kids will make some extra allowance money (and spend time outside), while you’ll have some peace and quiet.
Have a Snow Day Spa
Craving some rest and relaxation? This snow day, turn your living room into an at-home spa. From giving your daughter a stylish set of French braids, to manis and pedis, to homemade lotions and potions (peppermint lip scrub, anyone?), it’s a great way to unwind.
Build a Cozy Campsite
The brewing snowstorm is no match for a camping trip, but you can have some outdoorsy fun in the comfort of your own home. After the kids build a fort out of blankets and couch cushions, they can roast marshmallows (and create some finger-lickin’ good s’mores) at the fireplace—with Mom and Dad’s supervision, of course!
Study Snowflakes
Like a set of fingerprints, every snowflake is different. And what better way to pass the time than analyzing ’em? Take a magnifying glass and piece of cardboard outside and wait until a few flakes fall on the board. Hold your magnify glass up to the cardboard and find the differences between each flake. It’s the perfect mix between outdoor fun and an impromptu science lesson.
Make Kitchen Sink Cookies
Baking may be a no-brainer for a snowy day at home, but the slick roads make it nearly impossible to pick up all the ingredients for apple crisp or ooey, gooey brownies. Our solution? Bake with what you got. Your batch of kitchen sink cookies probably won’t win any awards, but it’s a fresh way to get crafty with the kids.
Make Your Own Mood Boards
Put that stack of old magazines to good use and let your kids create some fun collages. Break out the glue sticks, scissors and construction paper, and the kids will take care of the rest. From hodgepodges of favorite celebs to a makeshift paper doll to a spooky ransom letter, they’ll spend hours on this frills-free craft.
Get Taping
On a regular day, a roll of masking tape is simply one of the many things lurking inside your junk drawer. But on a snow day? It’s vital for never-ending fun. When the kids are frozen from a day spent sledding, use tape to create crazy mazes, tic tac toe or a “jumping contest” on the floor. It’s so simple, you’ll wonder why you never thought of it before!
DIY Snow Globes
The swirling snowflakes make even the biggest Scrooges feel as if they’re inside a snow globe, so why not recapture that magic with a handmade one? Grab some mason jars from the basement and fill them with trinkets, water and lots of glitter. Whether you shake your globe or let it sit on your coffee table, you’ll feel like you’re walkin’ in a winter wonderland. (Or, you could make an edible one!)
Do Glacial Graffiti
Why spend the entire day cooped up inside with a coloring book when the pristine blanket of snow can be your canvas? Fill several spray bottles with water and food coloring and your yard will be a shoo-in for best dressed on the block. Spray paint zany doodles or play a couple rounds of Pictionary—the options are endless.
Slow Cook Hot Cocoa
No snow day is complete without some creamy, dreamy hot cocoa. Instead of microwaving store-bought mix, use this day to make some hot chocolate from scratch. For best results, melt dark chocolate, milk and brown sugar in a slow cooker. Check out the full recipe here and, please, don’t forget the marshmallows.
