Being stuck indoors all day or worse, several days in a row due to a snow day is bound to leave your kids and you more than a little stir crazy. Here’s a list of ideas they’ll love (and you will too) to keep everyone busy and your sanity in check while you have the snow day off.
- Bring the snow indoors – use a plastic bin or container with towels underneath. Provide shovels, kitchen supplies like wooden spoons, measuring cups, bowls and let them build and play. You can dye the snow for a little-added color! If little hands are getting cold, throw on some gloves or mittens to make playtime last a little longer.
- Hide + Seek
- Puzzles
- Legos or Block Building
- Build a Fort – Use cushions from the couch or simply drape a sheet over the kitchen table for an instant-hideaway. Forts are a huge hit in our house!
- Scavenger Hunt – provide your kids with a list of items they have to find to earn a prize. Not reading yet, give them pictures of the items they’re searching for. Toys, books, pictures, objects, shoes, hidden items will have them running around to who can find everything first.
- Bake – muffins, cookies, cupcakes, bread or a treat to enjoy.
- Pull out the camping tent and sleeping bags and host an indoor camping experience. Take it a step further and roast some marshmallows on the stove or make s’mores!
- Dance Party – what’s even better? Pull the blinds, throw in some glow sticks and even I don’t feel self-conscious about my terrible dance moves.
- Dress Up Time!
- Tea Party and Bite Size Sandwiches.
- Plan a picnic for one of your meals. Set out a blanket on the floor and make a not-so-messy meal for an inside-outing.
- Bath Time at any time of the day. Â Throw in some bubbles, bath paints or crayons and toys and you have a 30-minute bath session on your hands.
- Balloon Paddle Ball. Balloon and Paper Plates and voila, balloon paddle ball!
- Balloon Pit – fill a room with balloons and let them dance and play around
- Bring your outdoor play stuff inside – have a slide or small play structure you can bring in? A roller coaster or ride on cars? Bring them in!
- Coloring Sheets + Books.
- Painting or Watercolors.
- Shaving Cream Painting.
- Movie Time with a fresh bowl of popcorn and snacks.
- Play dough – make your own or use the store bought kind, either way, kids love this stuff!
- Foam Bubbles. I bet you have dish soap in your house – a mix of 2 parts soap to 1 part water and a hand mixer (color if you want) and fluffy foam bubbles. Little kids? Use tear free shampoo or bath bubbles so if it gets in their eyes it won’t burn.
- Bundle up and head outside to build a snowman, go sledding, have a snowball fight, make snow tunnels and just have some fun.
- Hot Cocoa +Â Marshmallows.
- Create a rice sensory bin and add construction toys or animals for imaginative play.
- Cup Stacking. We happen to have a stack of red solo cups from summer BBQs and our kids love testing those hand motor skills with cup stacking.
- Spray Gun Snow Coloring. Fill up spray guns with colored water and let the kids paint away!