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Writer's pictureLauren Bartsch

Simple Snow Day Activities to Have the Best Time Ever

We are entering snow day season! In preparation for the inevitable, I put together some fun snow day activities you can quickly and easily implement at home. Whether you decide to cozy up by the fireplace or don layers for outdoor adventures, snow days offer a canvas of possibilities for creating cherished memories. 


In this post, I’ve curated a collection of entertaining and easy-to-implement snow day activities that are sure to delight all family members:

  • Making fake snow in case you don’t want to play with the real stuff

  • Have a snowball fight - indoors or outdoors

  • Paint the snow

  • Conduct snow science experiments

  • Other snow day activities


Alright, let’s get started with some fun snow day activities!


Disclaimer: This post contains affiliate links. When you click these links, I may get a small commission. It won't cost you anything, but it helps me to run this site. I only promote products and services that I think are great. I have been an educator for over a decade and am a parent myself. I use my experience to judge whether a product is worthy, so you can be assured that I always have your best interests at heart.


Making fake snow in case you don’t want to play with the real stuff


Making fake snow is one of my new favorite things to do with my kids. It's super easy (only 2 ingredients) and a ton of fun. Additionally, it qualifies as a sensory bin, which you know I love if you've read any of my other posts (see my fall activities, arctic-animals inspired activities, and slime post).


All you need is about 2 1/2 cups of baking soda and 1/2 cup white hair conditioner. You don't need to spend a ton of money on either of these, so feel free to buy the cheap stuff. I've got you covered for this as the links I included here have the cheapest per oz price I could find. Plus, they seem to be available for quick delivery.


To make this fake snow, all you have to do is mix the two together in a dish (I used a glass baking dish), then throw some toys in it, and let kids dive on in!


Note: you should supervise kids as they play as this is NOT taste safe. Also, make sure kids wash their hands after playing with it.


Have a Snowball Fight - Indoors or Outdoors


A classic snow day activity is to head outside and have a snowball fight. Keep it simple by making old school snowballs with your hands, or another idea is to pick up one of these cool snowball makers: classic, double, or shaped snowball makers.


If you're like me and don't always want to bundle the kids up to head outside, you can also have a snowball fight indoors using socks. There are lots of twists you can add to this, including turning it into a game by having kids try to get it into a container of some sort or a hula hoop. You could also add points for each "hit" someone gets.


We also made these simple snowman shooters and we've continued to have fun with them past our snow day activities. All you need are paper cups or toilet paper rolls, balloons, crayons to draw the face, and cotton balls. Start by drawing a snowman face on the cup or toilet paper roll. Then, cut the end of a balloon and stretch it over one open end and tie off the end of the balloon. Finally, fill the cup with "snowballs," pull back on the ballon and release.


This is the same design I used to make party poppers for New Year's Eve.



Paint the Snow


This year I started seeing lots of ideas for painting the snow on Pinterest. I really loved this idea, so I decided to try it with my kids. There are lots of variations of this, including sprinkling baking soda on the snow and making the "paint" with vinegar so it bubbles when your kids paint the snow with baking soda. Even though this sounds cool, I was worried about the impacts on my dogs and yard.


Therefore, I decided to keep it simple by filling these bottles with water and food coloring. I then let my kids head outside to start painting and they loved it. Ultimately, I was happy with my decision to make the paint with water since my toddler ended up drinking it :)



Conduct Snow Science Experiments


Years ago I had a substitute covering my 3rd Grade class while I was out sick and he did this simple science experiment with kids. I thought it was too simple to be engaging, but my students loved it! So I decided to try and do it with my kids and surprisingly they loved it too.


All you do is take two cups to collect snow in. You then pack the snow into one and only loosely put it in the other. The goal is to see how different the water level is when the snow melts. Bring the cups in and watch it melt throughout the day, then discuss why the one takes longer to melt and has more water.



Here are some more snow day activities that include a science spin and use things you likely already have at home!


Other Snow Day Activities


Make Snowflakes

Use pipe cleaners and pony beads to make snowflakes. Additionally, this is a great fine motor activity for younger kids. I recently bought this craft kit to have things on hand and it was useful for this activity!



Snowflake Sun Catchers

Make snowflake sun catchers by cutting out snowflakes in white paper then gluing tissue paper to it. I finally seal it with contact paper. Then hang them on a window in your house to see the light through them all day.




Make Play dough

This is an activity I did for my post on Arctic inspired activities, but would also be a great one to do on a snowy day. Play dough is an easy go-to activity for days at home. Add some glitter for some more fun!



Read The Snowy Day

I have always loved The Snowy Day by Ezra Jack Keats. It's a great classic and can also be a great compliment to the snow melting science experiment above. Prime Video also now has a video version of it you could watch!



Outdoor Snow Sensory Bin

Another super easy idea is to make an outdoor snow sensory bin. To start, fill a plastic container with several toys/items that let kids scoop, pack, and mix snow outside. Then, let them play! Our toddler used it as an excuse to "cook" with the snow and loved it.



Make a Fort Inside

Another fun and simple idea could be to build an indoor fort using blankets and pillows. Who didn't love doing this as a kid?!?! Let your children experience this simple fun. You could then watch movies and eat lunch or snacks inside it.




Let's Wrap It Up


I hope you were able to find some snow day activities that feel easy and fun for you to do with your family the next time there's a snow day. Comment below to let me know what you tried and how it went!


Here is a consolidated list of all the materials I reference in this post so you have a clear materials list on hand:



 

I originally wrote this post for my blog The Simplified Parent. Check it out at thesimplifiedparent.com

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