Things To Do on a Snow Day Indoors with Kids ULTIMATE GUIDE
This post contains a ton of great ideas of things to do on a snow day indoors with kids. Some of the tips may include sponsored content or affiliate links.
The very first school “snow day” of the year is magical and exciting. The seventh snow day in a row makes you want to strangle Elsa and move south. When you have small children and work from home, a snow day can derail your entire week. Coming up with snow day activities is no easy feat.
I grew up in Maryland, where it snowed only a couple times per winter. We had such fun building snowmen and igloos, sledding down our steep driveway, and then coming inside to take a warm bath and drink hot chocolate.
As an adult, I live waaaaay north of Maryland, in ski country. It snows ALL winter. Our kids play outside every day at school, no matter the weather.
We own all kinds of winter-wear wardrobe items I never knew existed outside of Arctic exhibitions. Balaclavas (which we jokingly call “baklavas”- totally different thing.), Smart Wool socks (the only ones that keep my feet warm!), full out snowsuits, expensive-as-crap Merino Wool long underwear and even hand-warmers. Last week, I had to buy a heated blanket from Walmart. It plugs into the cigarette lighter of a car. This is getting ridiculous.
Last week, two school days were canceled for snow. Mind you, my youngest only goes to school 3 days a week! That means I have 3 “work” days per week. Like most working moms, I work every day… and night… and weekends. But I try to save work that really needs concentration for those three days my little one is at school.
So the two snow days killed my productivity. It was so cold outside, that my kids couldn’t even play in the snow. It was too dangerous. We try to limit their “screen time.” And while I admit, they did watch a little TV on those snow days, I certainly couldn’t let them do that all day.
Here’s a list of the snow day activities we went through over those two days. I hope some of them help save YOUR sanity!
VIDEO | Things to Do on a Snow Day Indoors
Things To Do On a Snow Day Indoors… with Kids!
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Indoor Snow Ball Fight!
If it’s so cold outside that you can’t stand the thought of outdoor play, have an indoor snowball fight! You could use cotton balls, marshmallows, rolled-up pieces of white scrap paper, or get fancy with some of these:
Painter’s Tape “Laser” Maze
The setup on this one is almost as fun as the activity itself! Definitely use blue painter’s tape (as opposed to masking tape or duct tape) unless you plan on re-painting your walls!
Science Experiments
One of our favorite things to do indoors on a snow day is awesome science experiments. We love our MEL Science subscription. Each month, we get a box of new chemistry experiments that are completely safe and designed for home use. Shipping is free, too!
Check out our Snow Day Activities Video to see footage of some of our current experiments. And we have a promo code: 25% off the first month of MEL Chemistry with code MOMCAVE at: https://mel.sc/sWu/
A Weird Sticky Ball
Best Dollar Store purchase EVER! Both my 3-year-old AND my 8-year-old played with this suction cup ball thingy for longer than I ever imagined possible. Our house has a lot of windows. We don’t usually allow throwing of any kind in the house. But this 99 cent wonder couldn’t break a window, no matter how hard it was thrown. And, it sticks to whatever you throw it to. You can use masking tape or window markers to make all kinds of targets.
Window Markers
I bought these washable window markers on a whim one day, years ago, when we had a glass coffee table. They’ve come in handy for snowed-in days. I did some drawing on the sliding glass doors myself and it was quite relaxing. You could also write out messages to your neighbors. (Help! Stuck inside with children. Bring wine! ) The pretty colors come off with just a wet paper towel but if you’re smart, you get the kids to Windex the entire window when they’re finished. Housekeeping win!
Playdough
You could go all out and make your own. But as we know, I’m a #SlackerMom. So following in the tradition of my own mother, I just buy Playdough. Again, this activity is a hit with kids of differing ages. And there’s something about the smell of Playdough. I know, I’m weird.
Get Them to Cook For You
I’ve been teaching my oldest to “cook” lately. And by cook, I mean boil the mac and cheese and put a frozen pizza in the oven. We’re starting small, but I’m making sure my boy knows how to take care of himself someday. On the last snow day, he “made” the mac and cheese by reading the directions himself. I just had to watch over him from my perch at the kitchen island, where I continued to work on my computer. I gave him tips and made sure he stayed safe. #WorkingFromHomeWin! I didn’t have to make lunch.
Kinetic Sand
Dreaming of the beach? Run your hands through some of this kinetic sand. I swear, it relaxes me, as much as one can relax when housebound with two hyper kids. My 9-year-old son was given some of this for his second birthday and we are STILL using it. I give the kids a bunch of kitchen utensils and they make shapes out of it. The best part is when it’s time to clean up, it kind of all sticks together. It’s one of our favorite things to do on a snow day indoors.
Dance Party
I need exercise. Badly. My kids need to burn off that excess energy from being stuck inside. Also, I’m really bummed it’s a snow day and need some cheering up. Perfect time for a dance party!
Family Spa Day
Been meaning to soak those callouses off your feet or do a mud mask? Include the entire family in a spa day while the snow falls outside. If you are really brave, do your nails, too. Of course, I’ve always said painting your nails while your kids are awake is the mom version of Russian Roulette. Chances are someone is going to need a butt wipe or a bandaid application before your nails are dry. Good luck!
Massage Mama
Why not turn a snow day to your advantage? Both of my kids love to give massages. And they owe me… since being stuck indoors with them on a snow day is the source of my tension. 😉 The youngest especially likes to “surf” on Mama’s back. It’s a lot cheaper than an actual masseuse. Or you can grab one of these T-shirts and some toy cars for a vehicle massage!
Indoor Snow Painting
Both of my kids loved this one. I got in on it, too, and found it oddly soothing. Fill baking trays with nice clean snow from outside. Then use that food coloring that’s been sitting in the back of the pantry to create your own Jackson Pollack-esque masterpieces! Clean-up is easy. Just let it all melt away in the kitchen sink.
Snow Sundaes
My youngest child loves to “eat snow.” Thank God we no longer live in Manhattan where most of the snow was yellow. Nope, we’ve got pristine white country snow to use for this indoor snow day activity now. I let my kids make snow sundaes with whatever they find in the kitchen. Chocolate sauce, sprinkles, nuts…. it’s all fair game. If it’s after 5 pm, make YOURSELF a “snow cocktail.” You deserve it for making it through yet another snow day indoors with kids!
Spaghetti and Marshmallow Tower Building
Grab a pack of spaghetti and a bag of marshmallows and start building. This is an excellent lesson in engineering and cause and effect. Two notes of caution: you’ll probably want to set ground rules on how many marshmallows the kids are allowed to eat. And if you happen to have radiant heated floors, you might end up with some melting on the bottom marshmallows. I speak from experience.
Fancy Tea Party Lunch
Pull out your good china. (C’mon you never use it!) Serve lunch fancy tea party style. Kids will love playing dress-up while they practice their “palace table manners” during lunch.
Bathtime Fun!
If you are stuck inside with kids on a snow day, you might as well use the time to bathe them. Both of my kids enjoy spending lots of time playing in the bathtub. Especially after playing outside in the snow, one of our favorite things to do indoors on a snowday is take a cozy bath! And there are so many fun things you can add to make a snow day bath extra special!
Slime Bath
Yup, this is a thing. It’s awesome. Follow a slime bath with an actual water bath.
Painting Bath
Get some Bathtub Finger Paints. After the painting is over, have the kids clean themselves AND the bathtub.
Toy Car Wash
Create a bathtub “car wash.” Or better yet, “toy wash.”Through all those germ-infested plastic toys in the bath with a bunch of soap and let the kids scrub away!
Magic Potion Making
This one was one of my favorites as a child. Provide kids with a variety of different-sized containers and a few different kinds of shampoo or body wash. (Free ones you swipe from hotels work best for this. You don’t want your kids wasting the good stuff.) Let kids combine the different liquids to make “potions.” Bonus points if you allow them to use colored water from bath bombs or food coloring!
Get Rid of Toys and Clothes that Don’t Fit
You’ve been meaning to clear out the outgrown clothes and broken toys. Do it as a family project. You might as well get something done. Just make sure to make a game out of it. My kids like to put on as many of the outgrown clothes as possible at once for a funny photo before we bag them up for The Goodwill.
Bubble Wrap Run
This one is going to be noisy. Throughout the year, save up the bubble wrap from packages that come in the mail. Tape it down to the floor and let kids run all over it! It’s loud but a ton of fun!
Masking Tape Road Construction
Use masking tape on the carpet or painter’s tape on the floors to create the ultimate race track for toy cars! You can even go up and down furniture.
Call in Reinforcements!
If you live near other families or it’s safe enough to drive, combine forces with another parent and kids. You’re not getting any work done today anyway, so why not make it a social occasion? The kids can play together while the parents visit.
If you must do some work from home, team up with another parent who works remotely and you can take turns supervising the kids while the other works in another (quieter!) room.
Trick them into Cleaning
Find ways to make cleaning into a game. My favorite is to have them “ice skate” on the floors. Get some of these slipper dusters or just have them skate around on dish towels.
Movie time!
Once you’ve exhausted all of your NON-screentime options for indoor play on a snow day, you’ll be exhausted yourself. Pop up some popcorn, grab some blankets and enjoy one of these family-friendly movies.
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Rated PG:
☃️ From our Friends – Ideas for Things to Do on a Snow Day Indoors
The best snow days are the ones we met up with other families and the kids got to play while the parents got to hang out with other adults. – Sreshtha Ashley A Collins
My girls love to paint the snow – food coloring and water in squirt/spray bottles! –Virginia Spiess McGarrity
Coffee, video games and flush the guilt down the toilet. – Gemarla, The Mommy Elf
Not sure if this counts but we have a pretty fun/popular Pinterest board called Kick Cabin Fever that we started because of a lot of snow days one winter. – Courtney, The Chirping Moms
Make play dough! –Miriam, The Very Best Baby Stuff
Stock up on Bloody Mary and pancake supplies and have the neighbors over! –Susan Nagy
Easy cardio exercise videos – you need something to burn off some of the energy. – Lynn Morrison, Nomad Mom Diary
Screentime doesn’t count on snow days. There is no limit. Let them watch Clockwork Orange style if necessary. – Heather Jones, Writer
Full day extended cut LOTR marathon, eating on a hobbit schedule (first breakfast, second breakfast, elevenses, luncheon, tea, supper, dinner), which works out to a small meal every other hour. – Lea Grover, Becoming Supermommy
Snow ice cream! “Snow day bags” have things pre-planned and in small bins. –Stacey, Tech Travel Tastings
Lean in! We bake chocolate chip cookies on snow days. It’s officially a tradition, and I hope my boys will pass it along to their kids someday. – Jennifer Gregory, The Runaway Mama
We save big pieces of cardboard to draw on! He had a snow day today. After we went sledding outside I traced him and we decorated the drawing. –Shya, Vintage Dreams with a Modern Twist
Have some more snow day activities to share? Comment below!
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