I live in New York State, which means we get a LOT of snow! Freshly fallen snow is fun, but do you want to play out in it on snow days?
Today, my kids are actually home from school due to a snow day, so in order to keep them occupied, I started looking around Pinterest to find some indoor snow day activities.
I decided to put together a list of some of the best ones I found over the last week so that you can easily entertain those kiddos of yours too!
Easy Prepping & Making The Most Out Of Snow Days
- Stock up on essentials: Keep a stash of craft supplies like glue sticks, construction paper, washable paint, markers, pipe cleaners, and tissue paper. Household items like paper plates, toilet paper rolls, and zip-top bags should also be saved for these!
- Plan for minimal mess: Lay down old sheets, shower curtains, or tarps to protect floors and tables. Use disposable trays, small cups for paint, and washable materials to make cleanup quick and easy.
- Get creative with household items: Activities like paper plate ring toss, cardboard hopscotch, and paint sample puzzles use simple, everyday items you probably already have at home.
- Incorporate sensory play: Fun crafts like glitter slime, silly putty, and oobleck engage kids’ senses and keep them entertained with hands-on play.
- Encourage imaginative play: Activities like Ninja Turtle toilet paper rolls, animal charades, and Frozen-themed Q-tip painting let kids bring their favorite characters and stories to life.
- Rotate activities for variety: With ideas like indoor snow painting, pom pom racing, sticky window art, and dinosaur fossil playdough, there’s always something new to try to keep your snow day exciting and fresh.
21 Best Indoor Snow Day Activities You Must Try
Snow days can be a mixed blessing, can’t they? The excitement of waking up to a winter wonderland is quickly followed by the realization that you need to keep your kids entertained all day long.
As a mom, I know how hard it can be to balance keeping the house sane and making sure the kids are happy.
That’s why I’ve pulled together some of the best indoor activities to keep everyone busy and having fun.
I have so many ideas for the best indoor games, but I narrowed things down to some special snow day activities your kiddos will love:
1. Indoor Snow Painting
Indoor snow painting brings the magic of winter indoors without the cold! My girls love watching the vibrant colors mix and swirl on the snowy canvas, creating unique works of art.
To set it up, I fill a tray with freshly scooped snow, some water, and food coloring, and give my kids spray bottles filled with water and a few drops of food coloring.
To keep it from getting too messy, I spread an old shower curtain on the table rather than a tablecloth, and make sure we have towels handy for any spills.
2. Pom Pom Racing
Pom pom racing is a high-energy, laughter-filled game that is set up in minutes with just tape!
I lay down masking tape to create lanes on the kitchen floor, and the kids blow through straws to race their pom poms to the finish line.
It’s such a simple activity, but the excitement of cheering each other on makes it a hit every time. We’ve even added little obstacles like LEGO towers or small toys to make it more challenging and fun.
I love how this keeps them moving and focused on something so simple. This can also double as a racetrack for cars, horses, and so many other toys, meaning I’m happy to leave the tape around for a while!
3. Sticky Window Art
Sticky window art transforms a plain window into a creative masterpiece. It’s an activity that’s fun for kids of all ages and completely mess-free since everything sticks right to the paper.
I tape clear contact paper to a window with the sticky side facing out, then hand my kids colorful tissue paper, craft foam, colored toothpicks, bottle caps, and little recyclable decorations to press onto the surface.
Cleanup is as easy as peeling the contact paper off when they’re done, and the girls enjoy tearing it up just as much as the play time.
4. No Mess Finger Painting
No-mess finger painting is a toddler’s dream and a mom’s lifesaver. I squirt a few blobs of washable paint into a gallon-sized zip-top bag and seal it tightly, then tape it to the table so it doesn’t move an inch.
My kiddos can then press and squish the paint around, creating colorful patterns- without ever getting their hands dirty or getting paint all over the table.
To make it even more fun, I add a piece of white paper inside the bag so they can see their designs clearly, and it can dry and be put up on the fridge.
5. Paper Plate Ring Toss
All you need is an empty paper towel roll, paint, and cheap paper plates to create a fun game of ring toss.
Use an empty paper towel roll as the “post” and paper plates as the rings, decorating the plates with paint or markers before the game starts.
The kids love the challenge of tossing the rings onto the post, and we even set up different distances to make it more competitive. It’s a great way to get them moving indoors and perfect for all ages.
When we’re done, I stack up the plates for reuse next time. If any tore, oh well! We can make plenty more the next time.
6. Marble Run
Marble runs are a thrilling hands-on activity for older kids.
Using paper towel rolls, cardboard, and tape, we construct a twisting, turning track for marbles to race down.
Kids love designing the layout and experimenting with different setups to see which makes the marbles go faster or farther.
To avoid losing marbles or making too much noise, I set up pillows and blankets under the furniture and across doorways. We count how many we had, how many have gone missing, and then it turns into a treasure hunt!
7. Make your own Skiis
Homemade skis are a hilarious and active way to burn energy indoors on snow days. Just a warning, start saving up some big boxes now!!
I cut up carboard into strips that we tape up with soda bottles or tissue boxes. We can wear these makeshift skis, then shuffle around the living room pretending to glide down snowy slopes.
Adding socks over the cardboard helps them slide more smoothly across the carpet, but be careful on hardwood floors.
My kids love racing each other or pretending they’re in a sports competition, making up new crazy moves and flips using the couch. It’s a silly and creative activity that always gets everyone giggling.
8. Make your Own Hopscotch
Speaking of carboard, why not make a fun summer activity inside any time you want? My girls love hopscotch, so this was a hit!
I cut out rectangles of cardboard and had the girls decorate them with numbers; then tape them to the floor in a traditional hopscotch pattern.
My girls love jumping around and practicing their balance while we sing silly songs to go along with the game.
To make it more challenging, I sometimes say something like “land on 5 and hop to 8.”
9. Indoor Croquet
Indoor croquet is an inventive twist on the classic game, which we play every spring and summer when we go camping. The girls think of it as an obstacle course mini golf, and I can’t unsee it!
Using soft foam balls and arches made from paper or cardboard, I set up a mini croquet course around the house in a few rooms.
The kids love figuring out how to hit the balls through the arches with wooden spoons or toy mallets
For a little challenge, we’ll toss down some toys, like stuffed animals, slinkies, marbles, and more. That way they can play the course on easy mode and then a hard mode for a challenge!
10. Animal Charades
Playing charades with children can be so much fun when you make it with things they like. This game is great for burning off energy and encouraging imagination.
And using printable sheets make it easy for kids who can’t read, but know their animals well.
To make it easier for little ones, I sometimes give clues or let them make animal sounds instead, and it makes it even funnier.
It’s amazing how creative they get with their impressions, from roaring like lions to flapping their arms like birds.
11. Make Glitter Slime
My girls love anything with glitter, so glitter slime is always a crowd-pleaser in our house. Sticky, sparkly? We’re in!
We mix glue, glitter, and a little saline solution to create a gooey, sparkly substance the kids love squishing and stretching.
It’s fascinating to see them experiment with the texture and stretchiness, and they love showing off their creations to friends and family.
To keep things neat, I have them work on a plastic tablecloth (only ever at the kitchen table!!) and wear old/ripped clothes.
12. Easy Paper Lanterns
I am always looking to use toilet paper rolls in crafts. This one is a great idea!
Paper lanterns are a simple yet beautiful craft that keeps little hands busy. They brighten up any snowy day and make for lovely decorations.
My kids enjoy cutting the paper into strips now that they can sue scissors, and following the directions gets easier each time we make them.
To add a little extra flair, we use stickers and glitter glue on the paper first to get them properly decorated and fancy.
13. Dish Soap Silly Puddy
Anything gooey my kids love! Dish soap silly putty is one of those crafts that feels like potion making.
We mix dish soap with cornstarch to create a soft, moldable dough that’s surprisingly satisfying to play with.
My kids love sculpting little shapes or just squishing it between their fingers.
14. Make Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Rolls
Who doesn’t love the Ninja turtles?? They’re funny, kick butt, and eat pizza- great guys in our books!
So using toilet paper rolls to make the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles was something that grabbed all of our attention.
We paint the rolls green and add paper masks and belts in the turtles’ signature colors. Then we can play pretend with the rolls and make up fun hero stories.
And each time we play, we can create our own new characters to add to the stories!
15. Dinosaur Fossils playdough
We love anything having to do with Dinosaurs, so this is a fun craft for all the kids. Dinosaur fossil playdough is a fun, hands-on activity for budding paleontologists.
Using store-bought or homemade playdough, we press our toy dinosaurs into the dough to create fossil imprints.
To make it more educational, we look up the dinosaurs’ names and learn fun facts about them.
Then I can make some of the imprints while their eyes are closed and it turns into a guessing game, too.
16. Make your own Button Rings
We love to get buttons at garage sales or thrift stores for cheap and find fun arts and craft ideas to use them.
Button rings are a creative craft that’s perfect for older kids or let little ones practice some mobility. We use colorful buttons and pipe cleaners to twist into unique, wearable jewelry.
My girls enjoy picking out their favorite buttons and experimenting with different designs. It’s a great way to use up spare craft supplies, and they love showing off their finished rings to friends and family.
17. Q-Tip Star Art
Can you ask for anything more fun than making unique art to put up around the house? Q-tip star art is a calming activity that’s as simple as it is beautiful.
Using Q-tips dipped in paint, my girls and I create starry night scenes on dark construction paper.
They can experiment with patterns and adding their own imaginative touches, like shooting stars or colorful constellations- or people and dinosaurs, because why not?
It’s a relaxing way to spend a snowy afternoon and let their imaginations wander.
18. Paint Sample Puzzles
Go out and grab some free paint samples at your local store. Then make your own puzzles by punching them out or cutting them up!
My kids enjoy matching the colors and figuring out how the pieces fit together.
To make it even more fun, we’ll cut up puzzles for each other, trade them, and turn it into a race to see who can complete their puzzle the fastest.
19. Printable Lego Game
We have SO many Lego guys that this game was a great pick to try out this year! No surprise, we do this at least once a month and have made up our own fun ways of playing it with our own challenges.
We print out a game board with challenges like “build a bridge” or “make a car,” and the kids race to complete each task.
They love the creative freedom, and it’s a great way to encourage problem-solving and teamwork. I enjoy seeing what they come up with and joining in on the fun when I can.
20. Make Fizzing Hearts
Fizzing hearts are a science experiment disguised as a fun craft.
We shape baking soda paste into hearts on a baking tray lined with parchment paper, and use pipettes to drip vinegar on them, watching them fizz and bubble.
The kids are always amazed by the reaction and love experimenting with different colors of vinegar.
It’s a great way to introduce basic chemistry in a fun and engaging way. Cleanup is simple, too—just toss the parchment and wipe off the tray.
21. Make your own Oobleck
I know, I already had slime and play dough on the list, but we can’t help it- the goops have to be on the list!
Oobleck is one of those activities that never gets old in our house. We’ve made oobleck so many times before and it acts like a liquid and a solid, and just fascinates us.
It’s incredibly simple to make—just mix cornstarch and water in a bowl until you get a consistency that feels like a solid when you press on it but melts into a liquid when you let it sit.
My kids are absolutely fascinated every time we make it, and honestly, I love playing with it too!
FAQs
What supplies should I keep on hand for snow day activities?
Having a stash of craft supplies like construction paper, glue sticks, paints, and tissue paper is a great start.
Other helpful items include food coloring, zip-top bags, and random household recyclables like cardboard tubes and paper plates.
How do I manage cleanup after messy activities?
Lay down old sheets, shower curtains, or tarps to catch messes before they happen.
Use washable paints and markers whenever possible, and keep a spray bottle of water and a rag handy for quick cleanups.
What if my kids are different ages and have different interests?
Choose activities that can be easily adapted for various skill levels.
For example, sticky window art can be enjoyed by toddlers with simple shapes, while older kids can use intricate patterns and designs.
How can I keep my kids engaged without screen time?
Rotate activities throughout the day to keep things fresh.
Involve your kids in choosing or setting up the activities—they’re more likely to stay interested if they helped decide what to do.
Final Thoughts
There’s nothing cozier than staying inside on a snowy day, surrounded by laughter, creativity, and the smell of hot cocoa in the air.
These indoor snow day activities are the perfect way to keep your kids entertained, their imaginations thriving, and your sanity intact.
So, grab some simple supplies, pick an activity or two, and make the most of the next snowy day. Before you know it, you’ll be creating memories that’ll last long after the snow melts.
And don’t forget to check out my post with other fun things to do for rainy day activities, Mama! You can do them on any day off you please!
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this is awesome ideas. You should do unicorn next time.
THANK YOU
UNICORN