So, I woke up this morning to find that the high for the day was supposed to be 11 degrees. 11 degrees! We can’t leave the house when it’s that cold. So, I quickly brainstormed as many quick and easy Indoor activities for a snowy day that I knew my kids would love. We of course will not get to them all, but it never hurts to have some backups!
Easy Indoor Activities for a Snowy Day
1. Make snow ice cream-
When life hands you lemons, make lemonade. When life hands you snow, make snow ice cream!
If you were to come to our home and ask the kids what the best part of winter is, my guess is you would hear, “snow ice cream”. I tend to make this with the kids pretty much every time it snows. Probably because I love it just as much as they do. And what’s more fun than making a mess in the kitchen with the kids on a snowy day.
My excuse for making it so often is, “this could be the last snow of the year.” This statement it not nearly as believable in December as it is in late April, but my husband smiles at me as we indulge in our sweet treat.
Here are the easy directions for making snow ice cream. Enjoy and make some memories with your kids.
Fill a large bowl with clean snow
Stir in enough milk to make it your desired consistency. Do this slowly as it doesn’t take much!
Then add a few drops of vanilla and some sugar to taste.
The amount of each ingredient depends on how much ice cream you are making at once. Just taste as you go until it tastes just the way you want. It will not keep, so enjoy it quickly after you make it!
2. Play games-
pull out any games you have stored a way and sit down with your kids for a fun day of games. Read my post about the 7 Best Classic games here for a few ideas.
3. Snuggle and watch a movie-
get out all the blankets, make some popcorn, set up a small snack bar and watch movies together!
4. Make a marshmallow snowman-
if you have glue and a bag of small marshmallows, this simple craft will fill a good portion of your morning or afternoon. Have your child draw or trace three circles onto a piece of paper. Give them a pile of marshmallows and let them fill them in the circles. Find any spare buttons, scraps of paper or other little decorations for them to glue on and finish off their masterpiece.
5. Make Christmas ornaments with old Mason jar lids-
gather up any kids you have lying around. You can use stickers, markers, buttons, paper scraps, or anything else for decorations. We made a few with buttons that turned out really cute. I used the glue gun for this so I had to be very involved, but I imagine school glue would do the trick.
6. Build a fort-
find blankets or sheets and get creative.
7. Bring the snow inside-
sometimes playing in the snow can be way too much work. As much as I like to get the kids bundled and go outside, some days it’s just too much. So , if it snows, and it’s too cold or I just don’t want to go out, I bring the snow inside. Fill a tub with snow and a few shovels, spoons, buckets, or anything else. Put a pair of gloves on the kiddos and let them dig in. This activity lasts for ever. My kids usually play until the snow has melted and they are playing in the water. A super fun and easy way to spend a cold, snowy morning.
8. Create an obstacle course-
kids love obstacle courses and what better way to get some much needed energy out when you’re stuck inside. You can set up a course with pillows to jump over, stairs to climb, tables to crawl under, tape lines to walk, etc. Your kids will come up with great ideas!
9. Bake-
make a simple recipe that gives the kids a chance to look pour and mix. Here’s one of my favorite easy recipes to do with my little.
10. Get some chores done (my favorite!)-
kids love to help when you don’t act like it’s a chore.
11. Read a lot of books-
lay pillows and blankets all over the floor and start reading together. You could start a chapters book or read lots of picture books. If your kids are older, get out your own book while they read their books. There is no better way to instill a love for reading than to model it yourself!
12. Make hot chocolate
13. Make a meal together
14. Paint
15. Make hand and footprints
16. Trace each other on large paper and color in the bodies
17. Make an exercise circuit for you and the kids
18. Do a photo shoot-
read my post on 8 Indoor Photo Shoot ideas you can do with your kids.
19. Make cards and mail them out to people you love
20. Play with your kids-
Turn off the phone and get rid of the iPad and spend some solid time just playing. You will learn so much about who they are and they will love the interest you show in them.
Remember, these little things are the memories your kids will remember. Try to enjoy some time with them even when you’re stuck inside.
