Snow Day Ideas and Activities for Kids (and families!)

Winter is well upon us, but that doesn’t mean we need to spend our days indoors. I’m an Idaho girl born and raised, so I grew up playing in the snow and today I’m sharing a huge list of favorite tried and tested snow day ideas and activities for kids and parents to enjoy!

There has never been a better time to get out and enjoy the snowfall and chilly temperatures and there are so many activities that children can enjoy outdoors on a snowy day so they aren’t cooped up inside. If you are looking for some fun snow day activities for kids, take a look at these 25 snowy day activities for kids that you can try.

You are sure to find an snow day activity that will become a family favorite memory.

1. Host a snowman building contest. Find some props such as hats, scarves, sticks, and carrots and invite the kids in the neighborhood to build their very best snowman.

2. Have sled races. But the trick is you need to make your own sleds! Use cardboard, poster board, trash can lids, or any other items you can find to make your own creative sleds.

3. Build a hot chocolate bar. Set up some hot chocolate and bowls with all the fixings. Some ideas can be marshmallows, cherries, whip cream, sprinkles, nutmeg, cinnamon, and other ad ins.

4. “Paint” the snow. Fill spray bottles with water that has been colored with food coloring. Then spray the perfect masterpiece directly onto the snow. Make and decorate snow angles with your “spray paint”!

5. Go looking for animals tracks. Visit a local park or head out into the yard and see what sort of animal tracks you see in the snow. Use the internet to help you identify the prints you saw.

6. Make a bird feeder. Your winter birds will appreciate this! Just mix some birdseed and peanut butter and spread it on some cardboard tubing. Hang it with string from a tree branch and watch birds flock. You might also try this fun upcycled diy teacup birdfeeder craft activity I shared a few years ago.

7. Take some wintry pictures. Winter provides so many wonderful photo opportunities! Let the kids take pictures of the winter landscape, animals, and snowmen or snow forts they made and then let them make a fun photo book or scrapbook of favorite winter memories!

8. Have a snowball building contest. See who can build the biggest snowball. Make sure you have a tape measure on hand so you can get exact measurements!

9. Make snow candy. Melt caramel or chocolate into a liquid, and then pour it onto the cold snow. It should harden, creating bite sized bits of candy. Or perhaps make Snowball Soup (Mercer Mayer has a book called Snowball Soup that we love and it might be fun to read along with this activity!)

10. Write messages and spell your names in the snow. Use twigs as writing tools OR try walking and creating your name with your boots.

11. Make the snow sparkle. Try sprinkling sugar into the snow. It will really light up at night when the moon shines on it!

12. Make a snow box. Just like sand box, toss some shovels, measuring cups, and other play items in the snow for kids to manipulate and play with.

13. Take the family dog out for some snow fun! Take out Frisbees, balls, and other toys for a fun and energizing game of fetch.

14. If you have a fire pit, try enjoying a winter time bonfire complete with s’mores and hot chocolate.

15. Build a snow castle or fort. Use boxes to mold and shape the snow into bricks and then start building. See how big and complex you can make it. One of my favorite things about building snow forts is that they take hours to build and then after the kids build them, they provide hours – and even days – of entertainment and fun!

16. Make a scavenger hunt in the yard. You can always bury clues in the snow that lead to the final item or prize.

17. Try playing your favorite summer time sport in the snow. Try badminton, soccer, football, or even tennis. See how fun or challenging it is! You are sure to get some laughs.

18. Have a sled parade. Decorate your sleds with streamers and balloons and head out into the yard for a sled parade.

19. Collect icicles. Go on a hunt for the longest icicle you can find. See who can collect the most. When you are done, try melting one and see what it looks like as liquid.

20. Make snow objects by packing snow into different shapes. Kids could even create a “snow store” by making items to sell in their snow shop!

21. Take magnifying glasses to catch the sun’s rays and try to melt small patches of snow.

22. Go for a wintry hike. Look for signs of animals, pine trees, collect pine cones, and enjoy the sights and sounds of winter.

23. Pretend to ice fish. Dig a hole and drop in magnets. Use a dowel rod with a string and metal attached. Drop it in and try to “catch” the magnets.

24. Play “hot potato” using a snowball. In this case it would be, “cold potato.”

25. Try blowing bubbles in the snow. See if they freeze. If not, they will still look beautiful falling into the snow. Did the kids love that? If so, check out a post we shared a few years ago: Science Experiments Using Snow … they’ll love it and they’ll be learning at the same time!

How are these for some snowy day options? Try some of these activities with your family and see how much fun a snowy day can be.