9 Snow Day Activities

You and the kids may be getting cabin fever with all the snow. Here are some activities that you can do with the kids that are fun, creative and, best of all, don’t involve a trip to the store.

1. Listening Game.

Depending on the ages of your children, you can make this as simple or as complicated as you want. Or have an older child play it with a younger sibling. Have your child close her eyes and guess what objects you’re using to make sounds. Use household objects like jangling keys, coins, shaking rice, rattling silverware or hitting a wooden spoon on a plastic bowl.

2. Balloon (Nerf ball or soft stuffed animal) Toss.

If you’re using a balloon, have kids stand in a circle and try to keep the balloon in the air. With stuffed toys or a beanbag, toss quickly around the circle, or back and forth. The first one to miss the balloon or the toss is out. Keep going until one player wins.

3. Build a Fort.

Let the kids build a fort using furniture, cushions, pillows and blankets. The fort can fuel their imaginations all day. They can play, read, nap or even spend the night in their fort.

4. Indoor Obstacle Course.

Build an obstacle course using chairs that can be crawled under or over. Tie a string across two chairs to crawl under or hop over. Have kids do 10 jumping jacks. Have them jump in and out of a hula hoop, throw a bean bag or tennis ball into a laundry basket, hop on one foot from one cushion to another — use your imagination to come up with obstacle course ideas that work in your house. Remember to try to make enough obstacles so there’s little room for flat-out running.

5. Memory Game.

Gather several household objects and spread them out in front of the child or children. Let the children observe the objects. Have them close their eyes or go into another room. Remove one or more of the objects and see if children can tell you which ones have been removed.

6. Dance Party!

Put on some music and dance. Have kids interpret the music with their moves. If you know a dance, teach your kids.

7. Coffee Filter Art.

Toddlers can do this. Put your toddler in a high chair and give him a couple of water soluble markers. The colors will blur and make an interesting design. Older kids can use more colors and be more deliberate with their designs, or they can use food coloring instead of markers. It looks like tie-dye.

8. Homemade Playdough.

Make your own playdough with this recipe.

1 cup water
1 cup salt
2 tsp. vegetable oil
3 cups flour
2 Tbls. corn starch
Mix water, salt and oil. Gradually add flour and corn starch until dough is the consistency you want.

9. Make Snow Ice Cream.

Here’s a recipe:
Get 5 cups CLEAN snow.
½ cup white sugar
2 tsps. Vanilla
1 cup milk or half & half
Mix together and enjoy!

What are you doing? Share some of your activities!

Originally published Feb. 2011 to Betty Casey’s Editor’s Blog