Entertaining kids during the winter can be tricky because it’s cold outside and more difficult to find activities to keep them occupied or get out their energy. But being stuck inside on a snow day doesn’t have to be a disaster. Fellow parents on TikTok have shared several ways to keep little ones entertained inside while also letting them have some fun in the snow as well — if it’s not too cold, of course.
Those of us who grew up in snowy climates probably fondly remember our own snow days. They’re so magical for a child, so here’s how we can keep the magic going while keeping our sanity, too.
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Ice Painting
If you know in advance that you’re likely to get a snowy day, you can try this fun winter activity. Fill balloons with water and freeze overnight. Then peel off the balloon and have kids paint the ice underneath with watercolor paints. TikToker @raising.up.wild.t puts the finished pieces outside to reflect the colorful light. This activity is both entertaining and pretty.
Indoor Snow Painting
Another artistic option from TikToker @mommyteacherandme is to bring in some fresh snow in a container. Give your kids small cups of food coloring and paintbrushes for them to “paint” the snow. When they’re finished, it’ll just melt and be easy to dispose of outside or down the sink.
Outdoor Coloring
Perhaps your little ones are too excited to play in the snow to settle for indoor snow painting. If that’s the case, TikToker @kassiemoon suggests filling plastic water bottles, adding food coloring and poking holes in the lids. Kids can spray the colorful solution on the snow outside to draw pictures or designs or write words.
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The Floor Is Lava
For some indoor exercise to keep little ones occupied on cold days, try the classic game, the floor is lava. TikToker @kmenv likes it because it’s a no-screen activity. Plus, it’ll bring back so much nostalgia since a lot of us grew up playing this as well.
Just scatter items on the ground, like pillows and blankets, to create an obstacle course for kids to walk through without touching the actual floor.
Rotate Toys
TikToker @keepitsimplesparkles prepares for snow days in advance by putting some of the kids’ Christmas gifts aside. That way, when a snowy day happens, she can pull out the “new” toys to entertain her little ones. Rotate the toys every once in a while to keep the selection fresh to them.
Snow Sensory Bin
TikTok user @foxxvbaby created a fun winter-themed sensory bin with some dollar store items. She used coconut flakes for the snow — smart in case little kids try to eat it — and then put some inexpensive village houses, bottlebrush trees, and figurines inside the bin.
Perfect for toddlers to play with, and you can really put any items you want inside with the coconut flakes.
Indoor Snowball Throwing
TikToker @creativecuriosityy lets her kids throw snowballs inside on snowy days. And by snowballs, she means rolled-up socks that the kids can throw into a laundry basket that she decorated to look like a snowman. The novelty of having a “snowball fight” indoors will make this a core memory for your child.
Snowball Bowling
Another fun indoor “snowball” activity comes from TikToker @jojobins_crafts. Use white ball pit balls (or whiffle balls or ping pong balls or foam balls, whatever is light enough not to cause any real damage) to knock down Styrofoam cups. You can also have the kids draw snowman faces on the cups before playing to take up some more time.
Snow Ice Cream
People have mixed opinions on whether kids should eat snow, but if you’re a family who does, you might like @kaidy.todd‘s snow ice cream recipe that she posted on TikTok. She used ½ cup of sugar, a dash of vanilla extract, 1 ½ cups heavy whipping cream, and 8 cups of snow to create the delicious mixture.
Snow Slushies
TikToker @thefracturedfather lets his kids mix fruit juice with clean, fresh snow until it reaches the desired slushy consistency. If you don’t have all the ingredients for actual snow ice cream at home, a snow slushy could be a good alternative. Also, it’s pretty easy for the kids to make themselves.
Snow Candy
This recipe doesn’t require actually eating any snow — the snow just acts as a vehicle to flash-freeze the candy. TikToker @luciebfink made the candy by simmering ½ cup of maple syrup with a pat of butter. Then she pours the hot mixture in lines over a tray of snow to instantly cool the syrup into a hard candy for everyone to enjoy.
Snowy Chores
Sometimes we forget just how much our little ones like to be involved in whatever we’re doing. So on snowy days, TikToker @elliotts.kitchen lets his son “shovel” the snow with a kid-sized shovel. It wasn’t necessarily even enough snow to shovel, but kids have so much fun doing stuff like this, so why not?
Outdoor Igloo
We probably all tried building a snow igloo at some point in our childhoods, and the techniques are much more advanced these days. Older kids may enjoy trying these methods out. Either fill aluminum trays with water to make ice blocks like @adventurekids.ca or freeze water balloons like @kristaw1111 did. Then just use snow and water as mortar to stack the frozen blocks or balloons together.
Indoor Igloo
If an outdoor snow house is a little advanced for your kiddos, or you don’t have time to freeze the blocks, try making a small scale indoor one using marshmallows and toothpicks like TikToker @whittlecraftsandscience did. Or use sugar cubes like @dadcanmakeit. These projects will help with fine motor skills and keep kids entertained (and warm) inside.
Tubing
Sledding is iconic, but have you tried tubing? As @discovernepa pointed out on TikTok, there are often tubing hills located at nearby ski resorts. Or you can buy an inflatable snow tube from Amazon and just try in your backyard or nearby sledding hill. Older kids will likely love this activity.
Snowman Upgrade
If your kids love building snowmen, you can pick up this decorating kit from Amazon to level up their creations. It comes with a hat, scarf, button eyes, and more. Or, keep little ones entertained indoors with the clay snowman building kit from Amazon that lets them make small scale versions of the snow people.
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