Hooray, it’s a snow day! Nothing’s quite as magical as waking up to a winter wonderland—or, for kids, finding out you get to stay home from school. So the next time you find yourself with a snow day, here are 16 ideas for making the most of it!
1. Build a Snowman
It’s hard to think of a more quintessentially snow-day activity than building a snowman, so start with the classic. Pile three big balls of snow on top of each other and decorate it with an old hat and a carrot nose. Better yet, build a snowman family, with one snowman for each person in your home.
2. Make Snow Angels
Lay back on the snow, spread your arms and legs out and swing them up and down to create snow angels in the yard.
3. Make a Snow Fort
Pull out the kitchen pans, sand buckets and even cut milk cartons to create tools for gathering snow and forming it into walls. Build a fort as big as you can make it!
4. Go Sledding or Tubing
Take the sleds or toboggans or inner tubes to the nearest hill and have fun sailing downward.
5. Make Snow Cream
All you need is eight cups of fresh snow, 1 can of sweetened condensed milk and some vanilla extract to make your own snow cream as a sweet snow day treat.
6. Have a Snowball Fight
Set a timer, form teams and make as many snowballs as you possibly can. Then, when the timer dings, start your war! Pelting each other with snowballs makes all the effort to form them worthwhile.
7.Hold a Snowball-Throwing Contest
Another fun way to use your snowballs is in a throwing contest. Set up a target to mark throws and take turns hefting balls of snow as far as you can throw them.
8. Play with Your Pets
Your animals might love a romp through the snow with you, so bundle up and head to the yard, letting your dog or cat explore the winter wonderland.
9. Shovel the Driveway—or a Neighbor’s
Here’s an idea that gets you outside while also accomplishing a necessary chore. And, as long as you’re shovelling your driveway, you may as well help your neighbor out, too.
10. Set Up Tic-Tac-Snow
Make a snow game in the yard or driveway when you use your gloved hands to draw a tic-tac-toe board in the snow. Grab some twigs or rocks to use as playing pieces and play away!
11. Make Hot Chocolate
After you’ve spent some time outdoors, there’s nothing cozier than coming inside, taking off all your damp outerwear and cuddling up with a cup of something hot to drink.
12. Bake Cookies
Another surefire step towards that cozy snow day feeling is getting something sweet in the oven. Whip up a batch of cookies to enjoy indoors.
13. Make a Fire
Warm up by a roaring fire and watching the snowflakes fall through the windows.
14. Watch Movies
Cuddle up with a pile of blankets and enjoy a movie together as a family.
15. Read Books
A snow day is the perfect time to catch up on books you’ve been wanting to finish, so pull out that story or novel you’ve been thinking about, and while away the hours in another world.
16. Play Board Games
Pull out Monopoly or Settlers of Catan and use your snow day to brush up on your competitive side.
Inside and out, there are so many ways to enjoy a snow day—to get started, try these ideas!