Fun Snow Day Activities When Your Kids Don’t Have School

It can be surprisingly difficult to think up fun snow day activities when your kids don’t have school. During longer stretches, like winter break, it’s pretty easy for your kids to get stir crazy when board games and screen time are the only ways they’ve been spending their days off.

What if we told you there was another option for entertainment? A fun and fulfilling way to spend your days? What if we told you that that option was to go outside?

Sledding

An all-time favorite for all ages, sledding involves some light hiking, going down hills really fast, and lots of laughs. Whether you’ve chosen to master the saucer, tube, toboggan, or a traditional rosebud-style sled, get out and make a day of it!

All you need is a hill with a slightly steep incline to get going. Hold smaller children close for safety and make sure everyone is bundled in plenty of layers—for warmth and to cushion the inevitable spill into a pillowy drift of snow!

Ice Skating

If you’re near a (solidly) frozen body of water (or an empty, iced over parking lot, if you’re desperate), ice skating is a great, if somewhat challenging, snow day activity to get your kids moving and active.

Lace up your skates and do some figure eights, have a race, or introduce the kids to improv by making up a story and acting it out together. You can even play modified versions of playground games like Tag, Simon Says, Red Rover or Crack the Whip. The only limit is your imagination!

Build a Snowman

It’s a classic for a reason! Have the kids help you roll up a big snowball, then a medium snowball to stack on top, then a smaller snowball to stack on top of that. Sure, a little prep work is involved. You’ll need to bring buttons, vegetables, or cut-up paper for the face. However, you could also go the spontaneous route and forage around for pinecones, rocks, or whatever else you can find in the wilderness.

Snow Angels

Perfect for younger kids who need to be kept close or as a fun and giggly break from all action, snow angels are as cool now as they ever were (see what we did there?). Don’t worry, if you’ve never made one before. It’s easy! First, flop down on your back in the snow. Then, spread your arms up and down and your legs back and forth.

This will add “wings” and a “robe” to your impression in the snow. When you stand up, there will be the silhouette of an angel looking back at you! If you want to, you can repeat the process over and over again to create an entire army of snow angels (this is what we recommend!).

Cornhole in the Snow

There’s no law that says you can’t play Cornhole in the winter! Our handmade Cornhole boards are carefully constructed to last a lifetime and sealed to prevent weather damage. Don’t leave them outside full time, but they’re perfectly durable for a chilly afternoon game.

If you’re looking for something that fits the season, we have a selection of winter-themed Cornhole boards to choose from. Try using snowballs instead of the standard beanbags for an extra challenge!

Snowball Fight!

When you’re done using those snowballs to play Cornhole (or if you want to present your opponents with a nice distraction), declare a snowball fight and let ‘em fly! The trick is to use snow that’s dense enough to stick together, without clumping up into a wet melting mound. Unfortunately, this mostly depends on the weather.

Once you’re tired of pelting your children with snowballs as big as their heads, have a contest to see who can throw a snowball the highest, who can throw a snowball the furthest, who can make the biggest snowball (without putting it down!), and who can make the ugliest snowball.

The Ugly Snowball Beauty Pageant is a great game if you need something quick to do with the kids and all you’ve got is dirty parking lot snow. Will the winner be the ugly snowball with the most dirt, one covered in gravel, or the one that’s lopsided and features a piece of frozen dog poop? Only one way to find out!

Bake Cookies

When it gets too cold outside, it’s the perfect time to head back indoors and bake some warm, delicious cookies. Making something together is a chance to bond, and it’s also a way to teach kids important interpersonal skills like how to work together, share, and collaborate as a team.

Of course, it all leads up to the sweet reward of freshly-baked cookies straight out of the oven (always let them cool first! Hot cookies are one of the top five leading causes of melted chocolate-related mouth burns).

Make Hot Chocolate

Making hot chocolate has the same benefits as making cookies, without the drama of telling the kids not to eat raw cookie dough while you’ve actually been doing it the whole time. Whether you use a prepared hot chocolate mix or measure out the cocoa, sugar, vanilla and salt by hand, at the end you get hot coco. That’s all that matters! Make it even more special by adding whipped cream and toppings, like crushed up candy canes, cookies or chocolate shreds.

Try these fun snow day activities out with your family this winter! Remember that the best time for Cornhole is anytime, and, with Cornhole Stop’s customized cornhole boards and bags, you can create a unique and personalized Cornhole set for any occasion!