A snowy/rainy day can become very boring especially if you have kids who love to play outside. No worries, we have compiled an awesome list of indoor activities that will make your kids dance with joy. Read ahead to find the best snow/rainy day activities for kids for which you will need nothing but few things that are available at every home.
1. Indoor Puddle Jumping
When its too cold, snowy or icy to go outside, indoor puddle jumping is a great activity to get your kids moving and allow them to let off a little steam. Cut large puddles from sheets of blue paper or foam and lay them on the floor. You can also cut smaller raindrops or use a range of blue colours to make an arrangement that looks (somewhat) realistic. Make sure to take care that the paper puddles will not slip on wooden or hard floors.
Once the puddles are arranged, dress yourself and your children up appropriately with wellies, raincoats and umbrellas, you don’t want to get wet! Then have fun watching your children jump from puddle to puddle, making splashing sounds and preventing any boredom. This is a wonderful and imaginative activity for your kids on a snow day.
2. Word Treasure Hunt
If you have letter flashcards or scrabble tiles (for older children) lying around your house, then this is a great way to make use of them and get your children thinking on a snowy day when they’re inside. Decide on a word you’re going to spell and then hide the letters round the house, adding in a few extras if your child is confident enough with spelling, then send them on their way to search for the letters. Not only is this a great game for letter recognition, but you can also pose maths problems by asking the child how many letters they need to find, how many they’ve found so far and how many they still need to look for.
3. Home Made Play Doh
Creating homemade Play Doh is surprisingly easy and a brilliant kids activity for a snowy weekend, plus it will also keep you busy too! With just five ingredients you already have in your kitchen such as salt, flour and oil you can make the much-loved modelling clay that’s fun and non toxic. Just mix together 2 cups flour, 2 cups warm water, 2 tablespoons vegetable oil, 1 tablespoon cream of tartar and 1 cup salt in a saucepan then stir on a low heat until it clumps together. Leave to cool for a little then knead in your choice of food colouring to make fun and diverse Play Doh shades.
You can get your children involved in the making by helping them to measure out ingredients or do the stirring, and you’ll all have fun when the dough has cooled because who doesn’t love to squeeze the substance in their hand and watch it squish out from between their fingers! Here is a great tutorial on how to make home made play doh.
4. Create a Time Capsule
Creating a time capsule is a fun and creative snowy day activity. Use an old Tupperware box as the capsule and let your kids write letters, create drawings or include photographs from their favourite times. Help your child imagine who might find the time capsule- maybe someone in 2050, them when they’re older or even an alien if he comes down to earth in the future! Then bury it in the garden or hold onto it to create an extra day’s activity if the weather is too frosty to go outside.
5. Make a Thumbprint Family Tree
This is a lovely snowy weekend craft as it helps little children to get creative while teaching them about their family and history. Use a large sheet of paper and draw or stick on a simple tree design, then allow your little one to use finger paint and print thumb marks for each person in the family. Mark each thumb with a name and you have a wonderful and personal family tree for the wall or fridge!
6. Dissolve the M From An M&M
This is an interesting snow day activity to teach kids about foods and a little science. Simply float coloured M&M sweets in a bowl of water and watch what happens! The sugary coloured coating begins to dissolve into the water and eventually the Ms float to the surface of the water. You can have fun seeing which colour dissolves fastest!
7. Build a Fort
When the weather is cold and blustery it’s lovely to stay snuggly and warm inside, and what better way to do that than to build a fort. Get your kids moving on a snowy day by sending them around the house to collect towels, sheets and pillows that can make the sides and roof of the fort. Place two chairs together or push two sofas apart and use the found objects to create your fort or den. You could even use the space as a reading den and sit or lie inside for quiet reading, story time or to listen to your child read to you.
8. Make Crystal Snowflakes
Help your children create non-melting glistening snowflakes with this indoor snow day activity using borax and pipe cleaners! This is not only a fun craft but you can also tell your child about how there are no two snowflakes the same and every flake is unique. You’ll need to wait overnight for the crystal snowflakes to form, but this is worth waiting for! Find the full instructions and tutorial here.
9. Create a Homemade Rhythm Set
Whether tiny or older, children like to make noise and there’s no better way of allowing them to let off some steam when they’re bored than giving them an hour or two of noisy time. Creating a rhythm set with items you have at home is easy- an upturned bin, a plastic food bowl, a cardboard tube and a large empty bottle can all become musical instruments that your kids will love to play with. This indoor activity for a snowy/rainy day uses rhythm and music skills plus allows your children to have fun making new noises and simple tunes.
10. Bake
Last but no the least, bake your heart out. It may be freezing cold outside, but the joy of baking will melt all the cold inside and make it lively and warm once again. Kids will never get tired of trying their favorite recipes and you will have abundant things to try that have been pending on your list for ages.
Hope you enjoyed this list of kids activities to try on a snowy day and will keep your kids busy on those days too.
