Lets face it. There are a bunch of things we can do at home with the kids during school's out days and during snow days. As always you can find great events anywhere from Berthoud to Loveland, Fort Collins to Wellington, Milliken to Bellvue, in our calendar, but if you don't want to leave the house here are a few options.
Making school snow day contingency plans is extra work for parents, but kids love snow days! And school cancellations can be an opportunity to build lasting memories with our kids. Often making kids happy doesn't necessarily mean much more work for parents.
School snow day activities are an important part of any parent's snow day strategy. Work-at-home moms & dads probably need to remind kids of the work-at-home ground rules, but that doesn't mean snow days can't be fun.
First!
Before you get started with the kids, get your own energy going with one of these two videos of quick and easy stretches to help you find your own energy before you begin the day. I've used them both and both are great to help get you moving and motivated.
Morning stretch video with Bright Side (Facebook).
Morning Stretch video with Brett Cap (YouTube).
Create Your Own Snow Day Traditions
Make snow days special by creating traditions by repeating a simple activity on every snow day. Even if you put in a full day's work, you will be able to squeeze in some extra fun in the evening.
Some simple snow day tradition ideas:
Indoor Activities
Here are a few activities to fill up those extra 6-8 hours in the day and to keep kids busy on a snow day
- Cook a special meal.
- Eat in the dining room and/or with fancy dishes.
- Order in dinner.
- Make hot chocolate.
- Build a pillow fort
- Play in the snow. Yes get something to bring in a bunch of snow and play with it till it melts. A great science discussion.
- Watch a favorite movie. Make is special with popcorn and drizzle butter, salt and/or chocolate over the top.
- Bake cookies, or make no bake cookies
- Shovel together.
- Play a family game.
- Light the fireplace, or pretend to.
- Cut snowflakes from paper.
- Bring a snowball in to the freezer.
- create a story from flash cards (picture cards of some sort work great)
Honestly, it really doesn't take much for kids to feel a snow day is special.
On a side note: we brought in a snowball and kept it in the freezer till it evaporated (it took a few weeks). Then we discussed what happened. It was a great science experiment.https://zippyfacts.com/can-snow-evaporate-and-what-is-sublimation/
Indulge in Snow Day Superstitions to bring a snow day
You can try one or all to try to bring on a snow day:
- A soup spoon (or something silver) under your pillow (or bed depending on which way you heard it),
- inside out PJ's, run around the dining table 5 times in your PJ's (in both directions), or spin around each direction in your PJ's
- yelling "Snow Day" into the freezer, or put a spoon in the freezer
- eat ice cream for dinner,
- put an ice cube in the toilet (one ice cube for each of snow you want to have) - throw ice cubes at a tree
- put a frozen white crayon under your bed, or line your bedroom doorway with white crayons (or chalk)
- sleep backwards in your bed
- sleep with toothpaste on your nose
- kiss a tree
Let them have fun with it! Just be sure they don't fill the toilet with ice and carry off all your spoons!
Go Outside and Play in the Snow
And at some point they'll want to go outside (and maybe you will too). Bundle the kids up for a good romp in the snow and get out there!
- Trek to the best sledding hill
- Build a snowman
- Make a snow angel
- Visit neighbors
- Build a snow fort
- Snow ball fight
- Make a maze in the snow
- Make some colored water spray and create art in the snow by spraying it with the colored water. Then put the mixture into a spray bottle.
Put Kids to Work
And if you're working, why not make them work a little too? If possible, let the kids help with your business. Even very young children can do some simple organizing and sorting. Helping you at work makes kids feel important. But also consider giving them some special jobs that aren't too difficult. (Remember, this is supposed to be fun, right?)
- Shoveling snow? Have them do a small area near the house and build a snowman or fort with the snow they collect
- Have a younger sibling? Have them babysit. Maybe pretend school or school.
- Cleaning can be fun if you make it a game. How fast can you put your toys up? Get a prize for doing it quickly and more points for correctly. (you can give cookies, stickers, whatever makes your kiddo motivated and the day fun). We use marshmallows on the hot cocoa or "you can pick the movie we watch" for example.
- Do you work at home? Have the kids help file, take inventory (make a checklist they can either check items off or write a number down), reorganize an area for you (or themselves - make their own work area).
Even if their help is really more playing, it keeps them busy while you work if you need to work.
