As Jonas rolls into the DC Metro Area this weekend I can already feel the anxiety building with the moms I know. We are going to be stuck inside for how many days?! How am I going to entertain the kids? Don't panic I have you covered. Bonus these ideas do not involve crafts, because lets face it I love a cute craft but sometimes I just do not want the mess that crafting brings.
12 Snow Day Activities for Kids that do not involve crafts all over your house!
A Large Cardboard Box
These boxes will become whatever your kiddos envision them to be. A rocket ship, a play house, a roller coaster, the possibilities are endless when it comes to the imagination. If you don't have one of hand, local appliance stores might have some for you. But really any box will do or paper bag.
Blanket Forts
Who doesn't love a good blanket fort?
Dance Parties
Mix it up with Freeze Dance or Mommy Says type action. It's also a great way to get sillies out when you are going stir crazy!
Play-Doh
This one admittedly is not my favorite. I really hate Play-Doh, it's almost like having crafts out because the little pieces get everywhere. But the kids really like it and it's easier to clean up than 1 million tiny scraps of paper so I'll include it.
Activity Books & Board Games
Before Christmas, I shared about the Disney Imagicademy activity books by Wonder Forge. They are great for keeping the kids engaged for a few hours. It's like busy books for older kids 😉 Board games- no brainer, the whole family can have a blast!
Lights, Camera, Action!
Give the kids a recording device and be amazed at the show they put on. Just wait until you hear the jokes they come up with. Apparently they are “really laugh out loud Mommy!” My kids love using the LeapFrog LeapPad or Epic to record each other doing silly things.
1-2-3 Smile!
Do your kids love taking pictures? Mine sure do. I will put up a blanket or some sort of make shift back drop and they grab all the “props” they want from past Birthday parties and have at it. Download the free Pocketbooth app and if you want to print them out, HP Photo Strips are perfect for these candid shots!
Painting
When the local craft stores have big sales on canvas I like to pick up a few. The kids love to embrace their inner artists and you get one of a kind pieces to decorate with.
Baking
Kids LOVE to help in the kitchen. It also gets them excited to try new things. This is my recipe for Organic Gluten Free Dairy Free Chocolate Chip Cookies. You don't have to make them gluten free and they are dairy free by chance, but they taste so delicious you will never know the difference!
Building Blocks
Make it a contest to see who can build the tallest tower and this activity will last for hours!
Hot Lava
Practice your balance skills as you try to avoid the lava that is all over the floor!!
Book Club & Movie Night
Before the big storm or long break hits, stock up on books and/or movies at the local library. For book club, make some hot chocolate, grab those cookies you made, and sit down to discuss your favorite books. When it's time to switch to movie night, spread blankets on the floor for an inside picnic. We like to make our own personal pizzas to eat while we watch.
As Snowmageddon 2016 roles into the Northeast, I hope these ideas will keep everyone entertained and Mommy sane! Stay warm!
For additional ideas check out 3 Quick & Dirty Indoor Toddler Energy Busters from Ms Dana Ryan!
What are your favorite non-craft things to do with the kids?
Blanket forts are amazing. We do them with pillows and blankets!~
Play-Doh rocks too.
I love doing a nice movie too!
Baking and painting are always my go-to’s. Great list. Wish we had more snow here.
It’s always a challenge keeping the kids busy…but it looks like you have got a lot here so HAVE FUN!!
Blanket forts always provided hours of fun for my kids.
Such great ideas! We are big into baking together on snowy or rainy days. My son really likes making forts right now, too, so I’m sure we’ll do that during this cold weekend!
Sign me up for the book club & movie night. I love a good book and movie. Plus to hang out in a blanket fort oh yeah.
These are great ideas. My kids have taken to shooting, editing and acting in their own movies which totally blows my mind. It’s great to see their creativity.
These are all such GREAT ideas! I think my daughter would go nuts over a blanket fort! Thant’s something I wouldn’t have thought of.
Those are great activities! My kids love doing crafts when it is nasty outside.
You’ve got a ton of good ideas here. It’s good timing too with the storm taking over the east coast right now.
Painting and baking are two of my cousins favorite activities to do when its a snow day. I love baking because I get to eat delicious sweet treat, but painting is so messy.
Super fun ideas! Blanket forts were always a huge hit in my house when my kids were little. My daughter was babysitting the other day and she built a fort and the kids loved playing in it all day. They brought the laptop in and watched a movie too.
It can be hard to come up with good ideas to keep busy on a snow day. Your list is awesome! A great reference for when my mind is blank!
Love all your activities, my son and I do some of them! We looooove snow days!
I’m headed to you place — there is a lot of fun going on there! I hate Play-Doh, too — LOL. I am so with you on the dance party, cookies, and a cardboard box!!! There are few things my kids like more than an appliance or big Amazon box.
Cute pics, btw! My daughter takes a ton on her pad.
🙂
Traci
The best way to survey being snowed in with children is to have a plan. You helped people develop a great plan full of activities.