As a kid, snow days are magical. You get the day off from school, and there’s a blanket of white stuff that has completely transformed your world. As an adult, they can be a little less so. You know the realities of driving in that white stuff, and you’re now faced with the task of entertaining little ones who are going to be stuck inside (and probably very distracted) for the majority of the day.
We know that our American Adoptions blog readers are no strangers to putting kids first, but that doesn’t mean you can’t enjoy your snow day at home, too. Try any of these snow day activities to guarantee a fun family day for all involved.
1.Build an indoor campsite. If you have a tent somewhere in the depths of your basement or garage, bust that out for the living room floor. If not, everyone loves a good blanket fort. Have your kids wear pajamas, and let them help make a campfire snack, like s’mores, in the kitchen. Bust out a flashlight and pass it around; whoever can tell the best campfire story get an extra piece of chocolate!
2. Make maple syrup candy. Boil real maple syrup, and have your kids carefully pour it onto a patch of clean snow. If they can, let them be creative and try to form shapes or letters with the syrup. Once it’s cool, it’s ready to eat!
3. Bake, bake, bake. Snow days make everyone hungry, right? Thanks to Pinterest, there’s always a wealth of tasty recipes at your fingertips no matter what ingredients you have in the house. You can stick to a staple, like chocolate chip cookies, or branch out with simple recipes, like these for apple pie chips and homemade donuts. They’re much easier than you might imagine.
4. Skype Grandma and Grandpa — or your child’s birth parents. A snow day is a great time to let your children visit with loved ones. Let your kids complete a few other snow day activities first, and then they’ll have plenty of stories to share. If you have open communication with your child’s birth parents, this is a great time to build that relationship.
5. Feed the birds. A quick, simple outdoor activity is to feed the birds in your backyard. This serves multiple purposes. Your kids get to help the birds find food in the snow, they’ll burn off a little energy with the process of bundling up and scattering the food, and you’ll have some indoor entertainment for later in the day. Make sure you choose a location that’s visible from a window, so you can watch the birds benefit from this task throughout the day.
6. Read a book. This one is kind of a no-brainer. What better way to make reading fun than by giving your kids an afternoon to read as many books as they want? It’s also a great time to learn more about adoption. For a list of good children’s books that cover the subject, click here.
7. Indoor bowling. If your kids are starting to get rambunctious, set up a homemade bowling lane. All you need is a soccer ball or volleyball and 10 empty water bottles. Clear a lane, set up the bottles in bowling pin formation, and voila! You’ve got entertainment for hours. If the water bottles are knocking down and scattering too easily, trying filling them partially with water.
8. Make ice lanterns. Yes, these are exactly as pretty as they sound. This post from Mommy Poppins outlines exactly how to make them. Basically, you’re freezing water in a balloon, peeling off the balloon, and placing a candle inside the orb you’re left with. You’ll have pretty, dancing lights until the ice melts!
9. Make a masking tape maze. Okay, so this one is going to take a little more effort on your part. We recommend making this a maze that your child could guide an action figure or other small toy through. Anywhere you’ve got a few square feet of floor is a good spot. Younger kiddos will enjoy guiding their toys through your maze; how long it takes is dependent on your maze-creating skills.
10. Recreate Mission Impossible. One ball of red string, and your kids are entertained for hours. Use painter’s tape to string up “laser beams” in a hallway in your house. You can encourage your kids to pretend they’re in the heat of a Mission Impossible-style plot, or just let them treat the string as an obstacle course they can’t touch. Either way, they’ll put a painstaking amount of effort into it.
What’s your favorite snow day activity? Share and let us know!
