Wisconsin winters can cause cooped-up kids. Here are 15 at-home snow day activities to try
Wisconsin hasn’t seen the snow piling up too much this winter (so far), but children and families are still spending more time playing inside given the frigid temperatures and wet, icy conditions.
And that’s not to say that snow won’t still come our way. Experts warned this winter could be snowy and “colder than normal.” Either way, families could always use more options for educational, indoor activities on snow days and cozy winter weekends.
Many children already love to pass time by building forts with pillows and blankets or baking alongside an adult, but there are myriad options that add a little science and sensory play for babies and school-aged kids.
Instead of staring at a screen all day, here are 15 easy activities collected by The Post-Crescent's education and early childhood reporters, divided by age group and aimed to keep kids entertained.
Infants and toddlers can find entertainment in wiggling, squishing and playing in potato-snow
And … Freeze!
Here’s a simple activity suggested by Appleton Area School District’s Birth - Five Outreach that requires only your wiggly baby or toddler and some music: Simply queue up a favorite song, starting and stopping at random intervals. When the music plays, your little one dances. When you stop it, your little one freezes in whatever position they are in. This is a perfect activity to get your child moving on a cold winter day. For those not yet crawling or walking much on their own, hold their little limbs up to make them dance.
Faux-snow sensory play
We all know babies love to put anything and everything in their mouth, and you never know just how uncontaminated the seemingly white snow is in your yard. Here’s an alternative that we found online that, if it ends up in baby’s mouth, is safer:
- Pour a box (or multiple boxes) of mashed potato flakes into a plastic bin.
- Add in figurines. Dolls, trains — anything your little one enjoys will do.
- Let them explore playing in the “snow.”
Winter in a bag
Playing with a winter wonderland is not an outside-only activity anymore when you make a sensory bag. Here is an easy sensory bag example that you can make using items you probably already have in your home:
First, gather materials of various shapes, sizes and textures. For a seasonal aesthetic, we recommend cheap clear hair gel, glitter (you can use fine grain glitter and/or cellophane glitter flakes), large plastic bags, white or blue pom poms, mini marshmallows and/or uncooked tapioca pearls.
Then combine the materials in a large plastic bag. To prevent a mess, consider taping the top of the bag shut. You can pop the bag in the fridge for a few minutes to give it a chilly feel.
Your baby can explore the various textures by patting, rubbing or squishing the outside of the bag.
Snowman drop box
A drop box is a box with different shaped slits cut in it that young children can drop objects into. Through doing this, the child learns problem solving skills through trial and error.
In this example, a mom made a snowman-shaped drop box:
- Gather materials: cardboard, packing tape, scissors, and materials for the child to drop into the box. If you have a young one who is prone to putting anything and everything in their mouth, you can use edible baby puffs like this and other foods you have introduced to them (blueberries are a good option, etc.). For toddlers out of this mouthing stage – although such play still requires close supervision – cotton balls and/or pom poms, jingle bells, popsicle sticks are a few fun options.
- Using the cardboard and tape, construct a snowman-shaped box.
- Cut holes in the box of various shapes and sizes. Outline the holes with colors.
- Now it’s time for your child to play, experimenting with what objects fit in what holes.
Touch and feel boards
Sensory boards are all over the idea-sharing website Pinterest right now as one of the most popular infant/toddler activities. Fortunately, they are not hard to make.
Here's a good example we found at happilyevermom.com: the author took a piece of cardboard and cut large shapes out. Then she gathered fun materials of different sizes and textures, such as a carpet square, a reflective service like a mirror or aluminum, pipe cleaners, beads, conditioner or other squishy substance and sandpaper and fastened them to the holes in the box.
Then, she secured these objects to the cardboard with packing tape, and combined the beads and conditioner in a zip lock bag taped to the board, allowing her baby to move the beads around in the conditioner without making a mess. Pop-Its, googly eyes and bags filled with Orbees are other fun options for this board.
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Preschool kids may be interested in more creative pursuits, such as homemade Play Dough or painting the snow
Ice hop
Channel your child’s inner “Happy Feet” in this activity suggested by AASD’s Birth-Five Outreach. Cut pieces of white paper into glob-like shapes, representing ice. Then, spread the “ice” around, leaving enough space for your child to hop from one ice chunk to another. The objective is for your little one to make it from one chunk to another without falling into the water (the floor). Essentially, it’s a frozen version of “the floor is lava.” Between each round, spread the ice chunks farther and farther apart for an extra challenge.
Paint with frozen paint
This activity recommended by AASD Birth-Five Outreach requires slight planning. Put acrylic paint into ice cube trays, putting a popsicle stick in each. Freeze overnight. By morning, you'll have your very own ice paints. We recommend putting plastic (such as a trash bag) underneath the ensuing art to keep your space clean, as the paints will melt as time goes on. For a twist, try layering different paint colors in the cubes.
Or, make nature your canvas
Corrine Hendrickson, who runs a licensed family child care titled Corrine’s Little Explorers out of her New Glarus home, recommended this activity as a way to spruce up a snowy landscape. Simply fill spray bottles with food coloring and water, bundle the kiddos up, and let them spray the snow around them. Watch them fill with awe as the backyard suddenly looks a lot more colorful.
Make your own snowflakes
There are two main ways to pull off this activity:
As recommended by AASD Birth-Five Outreach using coffee filters to make paper snowflakes is an easy way to keep kids entertained without having to shop for extra supplies. Simply fold the filters as many times as needed (we recommend folding into fourths) and cut slits, circles, any design you can think of in the paper. Remember to cut around the edges to make a snowflake shape! To add some color, use watercolors or a water and food dye mixture.
Another option is to make snowflake hand art using silver or white craft paint, paint brush and blue construction paper. Simply put the paint on a paper plate, dip your child’s palms in, and press their paint-covered hand onto the construction paper. Continue to make more handprints in a circular pattern, with the child’s palm always being at the center. For some extra fun, add in some glitter. This is a great activity to do year after year so your child can watch their hands grow.
Snowflake activities are a great opportunity to talk to children about individuality. Each snowflake varies depending on its design. Each person is unique too, but we all deserve love and respect.
Icy bubbles
Blowing bubbles outdoors is not just an activity for when the weather is warm, according to Hendrickson and AASD Birth-Five Outreach. On really cold days, take your little ones outside for this experiment: What happens when you blow bubbles in the winter? When the bubbles land, how do they look different from the bubbles you blow in the spring? It’s fun for both adults and kids to watch the bubbles freeze and crack!
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As kids get older, crafts can get more complex. Kindergarteners and their older siblings will like more involved projects
The following are activities that are suitable for most age groups. In addition to a library of videos with educational activities to do with kids on its YouTube channel, The Building for Kids Children’s Museum has suggestions for snow and ice themed crafts and science experiments.
Hot chocolate Oobleck sensory bin
While this activity was listed on AASD’s Birth - Five Outreach activity calendars, its simple recipe makes this twist on the classic sensory activity enjoyable for all ages. Oobleck is commonly used as a science experiment, as it changes form between a solid and liquid depending on if pressure is applied.
- Combine a 2:1 mixture of cornstarch to water, adding more of each ingredient as necessary. Be sure not to add too much water.
- Add in a packet of hot chocolate mix or a few tablespoons of cocoa powder. This will make it not only look like the winter treat, but also smell like it.
- To add to the sensory fun and make it look even more authentic, toss a couple marshmallows on top.
A different kind of story time
Brooke Skidmore, owner and director of New Glarus’ The Growing Tree Child Care, found children like making their own books, and each is unique as its author. Start by folding multiple sheets of paper together and stapling them, or use a hole punch and ribbon to bind the book together. Break out the art supplies for the kiddos to illustrate their very own book.
“I sometimes create a designated shelf for their books so they feel they are important,” Skidmore suggested.
Ice sun catchers
To try this idea from Building for Kids, begin by collecting different items from outside or in your home such as leaves, sticks, pine needles, glitter, beads or ribbon. Place them in the bottom of an aluminum pie pan or other shallow container. Fill the pan with water, making sure all the items are covered and then put it in the freezer overnight. If it’s really cold outside, you can set it out there to freeze.
Once it’s solid, remove it from the container and hold it up to the sun. If you want to keep it for a few days (weather permitting), have an adult drill a hole at the top and tie a ribbon through it and hang it outside in the freezing weather.
Colorful ice orbs
Similar to the ice sculptures, use food coloring, water and balloons to make colorful ice orbs, according to another suggestion from Building for Kids.
Add four to five drops of food coloring to a balloon and then fill it with water. Leave it outside or in a freezer for 24 hours or until frozen solid. Cut the balloon away with scissors to find the colorful orb inside. Now they're ready to become outdoor decorations, or playing pieces for outside games such as snow tic-tac-toe.
Melting snow shapes
For a winter-themed science experiment, Building for Kids said to mix water and baking soda to make a crumbly-yet-packable dough. Make sure it isn’t too soupy and feel free to mix in some glitter, if you want.
Once you’ve formed your dough, shape it into a snowman or pack it into a sandcastle mold. Use your imagination or any mold you have. Then, freeze it until solid.
Take it out of the freezer after it’s solid and melt it by squirting it with water or even vinegar for a bubbly reaction.
For more activities, visit AASD’s Birth-Five Outreach Events & Activities’ webpage, where parents can find a calendar of activities for both babies and toddlers and preschoolers, a separate file of home activities and more.
Reach AnnMarie Hilton at ahilton@gannett.com or 920-370-8045. Follow her on Twitter at @hilton_annmarie.
Madison Lammert is a Report for America corps member who covers child care and early education for USA TODAY NETWORK-Wisconsin. Contact her at mlammert@gannett.com or 920-993-7108. Follow on Twitter @MadisonLammert0.
You can directly support her work with a tax-deductible donation online at http://bit.ly/Appleton_RFA or by check made out to The GroundTruth Project with subject line Report for America Post Crescent Campaign. Address: The GroundTruth Project, Lockbox Services, 9450 SW Gemini Dr, PMB 46837, Beaverton, Oregon 97008-7105.