Anyone who lives in the northeast knows that snow days are pretty much inevitable. Your Local Kids knows that keeping children entertained can be a challenge. Please enjoy our list of things to do with your kids on Long Island on a snow day.
1 – Games
Board games, card games, and video games are all great ways to bond with your family and have fun at the same time. Dancing games, singing games, and sports, like skiing and bowling, help kids and adults release pent up energy. Games are not only fun but they can be educational as well. Children learn valuable lessons like how to wait their turn, how to win and lose graciously, and how to follow directions.
Another popular idea is to have a treasure hunt. Hide treats or prizes somewhere around the house. Create a treasure map or play a hot and cold to help them find the loot. A scavenger hunt is a fun way to pass the time as well. Hide-and-seek is a traditional favorite game as well.
2 – Outdoor Snow Fun
Of course, a snow day is not a snow day without playing outside in the snow, at least for a little while. Take your kids outside and make a snowman and if there is enough snow maybe build a family of snow people. You can dress them up to resemble the members of your family. Steal some of your family’s old clothes! Kids love to make snow angels, build snow forts and castles, and a friendly snowball fight is always super fun.
3 – Science Experiments
There are so many benefits to performing science experiments with children. They learn about their environment and develop skills like problem-solving as well as logical and critical thinking. They also increase their observational skills. Besides the educational benefits, science experiments are just a lot of fun. A winter-themed favorite is the creation of crystal snowflakes, using borax crystals or salt crystals for younger kids. Or check out DIY At-Home STEM Experiments That Make Science Fun!
4 – Baking
Warm up your house by baking delicious treats. Try to include your kids in all stages of the process. However, you may want to decide beforehand on a few options for them to choose from. This way you are sure you have the ingredients in the house. Offering limited choices will make it easier for kids to choose as well.
There are even recipes online that call for fresh snow in the recipe. You can make homemade hot chocolate, heating the snow to add to your favorite mix. You can make ice cream and even muffins using snow as well. Consider laying a sheet in the living room and enjoy your efforts at an indoor picnic lunch.
5 – Spa Day and Pampering
Turning the day into a spa day is another fun activity. Teaching children how to take care of themselves can be fun and relaxing. After a warm bubble bath, clip everyone’s nails and give each other manicures and pedicures. You can also play with your hairstyles. Why not take out some old pictures and show them hairstyles from your past?
6 – Crafts
There are so many great crafts to keep your children entertained. You can make bird feeders for our feathered friends who will be finding it difficult to find food in the severe weather conditions. Paper snowflakes are an easy, favorite winter-inspired craft. Use cotton balls to make all sorts of winter crafts of such pictures of snowflakes, snow people, igloos and snow globes.
7 – Traditional Favorites
There are also the quieter, traditional activities to consider such as reading, looking at family photos, or watching a family-favorite or new movie. These activities are calming and can be educational as well as bonding for the family.
We hope we have inspired you with our list. All of these ideas will encourage family bonding and build happy memories for your kids. Your Local Kids is the place to go to find out what’s happening on Long Island. Check our blog regularly for great ideas and to keep up to date on local events.
