Snow Is Piling Up – Activities To Keep Your Kids Busy Outdoors

When you peek outside and see nothing but a big blanket of white snow covering the ground, you know it’s time to quickly figure out something for the kids to do. Kids get restless quickly when they’re cooped up inside all day. And, what’s worse is, you’ll start getting frustrated with restless kids under your feet all day long and that’s not good! Snow games and activities take a special effort, but you’ll be glad you did it.

Playing video games and watching movies can only go so far. Eventually you’ll need to get the kids outside and blow off some steam. It’s time to grab the boots, mittens, and hats and brave the elements! It’s time for some fun in the snow! Have you forgotten how to play in the snow or what kind of snow activities you used to do? Here’s some reminders.

Snowman: You can make one gigantic snowman or a whole family of snowpeople. Your kids may like to make one each and pattern theirs after themselves using some of their own hats and scarves, or even jackets to dress their snowperson counterpart. With just three snowballs graduating in size, you can fill an afternoon with fun and creativity, and exercise! Join in with the kids and you’ll get your exercise, too. Pick up pine cones, sticks, rocks, or anything that you can find to use for eyes, nose, mouth, and arms. Embellish your snowman with props like shovels, brooms, or anything appropriate for your family, perhaps a hockey stick. Set up a whole family of snowpeople playing a game of hockey wearing your favorite team jerseys. Have fun in the snow and show off your talents… and your team colors!

Snow Angels: Bundle your little angels up and send them out in the snow to make little replicas of themselves. Fresh snowfalls are great for this activity. Find a spot where the snow is fluffy and have your kids lay on their back. Then just ask them to flap their arms up from their sides above their head, then back down again, and their legs out and in. Better yet, show them how it’s done. Give them a boost up, turn around, and voila! You’re an angel! If you want, add some branches for a halo, or even some glittery garland.

Snow House: Building a structure like a house is always an adventure. Kids love to have their very own design come to life before their eyes. Help your kids pick out a rough idea of what they want to build, like a fort or even an igloo. Get out a few pictures if this will help spark their imagination. Then, show them how to tamp down some snow into a plastic container or bucket and turn it over to create their building blocks. Help them shovel off the area they’ll be building upon, then let them at it! Building a playhouse, complete with interior walls, will keep them busy all day. They may even want to try their hand at building some little tables and chairs inside. Provide them with some food coloring and water in a spray bottle to “paint” their house and the illusion is complete. Bring out some hot cocoa and you may even be invited in!

Snowball Dodgeball: If you’re familiar with dodgeball, you’ll already know how this is played. Just substitute snowballs for a real ball and let the games begin! Choose up your sides, go over the rules, and start the onslaught of snowballs. Be sure to pack your snowballs just tight enough to fly, but not so tight that they become hard. You want the snowball to burst and go “poof” when it hits the other team member. You can also play more of a game of snowball tag, in which every kid stands on their own and is only out of the game when they surrender. No matter how your kids decide to play, be sure that you get out there and join in the fun. Running around in the snow is not only fun and exhilarating, it burns lots and lots of calories!

Snow Sledding: You may not have a big hill in your yard. You may not have sleds and toboggans, either. But, what you do have is lots and lots of snow. If you have a snowbank with a safe landing area, you’ve got the making of a sledding hill for your little ones. Grab some pieces of cardboard, plastic, or even your plastic kiddie wading pool and head up to the top of that snowbank. For your littlest ones, this is quite enough. For bigger kids, you may need to do a little shoveling to create more of a challenge.

Get out the hot cocoa, the camera, and the cold weather gear and head outside to enjoy some great snow activities and games. Bundle your kids up all nice and cozy, and before long they’ll be hootin’ and hollerin’ for all the neighbors to hear. They may even get some other kids outside to join in the fun, too!

ShowKidsTheFun.com has even more snow activities for children plus other activities to make your winter snowfalls special.