Snow Day Activities Your Hotdog Will Love

Below Zero temperatures, you say? We know that’s not going to stop our Hotdogs having fun! Here’s how to help them have a blast on their snow days:

Snow Critters

If your little ones are struggling to build a snowman that stays strong, encourage them to try a floor-based snow critter instead. Build a wiggly caterpillar or a spider with eight legs. Or see who can make an unusual snow beast!

Snow graffiti

Snow makes such a beautiful blank canvas. Make DIY snow paint with water and food dye or watercolours then use brushes and sprays to create melting masterpieces.

Snow noughts and crosses

Draw a grid in the snow and play noughts and crosses. Add to the hands-on fun by using pinecones, leaves, sticks or other natural elements as playing counters.

Frozen bubbles

When the temperatures really plummet, grab the bubbles and let your kids blow bubbles that will freeze on the wand. Bubble mixture can freeze at 0 degrees Celsius, but the colder the better. Wrap up warm!

Image: @play.hooray

Tuff Tray Ice

Another brilliant activity from Play Hooray, bring the frozen fun indoors! Fill a tuff tray with a cm or two of water and leave outside overnight to freeze, creating a tuff tray ice rink! Your children can then use plastic figures to explore the ice or use ice cubes and a plastic putter for your own indoor ice hockey pitch.

Cold Moulds

Who said making castles was just for the sand! Collect up your beach buckets, jelly moulds, pots and pans and let your children experiment with snow moulding.

Snow Fruit Treasure

The thrill of a treasure hunt never gets old. Grab a handful of apples (or other fruit you have available) and go out into the snow before your children to hide them. Then watch as they eagerly explore looking for the hidden treasure.

Trucks and diggers

If you have a truck and digger lover, snow is the perfect opportunity to take them outside. You don't really need much else, let them have fun scooping and digging!

Snow targets

Prevent sibling tensions by giving your kids something to throw their snowballs at. Paint a target on a piece of cardboard or simply point out targets around the garn (tree, water feature, fence...) giving each a score. 

Image: @rainierlulumoments 

Footprint foraging

Once you’ve made your own footprints, take time looking out for animal prints in the snow. Whose steps can you spot? Birds? Rabbits? Dogs? Chat about what you find.

What about when your Hotdogs have had enough outside? Here are a few indoor escapades to try:

Indoor snowball fight

Get out as many pairs of socks as you can find, roll them up, and divide up the ‘snowballs’. A soft and safe way to enjoy a snowball fight without getting cold.

Have an indoor picnic

Oh, the novelty of having a picnic indoors! Pop a rug on the floor, serve up finger food in pots or lunch boxes and get down on the floor with them.

Recycling crafts

Unplanned snow days may not leave much time for organised fun, but the recycling box is a great place to grab craft resources. Pick out items which are clean and safe (like cardboard and junk mail) and give them glue, scissors and tape to get creative.

Build a fort

Flip the household rules on their head for the day and allow your kids to take the sofa cushions off, bring their duvets downstairs and make a huge and snuggly indoor fort. Battery powered tea lights are a brilliant touch for making a campfire you can read stories around.

Image: @chloeuberkid 

Let them be little

Let’s face it, your Hotdogs are probably reeling in the novelty of no school or nursery on a weekday, so it’s quite enough to let them be little! Free play is so important.