Oh the weather outside is frightful,
But the fire is so delightful,
And since we’ve no place to go,
Let It Snow! Let It Snow! Let It Snow!
Sammy Cahn wrote those classic lyrics — I don’t think he had kids. If he did, he’d have realized that the prospect of being trapped inside for days with restless children is far more frightful than any amount of snow… unless, that is, you can keep those kids entertained. That’s why we’ve compiled this list of 101 Things To Do At Home When Snowed In With Kids – to save parents in colder climates from the wrath of bored children. (Much of this list will work for days when you’re stuck at home because of rain).
- Build a snowman
- Go sledding
- Have a snowball fight
- Make snow angels
- Play board games together
- Go through family photos
- Watch old home videos
- Have a family talent show
- Sing songs together
- Have a drawing contest (Everyone draws the same thing and you vote on a winner)
- Have a left-handed drawing contest
- Act out a scene from a movie / play / Bible story
- Tell a story together – each person adds 1 sentence
- Play Paper, Rock, Scissors
- Invent a new recipe together by combining items in your refrigerator
- Watch a movie together
- Read a book together
- Play “I’m Thinking of an Animal”
- Play “I Spy”
- Play “Heads Up 7 Up”
- Thumb-wrestle
- Give each other makeovers
- Take out the camcorder and interview your kids about their favorite things
- Give your kids the camcorder and have them interview you
- Watch a TV show with the sound off and add your own voices
- Have a pushup contest
- Play “chubby bunny”
- Use a blindfold and play “Guess the food” by smelling it
- Do a crossword puzzle together
- Draw your own maze, then have your child try to complete it
- Tell ghost stories / scary stories
- Tell embarrassing moments
- Tell favorite family memories
- Have a puppet show (sock puppets work well)
- Play the hand-slap game
- Have a family dance contest
- See who can do a handstand the longest
- Play Simon Says
- Play “Do As I’m Doing”
- Say 2 things that are true about you, and 1 that’s false — see if they can guess the false one
- Play charades
- Play “20 Questions”
- Write a story and have your kids illustrate it
- Have your kids write a story, then you illustrate it
- Bake cookies
- Cut out snowflakes and use them to decorate your kids’ rooms
- Have a lip-sync contest
- Make your own flip book cartoon
- Choreograph a dance to a favorite song
- Perform the dance in front of the camcorder
- Watch it back and laugh at your performance
- Make a gingerbread house together
- Have a staring contest
- Draw self-portraits
- Paint a picture (if you have the supplies)
- Build a fort
- Create your own musical instruments, then play them
- Take pictures of each other making silly faces
- See who can stand on one foot for the longest time
- See who can hop on foot for the longest time
- Play “Win, Lose, or Draw”
- Paint each others’ nails
- Give each other massages
- Build a tower out of playing cards
- Play dress up with old clothes
- Take your own “glamour shots” in your dress up outfits
- Rearrange furniture in your kids rooms
- Play “Ring around the rosie”
- Make up a song together
- Write letters to Grandparents
- Sort through old toys and clothes — see what you can give to charity
- Make your own playdough
- Make goo with corn starch and water
- Have a family video game tournament
- Make a collage from old magazines
- Draw a picture of a house, have kids “decorate” it by cutting out items from old magazines
- Teach your kids how to sew, knit, crochet, etc.
- Teach your kids how to play checkers
- Teach your kids how to play chess
- Play “Only Questions” — you have to answer everything with another question
- Have a tea party
- Go through old magazines and try to find the person you look the most like
- Have a paper airplane contest
- Crumple up some paper and play trashcan basketball
- Have a special dinner where everyone dresses up and use candles
- Have an “ugliest outfit” contest
- See who can put on the most clothing in 60 seconds
- Play hide-and-seek
- Make your own music video
- Setup an indoor tent
- Make s’mores and hot chocolate
- Do a workout video together
- See who can build the tallest lego tower
- Play “Hide the block” (or any other item you have handy)
- Play “What’s missing?” (put a bunch of items on a tray, then have your kids close their eyes, remove an item, and have them guess what’s missing)
- Plan a future (dream) vacation together
- Play “Name that tune”
- Have an indoor picnic
- Do a puzzle together
- Play paper football
- Blow up a balloon and see how many times you can hit it back and forth before it hits the ground
We think our list is pretty good, but it’s not exhaustive — what did we miss? What do you and your kids love to do at home when snowed in?
