25 Incredible Outside Snow Day Activities

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When most people think of snowy day activities for kids, they only think about what to do inside on a snow day. That’s missing out on all the fun. Snow day activities that are outside, help kids to celebrate the magic and wonder of freshly fallen snow. While a few indoor snow day activities are fun, we love to bundle up and do snow day activities outside instead.

As a bonus, kids will burn off a lot of their extra energy on a snow day outside and will be filled with lots of great memories when the snow finally melts.

25 Incredible Snow Day Activities For Outside Snow Play

1. Take an icicle walk outside on a snowy day.  

If it’s not too cold, have your kids make a little game out of their walk on a snow day outside and see who can find the longest icicle, shortest icicle, or the strangest looking icicle. While not everyone is down for this easy snow day activity, we always let our kids eat the icicles off the side of the porch and they think it’s the best treat

2. Try Out Snow Scootering

We got a snow scooter for our kids last year and they love it! It’s like a regular scooter but made for the snow and is the perfect outdoor snow-day toy. It’s seriously SO MUCH FUN and even our preschooler can do this snow day activity. Read all about our favorite snow scooters.

3. Make snow angels and then decorate them with colored water on a snow day

This is a great activity for little ones. Let them lay in the snow and make their angels, then help them decorate them with colored water in a spray bottle (made with water and food coloring). Our kids love making silly faces on their snow angels or making our whole family out of snow angels together on a snowy day.

4.  Make some snow ice cream outside (honestly this is so so yummy).

This recipe for snow ice cream is SO EASY and is a great snow day activity for toddlers or young kids. Simply fill a bowl with 2 cups of snow, 2 TBSP of sweetened condensed milk and some sort of flavoring. Our kids like to add a tablespoon of juice concentrate or some Nesquik mix to flavor their snow ice cream. While it won’t warm them up, snow ice cream is the perfect treat for a snow day outside.

5. Go Sledding on a snow day

family sledding in snow

Sledding is a winter classic and a great way to spend a snow day. It’s easy to find sleds for kids of all ages from sleds for baby and toddlers to fast foam sleds or saucer sleds for older kids!

6. Build a Snow Fort

This snow day fun could easily take an entire day if you’re feeling ambitious. Start by packing a snowball and molding it into a brick shape. Then, start building your fort, using the snowball bricks as walls. To simplify, you can buy this simple snow brick maker to help the process go faster!

An alternative way to make a snowfort is to make a giant pile of freshly fallen snow, pack it together, and then hollow it out. We’ve found that this works especially well with the piles of snow we get after shoveling the driveway in winter (ahem, as a bribe to get our kids to shovel).

7.  Snowball target practice.

This one is great outdoor snow day activity for older kids. Set up a target (we use an old bucket) and then have a snowball throwing competition. The person who gets the most hits in the target wins! Of course, this will inevitably turn into a snowball fight on a snow day, so set up some ground rules in advance, like no head shots.

8.  Go on a nature walk and look for animal tracks in the fresh snow.

This is a great outdoor snow day activity for all ages. If you have younger kids, you can go on a walk and look for animal tracks together and then try to guess what animal made the tracks. For older kids (and adults), this can be a great opportunity to get out in nature and enjoy the quiet of winter and to practice their skills of observation. Snow days can be extra quiet outside, so there’s even a chance of spotting some wildlife.

9.  Make a backyard snow maze by stomping out paths throughout the yard

This is a great snow play activity for kids of all ages. If you have younger kids, you can help them make the paths and then let them run around in the maze. For older kids playing in the snow, they can try to make their own maze or even race each other through it. This is also a great snow day activity for the whole family.

10.  Play snow maze TAG 

Yep, play tag in your winter snow maze, but the rule is that you have to stay on one of the “maze” paths. This is a great way to get the family moving on a snow day and encouraging some active snow play for kids.

11.  Make snow sculptures. 

This is another great activity for all ages looking for outdoor snow play. If you have younger kids, you can help them make simple shapes out of the snow. For older kids on a snow day, they can try to make more complex sculptures or even see if they can build a structure that’s extra tall.

For younger kids on a snow day, we love these snow molds that are perfect for making snow sculptures without any frustration.

12.  Make a giant snowball and roll it down a hill.

This is definitely a snow day activity for older kids and adults. Find a big hill in your neighborhood (or go to a park with a large hill) and roll the giant snowball down it on a snow day. Make sure that any little kids are out of the way in case the snowball starts to get out of control and gain speed.

For an extra level of fun, make some snow sculptures and try and knock them over with your snowball for a giant game of snow bowling.

13. Write a secret message in the snow

This is a great winter snow day activity for all ages. Write a message in the snow with your finger and then have your family try to guess what it says. You can make it as easy or as hard as you want, depending on the age of your kids. For younger kids, you might want to write a simple message like “I love you.” For older kids, they might be able to decipher a code or do some math problems to figure out the hidden message.

14. Build a giant snow hill

This is another great activity for all ages. Find a big hill in your neighborhood (or go to a park with a large hill) and start packing the snow into a giant mound. Once you have a big hill, start piling more on. Our kids love doing this and often make hills taller than they are with steps carved into once side and a sledding track carved into the other.

15. Have A Neighborhood Snow Shoveling Party

Enlist the help of all the neighborhood kids to shovel everyone’s sidewalks and driveways. Make it a race to see who can finish first and have a prize for the winner. This is a great way to get the kids active on a snow day and to help out the neighbors. We always designate one house as the finish line and have hot cocoa waiting for the kids at the end.

16.  Make snow track pictures

imagine a birds-eye view and stomp out a path in the snow to outline your picture. Keep walking to create the “lines” of your drawing. Go to an upstairs window to get the best view of your snow track picture when you’re done!

17. Teach your kids to cross country ski.

If you have cross country skis, this is a great opportunity to teach your kids how to ski. If you don’t have skis, you can still go for a winter hike and show your kids how to walk in the snow. This is a great way to get the kids ready for cross country ski trails, especially if they’re new to the sport. If your kids already know how to ski, check out these great cross country ski activities for kids.

19.  Bust out your sand toys and make a “snow castle”

If you have any sand toys left over from summer, now is the time to use them! Get a bucket of snow and build a “snow castle” in your yard. Use the buckets to make towers and walls and then use the sand toys to make imprints in the snow. This is a great way to get the kids outside on a snow day and playing in the snow.

 20.  SKI

We are absolutely in love with skiing. You can learn more by checking out our sister site SkiingKids.com or our articles here, hereherehereherehereherehereherehereherehere, and here)

21. Go Snow Tubing

Snow tubing is a great winter activity for all ages. You can find snow tubing hills at most ski resorts and many local parks.

22.Build a snowman

This one is probably a no-brainer, but it’s always a classic for a good reason. It’s a great way to get your kids active and using their imaginations. Encourage kids to think outside of the traditional 3-ball snowman box, and they’ll probably amaze you with what they come up with. For classic fun, we love this snowman kit.

23.  Go snowshoeing in your backyard.

Boys snowshoeing

If you have a large backyard, take advantage of the snow and go for a little walk! You can even make it a competition by seeing who can get to the end of the yard first. This also works well at a local park.You don’t have to make it complicated, since the most important part is just getting kids outside!

If you’re planning to snowshoe with kids this winter, this is a must do, since it’s so important for kids to practice snowshoeing before they get to the trailhead. Since snowshoeing is so easy, it’s a great snow day activity for toddlers. Check out our favorite kids snowshoes.

24. Make a winter birdfeeder

This is a great way to help the birds during the winter months and it’s a fun activity for kids. There are lots of ways to make birdfeeders, but our favorite is using a pinecone. Just cover the pinecone in peanut butter and then roll it in bird seed. Make sure to hang it from a tree in a place that birds will easily see it in the winter.

25.  Make A Snow volcano

We love making baking soda and vinegar volcanoes at our house, and this is a fun way to do it while avoiding the indoor mess. Make a giant volcano-shaped hill in the snow and hollow out an area for a jar in the middle. Add some baking soda and several drops of food coloring. Add vinegar to the mixture for your own snow volcano! This is one of our kid’s favorite snow day activities.

PHEW! Now there’s no real excuse to stay inside this winter. Well that is, except to warm up with this AMAZING hot chocolate!

As always, make sure to keep your kids warm out there. If you want to know how cold is too cold for kids to be outside, check this out.

How can I dress my kids to stay warm outside?

Make sure to dress your kids in layers to retain body heat, starting with a moisture-wicking base layer, followed by an insulating layer, and a waterproof outer layer. Don’t forget waterproof gloves, a warm hat, and insulated boots. Taking breaks to go inside and warm up is also important.

How long should we stay outside in the cold?

The amount of time you spend outside will depend on the temperature and the age of the kids. Generally, taking breaks every 45 minutes to warm up is a good rule. Watch for signs of discomfort or cold, such as shivering or complaints, and head inside for a hot chocolate break if needed.

Are there any educational activities we can do in the snow?

Yes! You can teach kids about animal tracks by identifying different prints in the snow, discussing the science of snowflakes and ice, or even creating snow art using colored water in spray bottles. These activities are both fun and educational.

About Jessica Averett

Hi, I’m Jessica, a mom of 5 kids and married to my favorite adventure partner. I love to bike, ski, camp and hike. We've visited over 40 countries with our kids, but are equally happy on the road as we are exploring our home state of Utah.

5 thoughts on “25 Incredible Outside Snow Day Activities”

  1. With the temperature in Pittsburgh being the way that it is, we experience many snowy days. Naturally we all have fun outside in the snow building snowmen, and making snow angels. Eventually tho that gets a little old. These ideas you’ve just given me from this post will definitely change things up for the better. My kids are gonna love it. Thanks for the post.

    Reply

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