Getting that 5:00 a.m. snow day phone call should no longer cause you any stress now that you have these 5 educational snow day activities in your back pocket!
“Snow day.” by Finding Josephine is licensed under CC BY 2.0
Growing up in the northeast meant having snow days…a lot!
Call me crazy, but winter has and always will be my FAVORITE season!
If it involves hot cocoa and a book, or tea and knitting needles (or any warm drink and a sitting-on-the-couch-under-a-blanket project), it is genuinely my favorite thing to do!
Snow day activities when I was a kid always seemed extravagant…
But looking back, they were just fun games I played with my mom and my sister, and those are some of my favorite memories! ❤️
AND THERE’S NO REASON YOU CAN’T MAKE THOSE SAME MEMORIES WITH YOUR PINT-SIZED PEOPLE!
As a former kid and current preschool teacher, here are my 10 favorite educational snow day activities…
“Puzzle” by kevin dooley is licensed under CC BY 2.0
1. DIY Puzzles
Skills They’ll Practice:
- Scissor Skills
- Three-Point Grip
- Creative Expression
- Connection Making Via Puzzles
On a piece of card stock paper, draw a picture!
It can be of anything – from purple, three-legged dinosaurs to red fairy godmothers – the possibilities are endless!
Take your time. Ask questions about your little’s picture as you’re drawing. Speak in a silly art critic voice. Have fun!
When you’re all done drawing, draw puzzle lines on the back of the picture. If the kiddo is capable, model on your page and have them draw their own lines.
Cut out the lines carefully to reveal your pieces.
Then, build your puzzles!
“snowball!” by jlodder is licensed under CC BY 2.0
2. Stacking Snowballs
Skills They’ll Practice:
- Counting
- Fine Motor Manipulations
- Stacking/Gravity/Balance
- Comparing Size
Read a book about stacking or counting.
“Stack the Cats” by Susie Ghahremani and “10 Apples on Top” by Dr. Seuss are some of my favorites!
Then…go outside and play in the snow! There are many things snow days are lacking, but snow is surely not it!
While you’re outside, see who can stack and count the most snowballs. Explore concepts like bigger and smaller, and taller and shorter.
Stack piles of small snowballs and big snowballs. Which are easier to stack? Why are some piles with five snowballs bigger than other piles with five snowballs (hint: bigger snowballs!)?
“Fun with a Cardboard Box 1” by Monkey Mash Button is licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0
3. The Box
Skills They’ll Practice:
- Dramatic Play
- Cutting
- Three-Point Grip
Give a child a box – like a good size box from a new dishwasher or an Ikea table – and it’s like they’ve won the lottery.
Any situation where a child has creative freedom over a project is always a good one.
A box is never just a box. It’s a…
SPACESHIP!
FIRE STATION!
CASTLE!
The possibilities are endless!
“Walking in snow” by allispossible.org.uk is licensed under CC BY 2.0
4. Nature Walk and Journal
Skills They’ll Practice:
- Plant and Animal Identification
- Literature Appreciation
- Three-Point Grip
- Tracing/Writing and Spelling
I am incredibly grateful that I grew up in an area with so many trails, fields, and mountains!
It was commonplace, growing up, to go outside and see a plethora of tracks from animals passing through or trees seemingly a million feet tall.
If where you live sounds similar to this, activity number four may be right up your alley!
For this activity, go outside with your pint-sized people and appreciate the world around you.
Notice the plants still growing despite the unforgiving winter.
Notice the prints in the snow.
Take a picture of everything you see!
After you go inside, go through the pictures with your little ones and pick the ones you would like to draw for your nature book!
Take 3-5 pieces of white copy paper, fold them in half, and staple down the folded side. This will be your nature book!
Draw a cover, and copy down a picture similar to the ones you took with your camera into each page of your book.
Write what you can about each picture on the page. (For younger writers, write with a yellow marker or pencil and have them trace over it with a darker marker!)
After you’re done, share your findings with anyone and everyone who will listen!
“‘Writing the Letter'” by Archives Branch, USMC History Division is licensed under CC BY 2.0
5. A Letter To Your Teacher
Skills They’ll Practice:
- Story Telling
- Three-Point Grip
- Tracing/Writing and Spelling
Last school year, I had a student write me a letter about what he did during the day prior, during our snow day.
His mom told me he wanted to do it so I didn’t miss him too much.
I still have this letter and I’m POSITIVE your kiddo’s teacher would LOVE it if they had one, too!
Take a moment with your child to talk about their day: What did they do? How did they feel?
Depending on their level of ability, write out what they want to say in yellow marker to trace or on a separate piece of paper to copy down.
When they go back to school the next day, they can share their letter with their teacher about what they did on their snow day!
Too cold for outdoor snow day activities?
Baking with your kiddos provides you an amazing opportunity to work on their basic math skills!
Here’s a few recipes for my favorite snow day treats…
- Snickerdoodle Scones: Ready in 20 Minutes!
- The BEST Giant Chocolate Chip Cookies Recipe
- 4 Ingredient Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies
Snow days should be filled with great memories! I hope you try these educational snow day activities and have fun with them!
Remember that anything and everything can become a learning experience when you ask questions and have conversations about what you’re doing! Even a simple “how do you feel about that?” or “what would happen if you did ___?” helps them grow their critical thinking skills!
Have an amazing snow day!
❤️ Kayden
Kayden Hamlin is a full-time preschool teacher and graduate student. She is passionate about saving money, self-care and mindfulness, and child development! When not in a classroom, you’d most likely find her reading with a cup of tea in hand or knitting projects for her family and friends.