Cheap Snow Day Activities
Posted By :Dan Moore
Posted At : Monday, Dec 06, 2010
A snow day is a double-edged sword: It provides a change to the monotony of the everyday routine, but it can also keep bored, energetic kids cooped up inside the house if playing outside is not an option–such a predicament strikes anxiety and fear in the heart of every stay-at-home parent. However, snow days should not be dreaded, as there are a multitude of cheap activities that you as a parent can use to engage your kids and keep them from driving you crazy. Follow this guide, and snow days will never end in blood-curdling arguments over an expensive trip to the movies or the mall ever again.
Fun Food
A good way to keep a child engaged on a snow day is to utilize his or her appetite. To do this without spending too much money, get creative with what you make. For example, make edible snowflakes out of flour tortillas. After you’ve folded your tortilla into fourths, cut it into a snowflake shape, brush it with melted butter, sprinkle on a little cinnamon, and then bake until crispy. Also, make “snow cream” by adding in mixtures of vanilla, milk and sugar to a cup of clean, fresh snow.
Games
Board games are great for snow days. Don’t own any?–Stock up on some at places like Walmart or Toys”R”Us before winter arrives because that’s when they’re most likely to be on clearance. Bust-out Monopoly, Life or Risk if you have older kids–these games can eat up a few hours each–and Candy Land or Chutes and Ladders if you have younger children. If you only have cards, a snow day is a great opportunity to teach your kids some card games. Snow days are also a good time to sit down and watch a movie.
Arts and Crafts
Let your kids use your coffee filters to fold, cut and create snowflakes that can be hung from the ceiling or tacked to the walls. Another great, cheap activity is the time-honored sock puppet show. Dig into the depths of your closet and let your kids use old socks to create puppet characters. Old cardboard boxes can be decorated with glitter and glue to create a makeshift stage. Kids love performing, so once they’ve created their puppets and their stage, encourage them to put on a show for the family.
Summertime…Indoors
Nothing is better to keep a kid’s mind off of the cold–and the possible boredom it induces–than creating a summer atmosphere indoors. Have your kids help you make some sandwiches. Then, lay out an old blanket and have a picnic indoors. Also, create an indoor scavenger hunt. Make a list, hide household items in tricky places, establish a “no-running” rule, ensure your kids of an incentive for the winner–this could be cookies, a few dollars or something else relatively trivial and cheap–and the kids will be occupied for hours.
There you have it. With some creativity, a few household items, and a little bit of patience, you can make a snow day fun for your kids and peaceful for yourself for little or no money.
