This post contains affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate we earn from qualifying purchases, at no extra cost to you. Read our disclosure.
Safety first: Always supervise little ones, and skip small parts for kids who still put things in their mouths. Please read our play safety notes before you start.
Key takeaways
- Read the cold safety basics first: layers, short outdoor stints and dry clothes right away.
- The AAP says to avoid outdoor play when the temperature or wind chill is below -15°F.
- A bin of real snow on a towel turns a too-cold day into indoor snow play.
- Use flameless LED lights in snow lanterns and keep the button batteries away from kids.
- Snow can carry dirt and road salt, so teach kids not to eat it.
In this post28 sections
- Cold safety before any snow activities for kids
- Outside snow activities for toddlers (ages 1 to 3)
- 1. Snow painting with squeeze bottles
- 2. Kitchen tool snow dig
- 3. Footprint follow-the-leader
- 4. Snow mold castles
- Outside snow activities for preschool (ages 3 to 5)
- 5. Stomped snow maze
- 6. Painted snowball target
- 7. Snow volcano
- 8. Snow letters and shapes
- 9. How deep is the snow?
- Outside snow activities for big kids (ages 5 to 8)
- 10. Frozen bubbles
- 11. Snowball lanterns
- 12. Snowflake study on black paper
- 13. Snow animal sculpture
- 14. Snow bowling
- Indoor snow activities for kids: bring a bin of real snow inside
- 15. Arctic animal snow bin
- 16. Snow color mixing tin
- 17. How much water is in snow?
- 18. Snow melt race
- 19. Mini snowmen tray
- 20. Clean snow vs dirty snow test
- 21. Snow bakery
- Snow gear and supplies worth having
- FAQ
Cold safety before any snow activities for kids
Little kids often won't tell you they are cold, so set a timer for short stints. For toddlers, 10 to 20 minutes outside and then a warm-up break is a good start.
| Age | Outside | Inside with real snow |
|---|---|---|
| 1 to 3 | Snow painting, kitchen tool dig, footprint trails | Arctic animal snow bin, snow bakery |
| 3 to 5 | Snow castles, snow maze, snow volcano, snow letters | Color mixing tin, mini snowmen tray |
| 5 to 8 | Frozen bubbles, snow lanterns, snowflake study, snow bowling | Melt measuring, melt race, dirty snow test |
Outside snow activities for toddlers (ages 1 to 3)
Toddlers want to scoop, dump, stomp and squeeze. Keep it close to the door and keep it short.
1Snow painting with squeeze bottles
Fill squeeze bottles with water and a few drops of food coloring. Kids squirt lines, dots and swirls across fresh snow. Mixing blue and yellow on the snow makes green.
Ages: 2 to 6.
Prep: 5 minutes.
Mess: medium: food coloring can stain mittens and clothes.
Supplies: squeeze bottles, water, food coloring.
Safety: no small parts. Use old mittens, and wipe drips off skin with soap and water.
- For toddlers who cannot squeeze yet, use a big paintbrush dipped in a cup of colored water.
Easy for small hands to squeeze, and they hold colored water for snow painting.
2Kitchen tool snow dig
Bring out a muffin tin, measuring cups, big spoons and a pail. Toddlers scoop snow, pack the cups and tap out little snow cakes. It is the same play as a sandbox, just colder.
Ages: 1 to 3.
Prep: 2 minutes.
Mess: low.
Supplies: a muffin tin, measuring cups, big spoons, a pail.
Safety: use plastic or metal tools without sharp edges. Stay right beside toddlers in deep snow.
3Footprint follow-the-leader
Walk a winding path through fresh snow with big steps. Your toddler follows, stepping into each footprint. Then switch, and you follow their tiny prints.
Ages: 2 to 4.
Prep: none.
Mess: none.
Supplies: fresh snow, boots.
Safety: stay on flat ground away from driveways, roads and icy patches.
4Snow mold castles
Pack damp snow into sand castle molds, loaf pans or plastic cups and flip them over to build towers and walls. Wet, sticky snow works best, so try this on a warmer snow day.
Ages: 2 to 6.
Prep: 2 minutes.
Mess: low.
Supplies: sand molds, plastic cups or loaf pans, a small shovel.
Safety: no small parts. Use plastic shovels, not metal garden tools.
Packs snow into bricks and towers that hold their shape.
Outside snow activities for preschool (ages 3 to 5)
Preschoolers can follow simple rules and love a little science. These take a bit more setup, but hold attention longer.
5Stomped snow maze
Stomp a winding maze into fresh snow with a few loops and dead ends. Kids run the maze without stepping in the deep snow. Play tag in it, and the tagger has to stay on the path too.
Ages: 3 to 8.
Prep: 10 minutes.
Mess: none.
Supplies: fresh snow, boots.
Safety: keep the maze in a flat yard, well away from the street and the driveway.
6Painted snowball target
Use a squeeze bottle to paint a big target on a snowbank or the side of a snow pile. Kids throw snowballs at the rings and get points for the center.
Ages: 3 to 8.
Prep: 5 minutes.
Mess: low.
Supplies: a squeeze bottle of colored water, snow.
Safety: throw only at the target, never at faces. Use loose snowballs, not packed ice balls.
7Snow volcano
Build a snow mound around a plastic cup. Add 2 big spoons of baking soda and a squirt of dish soap to the cup, then pour in colored vinegar and watch it bubble over.
Ages: 3 to 8.
Prep: 10 minutes.
Mess: medium: colored foam.
Supplies: a plastic cup, baking soda, vinegar, dish soap, food coloring.
Safety: grown-ups pour the vinegar. Keep it away from eyes, and rinse with water if any splashes.
8Snow letters and shapes
Use a stick to draw big letters, numbers and shapes in a flat patch of snow. Kids trace them with their boots, or you call a letter and they jump on it.
Ages: 3 to 6.
Prep: 5 minutes.
Mess: none.
Supplies: a stick or a long spoon.
Safety: pick a smooth stick with no sharp end, and walk, do not run, with it.
9How deep is the snow?
Push a ruler or yardstick straight down into the snow and read the number. Measure in 3 spots: the open yard, by the house and in a drift. Write the numbers on a notepad and compare.
Ages: 4 to 8.
Prep: 2 minutes.
Mess: none.
Supplies: a ruler or yardstick, a notepad.
Safety: stay away from snow piled by the road, where plows push snow and cars can not see small kids.
Outside snow activities for big kids (ages 5 to 8)
Older kids like projects that take a little patience. These are great on very cold, clear days when the snow is too dry to pack.
10Frozen bubbles
On a calm day well below freezing, blow a bubble gently and catch it on the wand or let it land on snow. Watch ice crystals spread across it like feathers. The colder and stiller the day, the better it works.
Ages: 4 to 8.
Prep: 2 minutes.
Mess: none.
Supplies: bubble solution, a wand.
Safety: keep these trips short on very cold days and check fingers often.
11Snowball lanterns
Make a ring of snowballs, then stack smaller rings on top into a pyramid, leaving a gap at the top. A grown-up sets a flameless LED tea light in the middle. They glow at dusk.
Ages: 5 to 8.
Prep: 15 minutes.
Mess: none.
Supplies: packing snow, flameless LED tea lights.
Safety: use LED lights, not candles. LED tea lights run on button batteries, which are very dangerous if swallowed, so a grown-up handles the lights and keeps them out of reach.
Lights snow lanterns with no flame near mittens.
12Snowflake study on black paper
Chill a sheet of black paper outside for a few minutes, then catch falling snow on it. Look at the flakes with a magnifying glass and count their points before they melt.
Ages: 4 to 8.
Prep: 5 minutes.
Mess: none.
Supplies: black paper, a clipboard, a magnifying glass.
Safety: never look at the sun through a magnifier. No small parts.
Makes snowflakes and the dirt test easy to see.
13Snow animal sculpture
Skip the snowman and build a snow turtle, a cat or a sleeping dog. Roll a big body, add a head and legs, then use sticks and pinecones for details.
Ages: 5 to 8.
Prep: 5 minutes.
Mess: none.
Supplies: packing snow, sticks, pinecones.
Safety: supervise any digging or tunnel building, and always leave an open exit, as the AAP advises for snow forts.
14Snow bowling
Fill 6 plastic bottles with colored water and set them up in the snow like bowling pins. Roll a big snowball at them. Stomp a lane first so the ball rolls straight.
Ages: 3 to 8.
Prep: 10 minutes.
Mess: low.
Supplies: plastic bottles with caps, water, food coloring.
Safety: tape caps on tight. Bring the bottles in afterward so they do not freeze and crack.
For the warm-up breaks between trips outside, the Indoor Day Rescue Kit for ages 3 to 8 has a three-card snow day plan and 100 activity cards sorted by energy level, from Burn Energy to Calm Down.
Indoor snow activities for kids: bring a bin of real snow inside
On days that are too cold or windy to stay out, scoop a bin of clean snow and bring it to the kitchen table. Put a towel underneath, roll up sleeves and give kids gloves if their hands get too cold.
Scoop from a clean spot away from the road, since snow near the street can hold dirt and road salt. No snow at all? Our winter sensory bin ideas cover fake snow you can make at home.
15Arctic animal snow bin
Add toy polar bears, penguins and seals to a shallow bin of snow. Kids build dens, slide penguins down snow hills and dig caves. When it melts, it becomes an arctic ocean.
Ages: 2 to 6.
Prep: 5 minutes.
Mess: medium: melting snow.
Supplies: a shallow bin, snow, arctic animal toys, a towel.
Safety: use toys bigger than a choking size for under 3s. Snow is not a snack.
Big polar bears and penguins for the indoor snow bin.
16Snow color mixing tin
Pack each cup of a muffin tin with snow. Set out red, yellow and blue water with droppers. Kids drip colors onto the snow and find out what mixing makes.
Ages: 3 to 6.
Prep: 5 minutes.
Mess: medium: dye.
Supplies: a muffin tin, snow, droppers, food coloring, a towel.
Safety: food coloring stains, so use a towel and old clothes. No small parts.
Chunky droppers for indoor snow color mixing and science.
17How much water is in snow?
Fill a measuring cup to the top with snow and mark the line. Guess where the water will reach after it melts. Check after an hour. Kids are always surprised by how little water is left.
Ages: 4 to 8.
Prep: 3 minutes.
Mess: low.
Supplies: a clear measuring cup, snow, a marker.
Safety: no small parts. Mop up drips so no one slips.
18Snow melt race
Put 4 equal scoops of snow on a tray. Sprinkle one with salt, one with sugar, one with sand and leave one plain. Guess which melts first, then watch.
Ages: 4 to 8.
Prep: 5 minutes.
Mess: low.
Supplies: a tray, snow, salt, sugar, sand.
Safety: do not let kids eat the salt or the salted snow. Wash hands afterward.
19Mini snowmen tray
Roll tiny snowballs and stack them into little snowmen on a baking tray. Decorate with pieces of pipe cleaner, cut paper and sticks. Race to build before they melt.
Ages: 3 to 6.
Prep: 5 minutes.
Mess: low.
Supplies: a baking tray, snow, pipe cleaners, paper scraps, twigs.
Safety: small decorations are for ages 3 and up only. Count them out and back in.
20Clean snow vs dirty snow test
Melt a bowl of snow, then pour the water through a coffee filter. Look at the filter with a magnifying glass. The specks you see are a good reason not to eat snow, even when it looks white.
Ages: 4 to 8.
Prep: 5 minutes, plus melting time.
Mess: low.
Supplies: snow, a coffee filter, a funnel, a jar, a magnifying glass.
Safety: do not drink the melted water. Wash hands after.
21Snow bakery
Set up a pretend bakery with a muffin tin, paper liners and a spatula. Kids fill the liners with snow cupcakes, decorate them with pinecones and cinnamon sticks and sell them to you.
Ages: 2 to 6.
Prep: 5 minutes.
Mess: low.
Supplies: a muffin tin, paper liners, snow, pinecones, cinnamon sticks.
Safety: pretend food only. For under 3s, use only decorations too big to fit in the mouth.
Snow gear and supplies worth having
You need very little: snow, a few kitchen tools and dry mittens. These make the ideas above easier.
Snow play supplies
- Start here
Waterproof kids mittens
Typically $12 to $25
Dry hands mean longer snow play. Pack a spare pair.
Check price on Amazon for Waterproof kids mittens -
Plastic squeeze bottles, 6-pack
Typically $8 to $15
Easy for small hands to squeeze, and they hold colored water for snow painting.
Check price on Amazon for Plastic squeeze bottles, 6-pack -
Snow and sand castle mold set
Typically $12 to $25
Packs snow into bricks and towers that hold their shape.
Check price on Amazon for Snow and sand castle mold set -
Plastic droppers for kids
Typically $6 to $12
Chunky droppers for indoor snow color mixing and science.
Check price on Amazon for Plastic droppers for kids -
Kids magnifying glass
Typically $6 to $15
Makes snowflakes and the dirt test easy to see.
Check price on Amazon for Kids magnifying glass -
Flameless LED tea lights
Typically $8 to $15
Lights snow lanterns with no flame near mittens.
Check price on Amazon for Flameless LED tea lights -
Arctic animal figurines
Typically $10 to $20
Big polar bears and penguins for the indoor snow bin.
Check price on Amazon for Arctic animal figurines
Snowed in for the whole day? Pair a short trip outside with ideas from our winter activities for kids list, and see indoor activities for toddlers for little ones who need to burn energy. Our winter crafts for kids fill the warm-up breaks.
Frequently asked questions
What can kids do in the snow?
Paint the snow with squeeze bottles of colored water, build castles with sand molds, stomp a maze, make a snow volcano, catch snowflakes on black paper or bowl with bottles of colored water. Pick by age using the quick finder table above.
What are indoor snow activities for kids?
Bring a bin of real snow inside and set it on a towel. Kids can play with arctic animals in it, mix colors with droppers, measure how much water is in snow, race to melt it or run a pretend snow bakery.
How long can kids play in the snow?
There is no single number. The AAP advises regular warm-up breaks, changing wet clothes right away and staying in when the temperature or wind chill is below -15°F. Short stints with checks on fingers, toes, ears and noses are a safe habit.
Is it safe for kids to eat snow?
We teach kids not to eat it. Snow can pick up dirt, road salt and other things from the air and ground, which the coffee filter test above makes easy to see.
What snow activities work for toddlers?
Keep it simple and close to the door: squeeze bottle painting, a kitchen tool snow dig, following footprints and filling sand molds. Indoors, try a bin of real snow with big toy animals.
Save it for later
Pin this to your Outdoor & Rainy Day board so it's there when you need it.
Save to Pinterest
