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My Top Five Things to do on a Snow Day


1. Snow play
This is top of my list and most obvious. Children can’t wait to get outside and throw snowballs, make snow angels, build snowmen and generally roll around in the snow. My daughter even managed a pre-breakfast snow play session. We tend to do a number of short plays through the day as little fingers and toes get cold quickly. If you are feeling particularly adventurous and own a child’s bathroom step (Ikea curved ones are best) then it’s possible to turn it upside down, fill it with snow and make blocks to construct a whole igloo.

2. Baking
We love baking together but it’s something that we rarely have enough time for in between homework, bath times and swimming lessons. Snow day activities are all about keeping snug and cosy at home. It’s so much fun baking biscuits or cakes and eating them whilst they are still slightly warm. Your major restriction is whether you have enough ingredients already in your cupboards! Honey or cinnamon biscuits are perfect though for filling your house with a sweet aroma.

3. The Snow Day Times
The teacher in me can’t help doing something educational disguised as fun. I loved making newspapers and magazines when I was a child but struggled to ever finish one. A snow day is a perfect time for a project. This could be another collaborative activity with contributions from different family members. The front page can be a report about the snow with accompanying photos or drawings but everything else is optional: word searches, crosswords, number puzzles, comic strips, jokes, interviews, reviews, weather forecasts, funny facts.

4. Construction
By this I mean the type of construction toy that takes over the lounge. Our favourite is building a lego town but train sets are great too or even a combination. They take a long time to set up and on a normal day after school there just isn’t enough time to play. If children get bored, throw in a roll of masking tape (better than sellotape as children can find the end without asking you) and cornflake boxes and encourage children to build tunnels and bridges.

5. Den Building
Making a comfy den is an ideal snow day activity. Grab the cushions from the sofas or throw a duvet cover over a clothes airer. Use a rug or blanket on the floor. There are no rules- it’s just whatever you can find. Once the den is built, the hope is that your child or children take in torches and a huge pile of books. More likely though is that they will end of diving on top of it and having a cushion fight. It’s a brave adult who ventures inside with them.



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