Snow Day Fun: 7 Winter Crafts to Keep Kids Busy & Entertained

Who says a snow day has to mean hours of screen time? When the forecast calls for a deep freeze, it’s the perfect excuse to turn your home into a creative studio. Winter gives us a whole new set of “magic” ingredients to play with, like sub-zero temperatures that freeze art in place and blank white yards just waiting for a splash of neon color. Whether your kids are mixing up fluffy batches of indoor snow or building treats for the backyard birds, these activities are designed to be fast, fun and a little bit wild. Let’s ditch the hibernation mode and start creating!

How do winter crafts benefit kids?

Crafting during the colder months is more than just a way to pass the time; it’s actually a developmental tool. When kids work on craft projects, they sharpen their fine motor skills and practice patience. Winter can often feel isolating, so engaging in a shared family project boosts emotional well-being and provides a sense of accomplishment. Plus, many craft activities introduce basic scientific concepts – like how liquids freeze or how birds find food – making the cold weather an interactive classroom.

7 Winter Crafts for Kids

1. Backyard bagel birdseed feeders

Winter can be a hard time for birds to find food. This project lets your kids become backyard conservationists by creating a heavy-duty feeder that can withstand the wind. It’s a great sensory experience involving sticky textures and crunchy seeds, plus it gives kids a reason to watch for feathered friends all afternoon.

• Materials: Plain bagels, peanut butter (or sunflower butter), birdseed and twine
• Directions: Slice the bagel in half. Loop a piece of twine through the center hole and tie a knot. Spread a thick layer of peanut butter over the bagel surface. Gently (but firmly) press the bagel into a bowl of birdseed until coated. Hang your bagel bird feeder from a sturdy tree branch.

2. Snow spray paint

Freshly fallen snow is a massive, blank white canvas just waiting for a splash of color. This activity gets kids bundled up and moving around the yard to burn off energy. Unlike sidewalk chalk, spray bottles allow broad strokes and vibrant blending, making it easy to turn a plain landscape into a vibrant gallery.

• Materials: Spray bottles, water and liquid food coloring
• Directions: Fill spray bottles with cold water and add several drops of food coloring to create vibrant hues. Shake well. Head outside and use the bottles to draw patterns, messages or murals directly onto the snow.

3. Homemade marshmallows

Nothing beats a steaming mug of hot cocoa after a morning spent out in the cold, but the experience is even better when you add a giant, handcrafted marshmallow to the mix. Most kids think these fluffy treats only come from a plastic bag, so whipping up a homemade version feels like a genuine magic trick. And, as the ingredients transform from a clear liquid into a thick, snowy white foam, you can talk about the science of aeration.

• Materials: Gelatin, sugar, corn syrup, vanilla extract and powdered sugar
• Directions: Sprinkle gelatin over a half-cup of cold water in a mixer bowl and let it sit to “bloom.” Meanwhile, combine sugar, corn syrup and a splash of water in a saucepan, boiling the mixture until it reaches 240 degrees on a candy thermometer. With the mixer on low, slowly pour the hot syrup into the gelatin. Increase the speed to high and whip for about 10 minutes until the mixture becomes thick, white and fluffy. Pour the “fluff” into a pan dusted heavily with powdered sugar, let it set for at least four hours and slice into giant cubes.

4. Mason jar snow globes

This craft allows children to preserve a moment of winter magic inside a glass jar they can keep on their dresser or nightstand. It encourages storytelling as kids choose specific figurines to create a tiny “world” inside the water. Using glycerin is the secret trick here; it increases the density of the water so the “snow” falls with a realistic effect.

• Materials: Small glass jars, waterproof figurines, glycerin, glitter and waterproof glue
• Directions: Glue figurines to the inside of the jar lid and let dry completely. Fill the jar with water, a dash of glitter and a few drops of glycerin. Screw the lid on tight, flip it over and shake.

5. Ice sun catchers

Instead of just looking at the ice on your driveway, use the freezing air to “freeze-frame” a beautiful piece of hanging art. Kids can head into the yard to gather pine needles, bright red berries or even thin citrus slices to create intricate patterns that look exactly like frozen stained glass. It serves as a fascinating real-world lesson in state changes, as kids watch water transform into a solid, sparkling crystal that captures the winter light.

• Materials: Shallow plastic lids, pine needles, berries, citrus slices, twine and water
• Directions: Arrange natural items in your lids and place a loop of twine at the top with the ends submerged. Fill with water. Leave the lids outside overnight on a flat surface. Once frozen, pop the ice out of the mold and hang it up.

6. Crystallized Borax snowflakes

Skip the typical paper cutouts and try a “science experiment” that doubles as a stunning piece of winter decor. By soaking a custom pipe cleaner shape in a warm borax solution overnight, kids can watch real crystals slowly climb and coat the surface. It is a brilliant way to see chemistry in action as the liquid cools, leaving behind a hard, shimmering shell that looks exactly like a snowflake caught in a deep freeze. Best of all, these flakes will not melt when you bring them near the heater!

• Materials: Pipe cleaners, string, a wide-mouth jar with lid, boiling water and borax
• Directions: Shape pipe cleaners into a snowflakes and set aside. Mix 3 tablespoons of borax into a cup boiling water. Fill the jar with the mixture. Tie snowflake to a pencil and rest the pencil across the jar opening so the snowflake hangs inside. Let sit for 24 hours.

7. Indoor snow dough

On days when it is simply too cold to venture out, you can bring the sensory joy of snow to the kitchen table. This DIY dough uses only two ingredients to create a substance that is soft and cool to the touch. It does not melt like real snow, meaning kids can build miniature snowmen indoors without getting wet.

• Materials: 2 cups of cornstarch, 1/2 cup of white hair conditioner
• Directions: Mix the two ingredients in a large bowl. The texture should be soft and moldable. You can also add some iridescent glitter to give the dough a little winter shimmer. Have your kids can build mini snowmen on a tray to keep the mess contained.