Snow Activities with Real Snow

Snow is one of the best things about winter. If you're lucky enough to get snow where you live, you're going to love this list of fun snow activities for kids. 

 

Things like making snowmen, sledding, and having snowball fights are still lots of fun. But if you're looking for a change of pace, this list of creative snow play ideas is for you. From snow painting to frozen bubbles, you'll find several new things to try when you get your next blanket of snow!

If you want to have fun with some snow themed activities indoors check out these snow crafts too! 

Snow Activities with Real Snow

We have collected together some of our favourite snow activities for kids using real snow. There are lots of fun snow activities for preschooler, toddlers and big kids too! The big question is, which will you try first! 

Paint on Snow

Have you ever tried painting on snow? You don't even have to take the kids outdoors if it's too cold. Instead, you can bring the snow indoors to them on baking sheets or in a shallow bin. Then, use watercolors and paintbrushes to paint lovely designs in the cold snow.

Make Snow Paint

The previous activity was painting on snow, but this time we're making snow paint. It's easy to make your own watercolors with food coloring and snow. Once your paint is ready, grab the paintbrush and get to work. Your winter-themed masterpiece awaits!

Snow Volcano Science Experiment

Kids will erupt with fun and laughter when they see this snow volcano in action. It's your classic baking soda and vinegar reaction made extra fizzy with some dish soap. The "lava" gets its bright red coloring from acrylic colouring or food dye.

Snow Spray Paint

A blanket of white snow is beautiful, but if you'd like to add some color to a dreary winter day, here's a great way to do it. You may already have everything you need to make snow spray paint—some spray bottles, food coloring, and water. Mix up a few different colours, go outside, and spray the snow to make the world a little more colourful.

Rainbow Ice Snow Activity

Make rainbow ice cubes to take outside with you on your next snow day. Encourage the kids to move the ice around on the snow, creating a beautiful rainbow of colors. Or, if the wind chill is too much for you, bring some snow inside on a tray to do the ice painting. The rainbow ice and snow activity is lots of fun indoors or out.

Real Snow Sensory Bin

Want a super simple, low-prep activity? Make a real snow sensory bin! Bring some snow inside, add toys and things to scoop with, and your child is ready to play. Dinos, shovels, construction toys, and dolls are all fun choices to add to the bin.

Build Snow Castles

When you're at the beach, you build sandcastles. But have you ever built snow castles? Bundle up, go outside, and try it! It's as simple as making sandcastles, but the fun part is that you can add lots of color to the snow. Scoop the snow into cups, add colour, and turn them upside down to stack your castle pieces.

Kids can also use the same materials to make pretend snow cones.

Painting on Ice in the Snow

Painting on ice on a cold winter day is a lot of fun and the painted ice crystals look striking when arranged on white snow. Don't forget to take a quick photograph before your artwork starts to melt!

Fun Snow Activities for Winter

If you need even more fun snow activities to choose from check out these snow activities using real snow that we have found on some of our favourite websites. 

Melting Snowman Experiment

Watching your snowman melt usually isn't fun. But this time it is! Try this snowman melting experiment to study how solids change to liquids. Leave it out for days to watch as the liquid changes to gas in the form of water vapor. The snowman-in-a-cup experiment is another fantastic learning activity that will fascinate young learners.

Snow Alphabet Sensory Bin

Learning the alphabet has never been more fun—or cold! This snow alphabet sensory bin is a hands-on way for toddlers and preschoolers to work on letter identification. For children who are just learning their letters, begin with only a few. Children who are more familiar with the alphabet will want to play with them all.

Snow Kindness Activities

It's important to teach children to spread kindness to those around them. That's never more vital than the sometimes dreary days of winter. Writing a message in the snow for a sick neighbour or friend that you haven't seen in a while is a wonderful way to let them know you're thinking of them.

Snow Measuring Craft and Activity

This project combines the creativity of making a craft with a math and science activity. First, you'll make an adorable snowman measuring stick with a paint stirrer. Then, you'll use that stick to go outside and measure how much snow is on the ground. Record the results on the snow charting printables each week throughout winter.

Photographing Snowflakes

Have you ever tried taking pictures of snowflakes? You don't need a fancy camera to do it—you just need the right technique. The best time to gather snowflakes is when they're big and fluffy. This post recommends collecting them on black construction paper so you can easily see the snowflakes against the background. Use whatever camera you have on hand to get up-close pictures of those beautiful crystals.

Galaxy Snow Mixing Activity

Galaxy-themed crafts and activities are so much fun to do. This galaxy snow activity shows kids how to mix food coloring with snow to make something that looks out of this world. It's a fun project to add to a space-themed unit study. Add some glittery stars to the colourful snow if you'd like.

Snow Popsicles

You've heard of snow ice cream, but have you ever made snow popsicles? What a treat! The best part is that they're made with only two ingredients—pudding and snow. Adding sprinkles is optional, but highly recommended.

Snow Ice Cream

Speaking of snow ice cream, here's a yummy recipe to try. Rather than relying on cream, this recipe uses milk. You're much more likely to have that on hand. Add sugar, your favourite flavour extract, and some sprinkles, and you're well on your way to a delicious bowl of ice cream.

Build a Snow Cat

Although the post is about painting snow, we're super impressed with the snow cat. What a fun idea—it's a quirky twist on the traditional snowman. This got our imagination going with all the animals we could build when we have snow again. How about a puppy, a fish, a frog, or a penguin? There are so many possibilities!

Maple Syrup Candy

Let's not forget about that old-fashioned treat, maple syrup candy. You make it by pouring hot maple syrup (the genuine stuff, not the fake kind) on cold snow and wrapping it around a popsicle stick. When it hardens to a taffy-like consistency, it's ready to eat. Yum!

Legos in the Snow

Let the kids take some toys outside to go on an adventure in the snow. Legos are a good choice if you have only a dusting or so; otherwise, they may get lost until the snow melts. But they're terrific for storytelling in the snow using mini-figures and other Lego creations. 

Snow Sink or Float

Does snow sink or float? Find out with this simple experiment using jars, water, and food coloring. You'll observe the snow in both hot and cold water to see whether temperature affects its ability to sink or float. You'll also make note of whether or not snow really "disappears."

Frozen Bubbles

Bubbles aren't just for spring and summer; frozen bubbles are lots of fun, too. Either grab a bottle of bubbles or make your own bubble solution and bubble wand, and head out into the snowy landscape. Add food coloring to the bubble solution to make the bubbles more noticeable against the snow. What happens when a bubble lights on the snow without popping? Can you see crystals form before they pop?

That rounds out our list of snow activities for kids. Did you find a few ideas you'd like to try? Let us know which real snow activity you will try first!

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