The school closure alert pings your phone, the kids cheer, and by 10 a.m. someone announces, “I’m bored.” Sound familiar? Snow days promise magic, but the magic fades fast once the sled run ends and the wet mittens pile up.
Good news: you don’t need a fancy craft closet to fix that. These easy winter crafts use stuff you probably already own, like paper plates, salt, socks, and coffee filters. Grab a mug of something warm and pick your favorites.
Want even more ideas after this list? Check out our roundup of 27 winter crafts for kids that turn snow days into creative adventures.
1. Coffee filter snowflakes
Fold a round coffee filter into a triangle, snip little shapes along the edges, and unfold it. You get a lacy snowflake in about two minutes. Color the filter with washable markers first, then spritz it with water for a tie-dye effect.
Quick science fact
Caltech physicist Kenneth Libbrecht explains on SnowCrystals.com that real snowflakes have six sides. Challenge your kids to cut six-sided designs.
2. Salt dough ornaments
Mix 2 cups flour, 1 cup salt, and 1 cup water, then roll out the dough and press in cookie cutters. Poke a hole at the top with a straw. Bake at 250°F for two to three hours, until the dough turns hard.
Paint them once they cool. They make great grandparent gifts.
3. Pom-pom snowmen
Glue three white pom-poms in a stack on a blue paper background. Add googly eyes, a tiny orange felt nose, and a scrap-fabric scarf. Unlike the real thing, this snowman won’t melt, and it won’t leave you with cold fingers.
4. Paper plate penguins
Paint a paper plate black, then glue a smaller white oval on the front for the belly. Cut orange feet, a beak, and wings from construction paper and glue them on. Kids can make an entire penguin colony before lunch.
5. Puffy paint snowmen
Mix equal parts white school glue and shaving cream. Dab the mixture onto dark construction paper in three blobs. It dries into a fluffy 3D snowman that feels like real snow, minus the frostbite.
6. Salt-and-watercolor snowflake painting
Draw a snowflake with white glue on cardstock, then sprinkle salt over the glue. Shake off the extra salt and touch a wet watercolor brush to the lines. The color creeps along the salt like magic.
This one wins every “wow” contest in my house. Kids always ask, “How did it do that?”
7. Popsicle stick snowflakes
Glue three or four craft sticks together in a star shape, then decorate with glitter, sequins, or beads. Add a loop of string and hang it in a window. This craft works well for younger kids because the sticks give them a sturdy base.
8. Pinecone bird feeders
Spread peanut butter or sunflower seed butter on a pinecone and roll it in birdseed. Tie a string around the top and hang it outside. Winter makes food scarce for birds, so you give your backyard visitors a snack and your kids a front-row nature show.
Allergy alert: If allergies concern anyone in your neighborhood, skip the peanut butter and use sunflower butter instead.
9. Ice suncatchers
Fill a pie tin or plastic container with water. Drop in berries, evergreen sprigs, and dried orange slices, and loop a piece of twine into the water. Leave it outside overnight, then hang the frozen disc from a tree branch the next morning. It looks like stained glass made by Jack Frost.
10. Mason jar snow globes
Glue a small plastic animal or tree to the inside of a jar lid. Fill the jar with water, a spoonful of glitter, and a drop of glycerin, then screw the lid on tight. Flip it over and shake. Use waterproof glue and let it dry fully before you add water.
11. Handprint polar bears
Paint your child’s hand and forearm white, then press them on blue paper with the fingers pointing down. Flip the print into a bear shape and add eyes, ears, and a black nose. You get a keepsake that also shows how small those hands used to be.
12. Egg carton penguin family
Cut single cups from a cardboard egg carton, paint them black, and add white bellies and orange beaks. Make big ones and little ones to form a family. Need more recycled ideas? Our list of 29 egg carton crafts has plenty.
13. Sock snowmen
Fill a clean white sock with rice, then tie it off in two or three sections with rubber bands. Draw a face with a permanent marker and wrap a ribbon scarf around the “neck.” These no-sew snowmen look great on a shelf.
14. Marshmallow igloos
Stack mini marshmallows in a dome shape and glue them with royal icing or white craft glue. Use a bowl as a mold to keep the curve. It’s engineering practice disguised as dessert.
If you use icing, kids can eat the leftovers. If you use craft glue, keep the marshmallows out of reach, because they are no longer snacks.
15. Paper mitten garlands
Trace a mitten shape on colorful paper and cut out a dozen. Let everyone decorate their own with stickers, stripes, and zigzags. String them together with yarn for a festive mantel garland that costs almost nothing.
16. Frosty window clings
Squeeze white school glue onto wax paper in snowflake or star shapes. Let it dry for 24 hours, then peel the shapes off and press them onto a window. They stick without tape and peel away without residue. Just plan ahead, because patience is the real supply here.
17. Fake snow dough
Mix 2 cups baking soda with about ½ cup white hair conditioner until it clumps like packed snow. Kids can mold snowballs, build mini snowmen, or cut shapes with cookie cutters. It feels cold and soft, and it gives them sensory play on indoor days.
Visit the American Academy of Pediatrics’ HealthyChildren.org for more on why hands-on play helps kids learn. Always supervise little ones, since they love to taste-test.
18. Hot cocoa jar gifts
Layer cocoa powder, sugar, mini marshmallows, and chocolate chips in a clean jar. Tie a ribbon around the lid and attach a handwritten tag. It’s a craft and a cozy treat in one, and neighbors love it.
Safety tip
Review small-parts and choking guidelines from the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission before you hand tiny beads or pom-poms to toddlers.
Final thoughts: make the next snow day count
A snow day doesn’t have to turn into a screen-time marathon. Pick two or three crafts, set out the supplies, and let the kids take over. Most of these projects use basic household items and take under 30 minutes.
Want more cold-weather inspiration? Browse our 15 winter crafts for kids: elementary edition for bigger projects. Now go raid the craft drawer and turn that gloomy forecast into a masterpiece. I think the best snow day memories start with glue and glitter.