Ah, winter. That most wonderful time of the year when it’s too cold for the kids to go outside to play so they bounce off the walls inside instead.
At our house, that means it’s time for our annual indoor snowball activities, no snow or cold temperatures required!
We came up with the idea for our Snowman Games after reading Snowmen at Night by Caralyn Buehner. It’s a story about what our snow creations do while the rest of us are sleeping.
We took our cue from some of their antics to develop events that can be played safely indoors.
We use soft, artificial snowballs but you could also make your own. Try rolling up socks into balls, using foam balls, or even big wads of heavy paper.
Find a fairly open space to play and have fun with it.
7 Indoor Snowball Activities
Here is our list of games, but you and your little ones could probably think of many more!
Snowball Fight: This one is obvious, right? You may as well do this one first because your kids are dying to throw these things at each other anyway. We have a few ground rules at our house such as always aim below the chest (no head shots).
On Target: Print out or draw a target that can be taped up on a door, wall or window. Have the kids throw the snowballs to try to hit the target. How many times can they do it? Throw a little learning into the mix for younger children by having them count out loud or have one child draw tally marks on a chalkboard while another is throwing.
Bucket Toss: Pretty much the same thing, only have them toss the snowballs into a bucket or bowl. You can use masking tape or painter’s tape on the floor to mark off a line a few feet away. See who can make the shot from all the way across the room!
Stack ‘em Up: Try to make a snowball tower. You can mention a few engineering principles, like a pyramid shape with a wide base will probably work best. The kids can use a ruler to measure their creations once they’re done.
Knock ‘em down: Build a pyramid out of light-weight plastic cups, then roll or toss the snowballs to knock them all down. Bonus points if your kids can do it with just one snowball.
Relay Race: Grab a couple of wooden spoons and have a good ‘ol relay race. This is just like an egg race, but uses the snowballs instead. And if these snowballs fall on the floor, there’s no mess to clean up!
Pile On: Have the kids pile as many snowballs as they can onto an overturned Frisbee or plastic plate. How many can they load up? And can they carry it across the room without losing any?
These games will keep my kids active and engaged for quite a while. When they’re done, we celebrate with a cup of hot chocolate and a simple winter craft just like after a real afternoon in the snow!
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Kara White is the mom of two children, a son, 7, and a daughter, 3. Kara enjoys reading, baking, and trying to finish a cup of coffee while it’s still hot!
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