When a “snowmageddon” hits southeast Michigan, it can prompt just about every school in Macomb, Oakland, Wayne and Washtenaw counties to call a snow day — and your kiddos will likely bounce off the walls.
To prevent that dreaded cabin fever in homes around metro Detroit and Ann Arbor, here are 11 ideas to help pass the time. Bookmark this page, and tell us in the comments if we’ve missed any snow day activities you and your kids love.
1. Sip
Whip up some homemade hot chocolate with the kids. Nothing beats something warm on a cold day.
2. Build
Construct a fort. Use your imagination – move the furniture around, throw some blankets over it and you’ve made one! You can also use cardboard for a frame — whatever you have on hand will do.
3. Jam
Help kids discover new music and have a dance party right there in the family room. It’s a great way to expand their music knowledge and get them moving on this otherwise lazy day.
4. Cook
Spend some time in the kitchen, making lunch or dinner. Teach the kids something new on their day off from school. Throw a dessert recipe, like quick and easy chocolate cake, in the mix and you’ll be having fun in no time.
5. Perform
Grab the old socks, some glue and a few accessories and make sock puppets. Throw an impromptu puppet show!
6. Hide
Play hide and seek as a family. It’s one of the best games to play indoors and the hiding possibilities are plentiful. Alternatively, try hiding an object — and give a few clues on where to find it, scavenger-hunt style.
7. Play
Bust out the board games or cards for some friendly family competition.
8. Write
Kick it old school and write letters to relatives who live far away. Kids often forget how nice it is to hand write letters to loved ones. It’ll be a treat for the letter recipients. Include a picture, too!
9. See flicks
Have a movie night. Pop in one of the Toy Story movies, make some popcorn and you’re good to go. Or just hunker in all day long and do some binge watching. Here’s a list of great family shows streaming now.
10. Tidy up
Use this opportunity to clean the house. Make it fun by having the kids race to clean their rooms. The winner gets a prize — dessert after dinner, a bit of cash or the chance to pick what movie you watch that evening.
11. Flashback
Reminisce with the kids by digging out the family photos and making a collage.
What’s on your list of things to do on a snow day? Let us know in the comments!
This post was originally published in 2014 and is updated regularly.
Follow Metro Parent on Instagram.
