10 Best Winter Crafts For Kids To Try When It’s Too Cold Outside

When it’s below freezing outside, the kids have a snow day, and there’s nothing worse than when they tell you they’re bored, which over time is enough to break anyone’s sanity, so when all else fails, are there any ways to keep them occupied for a while?

You want simple crafts that don’t require many pieces to make and can be found hidden in any home, and many can inspire creativity while adding some personality to them; plus, you can make them fun for you and the kids.

Read on to find out some of the easiest and most creative crafts that can make snow days more enjoyable. 

1) Winter Collage 

This quick and simple craft can be done with some paper, and you can draw an outline of a tree with a marker and see how they decorate it; where they can use cotton balls, glitter, buttons, bits of paper towel, or even some leaves from outside to use their creativity.

You could even add some finger painting in there so they can add detail, or they can use watercolors and make their own wintery scenes, so all it takes is imagination to create unique designs that don’t use up a lot of your materials. 

You can do something similar with a mosaic, so you can draw up an igloo and use blank label stickers and watch them go, or you can use torn paper and glue to create snow effects. 

2) Pinecone Craft 

This one requires a few pinecones, but if you use these, you can create some cute owls, penguins, snowmen, and even a tree, so you can add cotton balls, pipe cleaners, google eyes, or tinsel for what can be some lovely decorations. 

If it’s close to Christmas, you can have your kids make up a line of them, and if you find scented ones, you can get a delicate aroma from them as well, so these would look nice next to some potpourri, which can give you a wintery scent that is full of charm.

The fun doesn’t stop there, as you can use pinecones for other crafts to make a centerpiece, garlands, wreaths, and even picture frames. And the best thing is that they add a festive and cheery note to your home. 

3) Bird Feeders 

If you want to teach your kids more about nature and the beauty of it all, you can make bird feeders by using some seeds, adding some water, and letting them freeze outside, so you can place a ribbon on them and hang them outside. 

You can make it fun by making a few and letting your kids choose where to put them, and you can make them into different shapes. While these are up, your kids can watch what birds decide to go for a nibble.

You can also use a toilet paper tube or a pinecone and spread some peanut butter on them, then roll it in birdseed, which you can hang near your porch, and as it’s winter, you may find some exciting species arrive. 

4) Snowglobes 

For this, you’ll need a glass jar, some water, a spoon, sequins, glycerin, a plastic figurine, glitter, and super glue. Here you can start by attaching a petite figure or decoration to the lid, filling the jar with water, and adding water, glitter, and glycerin.

You can glue the lid on to avoid any spills, so when you turn the lid upside down, you can make it snow, and you can get creative and recreate scenes that can be both funny and dazzling to watch as you shake the jar.

You can use small jars, and this way, when you add the water, it won’t be as heavy, and the best thing is that your kids can select what they want to put in the jar, just as long as they don’t mind using them, of course. 

5) Homemade Playdough 

If your kids have ever played with playdough, you know that it can keep them occupied for a while, as they can cut out shapes and make models where the only limitation is their imagination, but it can be messy and hard to clean up afterward. 

You can easily make some yourself and adjust the quantity, so it’s not as much of a mess, and all you need is all-purpose flour, cream of tartar, table salt, vegetable oil, water, and gel food coloring.

You only need to mix all the ingredients into a bowl, cook over low to medium heat, then continue to stir until the mixture has thickened and gathered around the spoon. Then, you can remove the dough and let it cool.  

6) Create Ice Art 

Here is where your kids can use their green fingers and make a unique ice art decoration that is best suited outside, so you will have to go outdoors for this activity, but gather leaves, moss, berries, twigs, and use them in a mold can result in some interesting results.

You can give your child a box where they can pick out their own natural materials, so you can find some that are specific to the season, so they can learn about seasonal changes and how this affects nature.

Once they’ve found their materials, they can lay them out in a dish in any way they like, so you can pour water inside, then loop a piece of thread in the water, where you can let it freeze outside or place it inside your freezer. 

7) Rock Painting 

For this, you could get a rock painting kit, but if not, you can gather your painting supplies and go outside, where you can pick out some smooth rocks and get decorating them, as your kids can draw and paint on them however they like.

A good use for these is to place them near your porch or by a path, so they brighten up your front yard a little bit, and with so many shapes and sizes of rock, you can have them littered all over your home.

For the paint, you want to go for acrylic or patio paint, but you can also use fine-tip paint pens for more detailing, as you can get involved and come up with some fun designs. 

8) Animal Paper Chain 

This is another idea where you can add some decorations to your home, so all you need is some thick card or paper, some sticky tape, and stickers or pens to decorate them with, and here you can decorate them to look any way you like. 

You could go for a wintery theme and make some cute animals, or you can use ready-made templates that you can cut out and decorate as you want, so when you’re finished, you can hang them anywhere in your home. 

9) Sensory Bins 

These can be for young kids who have a lot of toys but find they are missing an environment to use them in, so you can get a storage container and fill it with sand, dough, rice, or aquarium rock, and your child can decide how to decorate it.

You can use funnels, a scoop, and some toys to create a new environment for your child to interact with, so you could go for a particular theme or add letters inside to consolidate your child’s learning, as it can teach them independent play.

This can be a messy activity, so your child can wear some old clothes when using things like sand, it can get everywhere, but you can make it mess-free by using some old towels as a protective layer. 

10) Freezing Bubbles 

If it’s not too cold and you don’t mind wandering outside for some time, you can use a bowl, warm water, some corn syrup, sugar, dish soap, a water bottle, and a straw, so you can then chill the bowl for 30 minutes but shouldn’t be frozen at this point.

Now you can go outside and blow into the mixture, which should be in the bottle, and you can watch as the bubbles fall and watch them freeze, where you can create a few and make some interesting towers.

You’ll need to ensure that the weather isn’t too windy as this can pop the bubbles before they have a chance to freeze, and for the ideal freezing temperature, you will want to wrap up warm.

You might find that standard bubble solution isn’t as effective here.  

Closing Thoughts 

With these ideas, you have enough to get you through the day, and you may find that using some scrap pieces of paper and a few materials is all it takes to keep your kids entertained.

Who knows, you may even get some fun out of it as well, as you can add your own flair and design to these crafts. 

After having to try this you may also want to build a sandbox next that kids would definitely enjoy when the winter is finally over.