15 Easy Indoor Snow Day Crafts for Toddlers and Preschoolers

1) Paper Plate Snowman Face

Best for: Ages 2 to 5

Time: 10 to 15 minutes

Mess: Low (medium if you paint)

You’ll need: Paper plate, white paint (optional), glue stick, black paper circles (hole-punched) or marker, orange paper triangle (or orange marker), scarf scrap or ribbon

Steps:

• Color or paint the plate white if you want a crisp “snowman” look.
• Add eyes and a smile with circles or a marker.
• Glue on an orange triangle nose.
• Add a scarf strip across the bottom.

Tip: For toddlers, let them place big sticker “coal” circles instead of drawing.

2) Cotton Ball Snowstorm Painting

Best for: Ages 2 to 5

Time: 10 minutes

Mess: Medium

You’ll need: Blue paper, cotton balls, clothespin (optional), white paint or washable tempera

Steps:

• Dip cotton balls into white paint.
• Stamp all over blue paper to make a snowstorm.
• Add a few finger-dot flakes if your kid is feeling bold.

Low-mess tip: Put paint in a shallow lid and do this on a tray.

No-paint swap: Use a white crayon or chalk on blue paper, then add cotton balls with glue stick.

3) Sticker Snowflakes

Best for: Ages 2 to 4

Time: 5 to 10 minutes

Mess: Low

You’ll need: Paper, white dot stickers (or any pale stickers), optional marker

Steps:

• Draw big snowflake “arms” (simple lines) on the paper.
• Let your child place stickers along the lines.
• Add extra stickers to make it extra frosty.

Why I love it: Great fine motor practice with almost zero cleanup.

4) Snowflake Tape Resist Art

Best for: Ages 3 to 6

Time: 10 to 20 minutes

Mess: Low (medium with paint)

You’ll need: Painter’s tape or washi tape, white paper, crayons or watercolors

Steps:

• Make a simple snowflake shape with tape on paper (crosses and diagonals work great).
• Color over everything with crayons or paint with watercolors.
• Peel up the tape to reveal bright snowflake lines.

Tip: If tape is hard to peel, start a corner for your child and let them do the satisfying pull.

5) Puffy Paint Snowman

Best for: Ages 3 to 6 (with supervision)

Time: 15 minutes plus dry time

Mess: Medium

You’ll need: Shaving cream (fragrance-free if possible), white school glue, cardstock, googly eyes (optional), buttons or paper scraps

Steps:

• Mix equal parts shaving cream and glue in a bowl.
• Scoop and spread into three stacked “snowballs.”
• Decorate with eyes, buttons, and a paper nose.

Low-mess tip: This is puffy and fun, but it is still shaving cream. Keep wipes nearby and wash hands after.

6) Toilet Paper Roll Snowman Stamp

Best for: Ages 3 to 6

Time: 10 to 15 minutes

Mess: Medium

You’ll need: Empty toilet paper roll, white paint, blue paper

Steps:

• Pinch the roll slightly to make an oval.
• Dip in white paint and stamp three ovals stacked for a snowman body.
• Once dry, add a face and buttons with marker.

Extension: Stamp a whole “snowman family” across the page.

7) Mitten Matching Craft

Best for: Ages 3 to 5

Time: 15 to 20 minutes

Mess: Low

You’ll need: Paper mittens cut out (adult pre-cut helps), stickers, crayons, glue

Steps:

• Decorate two mittens the same way (or as close as preschoolers will allow).
• Mix them up.
• Match pairs and glue each pair onto a sheet of paper.

Teacher trick: Make one pair “easy” and one pair “tricky” to build confidence.

8) Yarn-Wrapped Winter Hat

Best for: Ages 4 to 6

Time: 15 to 20 minutes

Mess: Low

You’ll need: Paper hat shape, yarn, glue stick or tape

Steps:

• Tape one end of yarn to the back of the hat.
• Wrap yarn around and around until the hat is covered.
• Secure the end with tape and add a paper pom-pom.

Make it easier: Use chunky yarn and a bigger hat shape.

9) Coffee Filter Snowflakes

Best for: Ages 3 to 6

Time: 15 minutes plus dry time

Mess: Medium

You’ll need: Coffee filters, washable markers, spray bottle with water

Steps:

• Flatten a coffee filter and color it with markers.
• Mist lightly with water to blend the colors.
• Let it dry flat first (the colors blend prettier this way).
• Fold and snip simple shapes around the edges (adult help for younger kids).
• Open to reveal a colorful snowflake.

Low-mess tip: Do the misting in the sink or bathtub.

10) Snowy Tree Sponge Paint

Best for: Ages 2 to 5

Time: 10 to 15 minutes

Mess: Medium

You’ll need: Green paper, white paint, sponge piece, brown crayon

Steps:

• Draw a simple tree trunk with brown crayon.
• Use a sponge to dab green “pine” shapes.
• Use fingertips or cotton balls to add white snow on top.

Process over perfection: If the tree becomes a green blob, congratulations, you have a “snowy forest.”

11) Tissue Paper Snowflake Window Art

Best for: Ages 3 to 6

Time: 15 to 20 minutes

Mess: Low

You’ll need: Contact paper or clear packing tape, tissue paper squares, paper snowflake frame

Steps:

• Stick contact paper (sticky side up) to the table and tape the corners down so it does not curl.
• Let kids place tissue squares all over.
• Seal with a second sheet of contact paper.
• Trim into a snowflake-ish shape and hang in a window.

Confession: I have used packing tape in a pinch. It is not perfect, but it works.

12) Pom-Pom Blizzard Collage

Best for: Ages 2 to 5 (supervised)

Time: 10 to 15 minutes

Mess: Medium

You’ll need: Blue or gray paper, white pom-poms, glue stick or liquid glue

Steps:

• Spread glue across the page in big swoops.
• Sprinkle pom-poms like a blizzard.
• Tap off extras into a bowl to reuse.

Low-mess tip: If pom-poms roll everywhere, use torn white paper bits instead.

13) Ice Skate Lacing Card

Best for: Ages 4 to 6

Time: 15 to 20 minutes

Mess: Low

You’ll need: Cardstock skate shape, hole punch, yarn or shoelace with taped tip

Steps:

• Cut out a big ice skate shape from cardstock.
• Punch holes up the “boot.”
• Let your child lace yarn through the holes.

Why it’s great: Quiet, focused fine motor work when everyone is a little stir-crazy.

14) Snow Globe in a Jar

Best for: Ages 5 to 6 (with adult sealing and close supervision)

Time: 10 minutes plus seal time

Mess: Medium (and potentially wet)

You’ll need: Clear jar with lid, water, glycerin (optional), white confetti or tiny white pom-poms, a reliable sealant (two-part epoxy or waterproof silicone)

Steps:

• Fill the jar with water, leaving a little space at the top.
• Add glycerin to slow the “snow” (optional). Start with about 1/4 teaspoon per cup of water, then adjust next time if you want it slower.
• Add a small pinch of confetti or tiny pom-poms.
• Adult step: Seal the inside rim of the lid with two-part epoxy or waterproof silicone, close tightly, and let it cure fully.
• Leak-test in the sink: turn it upside down for a few seconds and check for drips before handing it over.
• Shake and watch the snow fall.

Safety note: Avoid this one for mouthy kids. Once it is sealed and cured, it can be a great calm-down shelf item, but small pieces and water are not worth the stress for younger toddlers.

15) Indoor Snowball Toss

Best for: Ages 2 to 6

Time: 10 minutes

Mess: Low

You’ll need: White paper, painter’s tape, a laundry basket or big bowl

Steps:

• Crumple paper into “snowballs.”
• Tape a throwing line on the floor.
• Toss snowballs into a basket.
• Count points, colors, or turns for a gentle learning boost.

Mess-friendly win: When you are done, the cleanup is part of the game.