5 Ways to Pamper Your Kids on a Snow Day

Snow days with kids aren’t what you might call relaxing. In fact, some parents have been known to, shall we say, flip out over the prospect of holing up with their youngsters for umpteen hours of cartoons, Play-Doh crumbles all over the floor, and fights about how big so-and-so’s thumb is compared to his or her sibling’s.

We get it. It’s a lot.

That said, if you embrace the snowy weather with some indulgent, kid-approved snacks and food activities, you might enjoy your wintery sojurn a little more. At least until bedtime, when it’s cocktail time for parents.

Feel like getting your inner Laura Ingalls Wilder on? Try this super-simple ice cream recipe that really only requires fresh snow and sweetened condensed milk. Everything else just makes this soft, icy treat more delicious. Kids can get out of the house for a bit to collect the snow, make the treat, and then get the fun of eating it. Yes, yes, and yes.

Snow days practically demand hot chocolate. It’s quick to make, easy to improvise with ingredients you have on hand, and it’s almost universally adored. Let your kids go crazy with a topping bar complete with whipped cream, marshmallows, and every sprinkle in your pantry.

Is it 4 p.m. and your kids are already bouncing off the walls? Throw caution to the wind and make chocolate bark. Melt some chocolate; spread it on parchment; and let your kids go crazy with decorating with leftover cookies, candies, nuts, and pretzels in the house. It takes a little while to dry, so maybe they won’t eat the whole thing in one fell swoop by the time it’s ready … yeah, right.

Because even kids need a little break from the sugar. They can help you bake these crispy one-ingredient cheese crackers and will gobble them with soup, sandwiches, fruit, and whatever else you use to break up the sugary rampage that is sure to permeate the day.

If there were ever a day for movies, this is it. Turn on a classic and treat everyone to some freshly popped popcorn. Once you get the hang of things, it’s a cinch to make. Just don’t indulge if your kids are too young for this, since it’s a choking hazard. But for the older kids who are jonesing to get outside and stretch their legs, this might keep them on the couch a bit longer.