Packing fun and memories into your kid's 'snow day'

A storm is moving into the region, a large nor’easter or a blizzard across the state. You have been following the news and know that it is very likely the children won't have school tomorrow. This would be a great opportunity to have them clean their room, to get done the things they have been putting off doing because basically it was one of their least favorite things to do. You could do this, but is this the type of memory you want to leave with your children for snow days. Their friends got to play games and bake cookies and do fun things and they had to work. This is your opportunity to make special memories for your children that they will remember for the rest of their lives. It will also give you some memories for when your children are adults and move out of your home. So take the time and have some fun with your children on those rare (and not so rare) snow days. I have provided a few ideas of different things you can do to make this day special for all of you.

• No matter the age, most children love to play board games. This is a chance for you to sit down with them and not only play the games with them, but also have some quality time with them. You can talk about their interests, what they like and dislike. You will be amazed at the information you will receive from they. Your children want you to be a part of their lives, they are just waiting for you to show an interest.
• Bake a special dessert for dinner. You and your spouse will treasure it even more because your children helped make it. Let them help choose the recipe, talk it over. You might find that there are certain types of food they don't like, like chocolate or coconut. They might not like nuts or even raisins. This will give you both the opportunity to spend time together and it will help your child improve their self-esteem because they helped make dessert.
• Create a craft project together. Most houses that have children normally have supplies for basic crafts, i.e. yarn, construction paper, material, glue. You can go online and there are sites that provide information to create different crafts with children. Or you can let them create their own project and it will be amazing what they are able to design. Children have active imaginations and the information they retain and projects they create are astonishing.
• If you have younger children, you could read a book with them or watch a movie. The feelings they will have of you sitting down with them and spending time will be a moment that they will treasure. It will also help them stay calmer because they aren't trying to get your attention because they already have it, which will make for a more peaceful day for you.
• If you reach a lull in the storm, don’t think about going outside to shovel the walk or driveway. Instead think about going outside to build a snowman or igloo. You could challenge your children to a snowball fight, but be careful you just might lose. You could have a snowman building contest and try to build the largest or the widest snowman. There are many options that you have to play in the snow. You could go sledding down the nearby hill or even make snow angels. Let your children suggest some ideas; it is inspiring the information that they will provide to you. They might decide to build a whole village or even a town of igloos. One of the best aspects of playing in the snow with your children is going inside afterwards and being able to sit down together with a cup of hot chocolate. There isn’t anything like have hot chocolate on a cold winter day, especially after playing in the snow.
• Some children enjoy drawing, but realize not all children do. You could bring out the coloring books and drawing pads to create elaborate pictures together. Imagine your child coming home from school the next day and instead of the old oil painting on the wall you took the pictures she drew and hung them on your wall. You took the time to mat and frame them, you are able to show her how special you think she is and how proud you are of her. This will be a memory that she will not only cherish but likely pass down to her own children.
• If you have a daughter, this could be a chance for you to have an elaborate tea party with her. You both could get dressed up in your nicest dresses and have tea and cookies. You could either make the cookies together first (don’t want to get the nice dresses dirty) or you can use premade cookies. Use your best dishes and linens to portray an elegant tea party. If you have it use your nice tea set, because it is a special moment for her, she will be careful.
• Another idea that you can do to make a snow day special is to just spend time with your children. You can play with them, most children love when their parents play with them. Children enjoy spending time with their parents because it reinforces their belief that they are loved which will help them to grow up to be well-rounded individuals.

There are many things you can do to make a snow day special for you and your children. It is always better to leave our children with happy memories that they can cherish and take with them into adulthood. The values we teach our children are the most important legacies we could leave them with. It is our job as parents to help them make the happy memories, to teach them values and most important teach them to have fun in life. Life is too short to only worry about the obligations that we have, we need to focus on what is important in our lives and one of the most important is our children. We only have our children for a short period of time, enjoy them while you can.