Snowed In with Kids: Books, Crafts, and Family Reading Fun
- Feb 26
- 4 min read
Picture this: you doze off to sleep on a quiet Sunday night with snow softly falling all around your house. You wake up and peek out the window just as the sun begins to rise, and you can barely see outside. The snow is sticking to the screen, completely blocking any sight beyond it. When you finally manage to get a clear view, you see that the snow has piled up heavily. Whiteout conditions stretch in front of you, wind whipping across the yard, and more still to come.
For millions of us in New England, this was not imagination. This was reality on Monday morning. The thrill of the cleanup has lasted days with this historic storm. With so many activities canceled across Massachusetts, Rhode Island, and beyond, families found themselves officially snowed in with kids at home.
Instead of letting cabin fever win, we turned to books to keep us busy. Which got us thinking… what if being snowed in became a literacy win?
Mission #1: Blanket Forts and Reading Nests
One of the best snow day activities for kids is also the simplest. Build a cozy space and read.
The first part of the mission became clear quickly. We needed somewhere to read that felt warm. Somewhere almost magical.
Quickly utilizing cushions, extra chairs, and even fort-building kits, we had the base of our fort assembled in no time. Blankets galore. Whoever tells you there is such a thing as too many living room blankets has clearly never built a proper reading fort during a New England snowstorm.
Add in the extra flashlights and string lights we had on hand in case of a power loss, and we were ready for some serious reading action. And of course, do not forget the hot chocolate. Essential equipment for any successful snow day reading session.
Creating a reading nest instantly turned our snowed-in afternoon into intentional family reading time.
Mission #2: Literacy Games for Snow Days
Once we were ready for a new mission, we switched to literacy activities for kids that felt more like play than schoolwork.
Taking some of the books we read in our reading fort, we acted out scenes from our favorite parts of the stories. This turned out to be a hilarious way to reinforce what we read and truly bring it to life.
We also took time to write alternate endings to some of our favorite books, and even better endings to the ones we did not love quite as much. Changing the endings gave everyone ownership of the story.
It turns out that snow day literacy games can be just as entertaining as sledding, and far less cold.
These simple snow day activities kept minds active while the wind howled outside.
Mission #3: Book Crafts and Creative Reuse
Snow days are also perfect for book crafts and creative reuse projects.
Some books that were ready to be recycled made their way into our snow day fun. We continued making bookmarks that we highlighted in an earlier Facebook post. These make great bookmarks to add into gifts, hand out to friends, or keep nearby when you do not want to use your hair elastic to hold your place. Practical and creative. Check those out on Facebook here: Recycled Book Pages Bookmarks
We also tried our hand at book page flowers that we shared on Facebook! These were a wonderful way to add a little spring feeling to our very snow-filled days. There are so many variations and truly endless possibilities. The edges of the petals can be rolled to give the flower less of a flat look, or you can watercolor the paper to add a pop of color. Check those out on Facebook here: Recycled Book Pages Flowers
If you can imagine it, your old book pages can become beautiful book crafts instead of ending up in the trash. Snowed in days are perfect for getting creative.
Mission #4: Clearing Out Unused Books
Being snowed in with kids also gave us something rare: time to look closely at our bookshelves.
With all of the attention on our books, we realized many of them were ready to be passed on. We were ready to make room for more adventures, so we began weeding out the less-read titles. Wanting the family to be involved, I asked my children, “Have we outgrown these books?” “Have they been untouched for years?” and “Are there missing pages?” They were then placed into one of our three piles: keep, share, or recycle. The only exceptions were sentimental favorites. Some books earn permanent shelf status.
For families looking to donate books in Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Connecticut, Maine, New
Hampshire, Vermont and New York, this step makes a big difference. In homes across all seven states, shelves fill up quickly between school book fairs, holiday gifts, and library sales. Off to one of our Bay State Book Bins I will drop the “share” and “recycle” piles. Check out where you can find a bin near you here: Find a Bin Near Me
A little shelf space can open the door to a lot of new adventures. Some important lessons were learned while working to do good.
Embracing Snowed in Family Time
Snowstorms eventually pass. Driveways get cleared. Schedules resume.
But the hours spent reading in a blanket fort, playing literacy games, creating book crafts, and donating books can leave a lasting imprint.
Children may not remember how many inches fell in Connecticut, Massachusetts, or Rhode Island that week. They will remember the flashlight glow inside the fort. The chapter that made everyone laugh. The afternoon the whole house felt quieter and closer.
Being snowed in with kids does not have to mean simply surviving the day.
It can mean building literacy, creativity, and family connection. One page at a time.
