Indoors fun — stuff you can do with kids on a snowy day

Your kids are out of school for the day because of the weather. Their natural instinct is to spend the entire day in front of the TV or on the computer, but there are other options:

• Build a snowman.

• Bake cookies or make candy.

• Decorate the rooms with Christmas lights.

• Read out loud to each other or on your own.

• Play a board game.

• Put together jigsaw puzzles.

• Get out your instruments, or make some out of boxes and lids, and have a jam session.

• Create a video about their day at home.

• Come up with a kid-prepared menu and make lunch.

• Build a fort indoors.

• Make hot cocoa.

• Cut out snowflakes and decorate the living room.

• Make cookies-in-a-jar or hot cocoa-in-a-jar for Christmas gifts.

• Create Christmas cards.

• Make an improvised Christmas village out of graham crackers and a tub of frosting.

• Make sock puppets and stage a show.

• When dusk approaches, play flashlight tag in the house.

• Board game Olympics: Each kid chooses three games. Play all of them. Winner chooses what movie to watch.

• Play broomball.

• Look through old pictures or do scrapbooking.

• Pop some popcorn and string it for the Christmas tree.

• Write and draw your own comic book.

• Draw a picture for your grandparents' Christmas gift.

• Build a snow fort or an igloo outside, or go sledding, if it's not too cold.

• Make a list of New Year's resolutions.

• Work ahead on homework, shovel snow and clean the house. Hey, it can't all be fun!