3 Snow Day Activities and God Lessons

Snow days always have a way of changing my plans.

When school or activities are cancelled due to snow or wintery conditions, my first inclination is to stay home, start a fire in our wood stove, make some hot chocolate, and spend time reading with my children under piles of blankets. But I know firsthand that kids (and moms) can start to get restless after too many days stuck in the house. Where I live, snow days can last for weeks upon weeks!

But, what if instead of letting the snow dictate our days, we take back a little control and make a plan to use the frosty days to teach our kids more about God? I love the idea of the snow becoming a symbol and reminder of God’s character and power. I started brainstorming and thought of these three lessons you can teach your kids through snow, with activity ideas to keep the long winter days fun.

Snow Day Lesson #1 – God is incredibly creative.

There are things about God that people cannot see — His eternal power and all the things that make Him God. But since the beginning of the world those things have been easy to understand. They are made clear by what God has made. — Romans 1:20a

Did you know that in a snowstorm that produces about 5 inches of snow over 2000 square miles will contain 5 quintillion snowflakes? Even though there is some question about whether there are really no two snowflakes alike, there are too many possible snowflake formations to count. God’s creativity can be seen throughout creation, but when you think of the incredible detail and diversity of snowflakes, you realize just how limitless His creative power really is! And if He cares enough to create so many different varieties of something so tiny and temporary as a snowflake, how much more must He care about His children.

Activity idea

Take a black piece of construction paper outside and catch some snowflakes on it. Take a close look at the incredible detail of the snowflakes you catch. When everyone gets cold, bring the kids inside and have them draw some of the snowflake designs they saw, or cut paper snowflakes to hang around the house. See how many designs you can make! No two will be alike!

Snow Day Lesson #2 – Jesus makes us white as snow.

Your sins are red like deep red cloth. But they can be as white as snow. — Isaiah 1:18

In the early winter, after the colors of Autumn have faded and before the snowy season hits, things are rather ugly, to put it bluntly. Everything is varying shades of brown, the grass is dead, and nothing looks appealing. Then it snows, and suddenly the dead landscape turns into something clean and beautiful.

Snowy days are reminders that this is what God does to our hearts when we believe in Jesus.

What was dead and ugly, full of sin, is now washed clean and bright through the blood of Jesus. He doesn’t just cover over the sin and ugliness, but goes a step further and removes our sins, transforming us into something completely new. What the snow does for the outdoors is a reflection of God’s transforming power, not just for landscapes, but for our hearts and lives when we put our trust in Him.

Activity idea

When the weather forecast shows a snowstorm in the near future, send your kids out with a camera to take some pictures of the winter landscape before it snows; then after the storm, send them out again to take those same pictures when everything is covered in white. Make your own before/after slideshow or photo book. If you can’t plan that far ahead, your kids can still head outside with a camera to take pictures of the snow as a fun photo project. Admire your wonderland pictures and talk about how Jesus can make our sins whiter than snow.

Snow Day Lesson about God #3 – Snow always accomplishes God’s purpose, just like His Word.

Rain and snow fall from the sky. They don’t return without watering the ground… The words I say do the same thing. They will not return to me empty. They make the things happen that I want to happen. They succeed in doing what I send them to do. — Isaiah 55:10a-11

We have long winters in my part of the country, and I always see a shift in how people view snow after Christmas. What was exciting, fresh, and festive is suddenly dreary and cold, and people start wishing for the thaw. But even when we wish the snow would go away, without those spring snows that seem to never end, we wouldn’t have our beautiful green summers. The purpose of snow is to water the ground so that our warmer months can come with new growth and blooms. The Bible specifically compares rain (and snow) to God’s Word. Just like the moisture isn’t for nothing, God’s Word always accomplishes God’s purposes and helps us to grow.

Activity idea

Help your kids make some decorative memory verse cards, and spend some of those snowy days hiding God’s Word in your hearts. Play “freeze” tag either inside or outside – when your kids are tagged, they must freeze in place until they recite (or read) a Bible verse. You will get their energy out and motivate them to learn their verses at the same time.

To add another snowy element to the fun, you can use the Frost Bible to look up the Bible verses for your kids’ memory verse cards. This Bible has a glittery cover, and snowflake-covered pages that explain biblical concepts in more detail, along with beautifully illustrated Bible timelines. You could even give this Bible as a reward when your kids succeed in memorizing their snowy day scripture passage!

Winter days can mean more time spent at home with your kids, and that can be a very good thing, especially when you can use the time to creatively point your kids to the Lord. Snow, or reminders of snow, are everywhere during the winter. I hope that with these lessons your family will be reminded of God’s creativity, His Word, and His transformative power whenever it snows.

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Your Turn

What are some of your activity ideas for snow days that can teach our kids more about God? Come share with us on our blog!