How To Make Fake Snow For Kids

Do you live in an area where the sun never sleeps? Do your kids pine for a snow day? Well then, read on to find out how to make fake snow for kids!

While most of the country’s moms and dads are wresting on a second layer of clothing for their kids to go outside, my family and I are still enjoying flip flops and “cold fronts” of low 70 degree temperatures! Unfortunately, that also means we don’t get to experience the joys of snowball fights or building a snowman. In Florida, we have to create our own snow to play with, but at least we can do so in shorts! One of our new favorite activities to do together is to Make Fake Snow and we love pretending that we’re in our own sparkly winter wonderland!

This sensory activity is all about exploring different textures and materials, taking your time, and using your imagination. This messy project lends itself to hours of fun! My two year old especially loved how mushy and slippery the crystals felt between his fingers. So we spent some time enjoying each of the steps for a few minutes to take note of the consistency and color each ingredient poses on its own, or makes when combined with other materials. The giggles and excitement began as a snowy appearance took shape and the mess became larger and larger. My four year old is currently obsessed with Spiderman, and he especially, loved the web-like texture this mixture was turning into! After Mr. J and Mr. R were done rolling, squishing, and pulling, we added alphabet letters to bury and pretended to rescue them from the wintery storm!

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Compared to other crafts that we usually create in our home, this one definitely has some ingredients that you have to be open-minded about to use…like the crystals found inside of diapers. I know it sounds a bit gross, but it really makes the “fluff” part of the fake snow. Besides, as a mother of three boys, “gross” is no longer a word in my vocabulary…and in our house, the messier the project, the better!

This nontraditional item may sound a little silly, but it truly provides the best results and yields the most sensory benefits for your little ones. But if you don’t have children young enough to still be in diapers, or simply don’t wish to buy a pack for this project, mashed up water beads will work well too.

If your child has a sensory aversion, and struggles with messy hands, you can mix all of the ingredients together by yourself first. This way, once you pass it off to them, their own hands and skin will be less messy due to not touching the glue. The finished project should not stick to any skin or clothing.

I guarantee this fun sensory activity will become your favorite fake winter snow project yet!

HOW TO MAKE FAKE SNOW FOR KIDS

Materials:

4 cups water
2 cups liquid starch
3 cups white glue
1/4 cup glitter glue – Optional, but even my boys loved the extra sparkle!
4 diapers
A large, semi-shallow container or bin to mix everything in.

Directions:

Step 1: Cut the top of each diaper and carefully shake the crystals into a container. Remove any little pieces of fluff that may have fallen out. Add all five cups of water to your container.

Step 2: Add two cups of glue and use hands to mix with the hydrated water crystals. This is also a great time to have your little ones squeeze in the one fourth cup of glitter glue if you desire to use it. The concoction will now begin to feel VERY sticky and become super fluffy.

Step 3: Add the liquid starch one half cup at a time. Liquid starch gives the mixture the thick consistency needed to make snowballs or other shapes, so don’t overdo it in the beginning, but it will also remove the sticky feeling. If too much starch was added, simply add more glue. Continue to adjust the starch-to-glue ratio until your children reach the kind of winter snow that they want to play with.

Have fun,

Gina Lawrence

Looking for more fun winter themed crafts for your kids? Try these: