As a parent, we’re always looking for ways to make ordinary activities magical, fun, and interactive. My favorite way to enhance everyday fun is by using sensory play! If you’re new to the Mothercould community, you may be asking, what is sensory play?

Sensory play refers to activities that engage the senses of babies, toddlers, and children in ways that are both fun and meaningful. And while sensory play is tons of fun, it also supports key areas of development including brain function and cognitive skills.

These activities allow children the opportunity to learn and explore the environment through touch, sight, smell, taste, and hearing. And one of the best parts? The possibilities for materials are endless!

That’s why I’m excited to share some sensory play ideas using artificial snow. Whether you’re looking for ways to beat the summer heat or bring a bit of winter indoors, artificial snow for sensory play is a fantastic foundation for fun, explorative activities. Let’s dive in!

Indoor Winter Magic: 5 Fake Snow Sensory Play Ideas

Fake snow sensory play is a total game-changer. It’s a super engaging, mess-free way for kids to explore the magic of real snow, without freezing their little fingers off!

DIY fake snow is a super versatile base that works perfectly for tons of different activities, and is a holy grail for creating fun and engaging experiences.

If you live in a place where snow is more of a “wishful thinking” situation or you’re just looking for year-round winter fun, your kiddos are sure to have a blast with these fake snow play ideas!

Arctic Sensory Bin

Sensory bins have SO many benefits, so I love to incorporate them into play time as much as I can! For this idea, we’re turning a standard sensory bin into a fun and engaging winter scene.

Start off by taking your sensory bin and filling it up with fake snow (see below for our recipe). Next, add the scenery. Use things like ice cubes for glaciers, plastic trees, and igloos. Don’t forget to place arctic animals and tiny snowmen throughout the bin for added fun!

Once you’re done setting the bin up, add some extra “decorations” to make the experience all the more special you can use things like glitter for an icy effect or blue Jell-O to mimic water. Now, just let your little ones manipulate the environment however they’d like!

You can let your kids use their hands to move objects around, give them spoons to scoop up the snow, or hand them tweezers to pick up and move the trees around. It’s a versatile sensory play activity that’s sure to provide hours of entertainment!

Snowman Creation Station

Creation stations for kids offer endless benefits. It allows them to explore their creativity, enhance fine motor skills, and feel a sense of achievement. So in that case, let’s take advantage of the benefits and create a snowman creation station!

Put your fake snow into a large bowl for easy scooping access, and place all of your snowman-making materials into separate containers. Set it up to where they’re able to do things in order so the arms first, the buttons second, the eyes third, all the way until they’ve fully completed their snowman. This helps establish a sense of order, and an even bigger sense of accomplishment!

Making mini snowmen is a great tactile experience that promotes creative expression and enhances problem-solving skills. It’s fun and developmentally beneficial!

Frozen Animal Rescue

We’re taking inspo from the frozen sea mission play recipe, and adding a few additions to incorporate our fake snow for some bonus fun!

Start off by freezing small arctic animals into individual ice cubes for your little ones to “rescue” from the snow. Next, grab a plastic container, fill it up with your fake snow, and place the frozen animals throughout the container. Now, ask your little ones to scoop up the animals and “save” them by placing them into a clear, snow-free bin. To finish rescuing these arctic animals, add water to the second bin to watch that ice melt away.

Not only is this a fantastic and fun activity for using problem-solving techniques, it’s also great for instilling a sense of accomplishment!

Snow Writing Tray

This activity is just like the colored salt tray play idea, except we’re using fake snow, instead! It’s easy, inexpensive, and just as intriguing.

Grab your tray, and pour some of your fake snow (or some simple shaving cream) into it. Be careful not to add too much, or it will be harder to draw shapes! Shake the tray to create an even layer, and let your kids have some creative fun! Ask them to use their fingers to draw different shapes, letters, words, or pictures. It’s truly that easy.

This is also one of my favorite recipes to use for winter activities because it offers endless creative possibilities. Your kids can draw Christmas trees, snowmen, presents, or even write down what’s on their wish list! The options are limitless.

Snow-Themed Sensory Bag

If you don’t already know, I am a HUGE fan of sensory bags. My girls were not tummy time enthusiasts to say the least, and sensory bags made a massive difference in entertaining them during that time. So without further ado, let’s incorporate fake snow into a sensory bag activity!

For this activity, start off by pulling out a gallon sized freezer bag. Next, fill your bag up with fake snow you can add a large amount to fill the bag up! Now, add in some fun and engaging objects. Make sure to stay away from anything sharp to avoid poking a hole in the bag. I recommend using things like glitter, confetti, pom poms, beads, and small snowflakes.

Sensory bags are easy to set-up, mess-free, and can be made with simple items you probably already have laying around your house!

What Are Fake Snow Sensory Play Benefits?

Tactile stimulation: Fake snow is great for encouraging kids to explore different textures! In this case, the soft, cold, and crumbly texture of the snow is fantastic for sensory development.
Temperature exploration: Aside from the tactile factors of the fake snow, the chilled element lets little ones explore different temperatures in a safe, regulated way!
Fine motor skills: Actions like pouring, scooping, molding, and shaping are all incredible for improving those fine motor skills, fine motor control, hand eye-coordination, and dexterity.
Creativity and imagination: Fake snow is a great open-ended play option, which encourages kids to create their own stories, themes, and scenarios!
Cognitive development: Activities that involve problem-solving and logical thinking are terrific for developing critical thinking skills and cognitive development.
Emotional regulation: Playing with fake snow naturally provides a calming effect, which inevitably can help teach self-regulation!

How To Make Fake Snow For Sensory Play

To get started, go ahead and grab all of your ingredients needed for this fake snow recipe! You’ll need: 1 cup of baking soda, ½ cup of sugar, ½ cup of corn starch, 1 tablespoon of cream of tartar, and 4 tablespoons of water.
Pour your baking soda, sugar, corn starch, and cream of tartar into a medium bowl. Grab your whisk, and mix it well.
Add 2 tablespoons of water into your bowl. Continue mixing everything together.
Add another 2 tablespoons of water into the mixture, and use a whisk to continue mixing it. At this point, you should have a snow-like fluffy texture.
Place your mixture in the refrigerator until it is cool.
Once it’s play time, remove it from the refrigerator and have some fun!

If you want to save your pretend snow for future use, place it in a zip close bag or air tight container, and store it in the refrigerator until next time!

Which fake snow play idea are you incorporating into your sensory activity routine?

Fake snow is a great material to incorporate into everyday sensory play ideas it’s fantastic for tactile exploration, encouraging creativity, and aiding in problem-solving. These play recipes are guaranteed to make play time even more exciting!

While I included various affiliate links for direct access to objects I used, feel free to get creative and incorporate objects of your own, too!

For more sensory play ideas of all kinds, visit the Mothercould blog! And, for in-depth tutorials, some of my favorite play hacks, and tons of printable activity packs, download the Mothercould in your Pocket resource!

INDOOR WINTER MAGIC: 5 FAKE SNOW SENSORY PLAY IDEAS