Create A Winter Wonderland With 6 Ways To Make DIY Snow For Kids

Are your kids longing for a white Christmas? While you can’t travel to a winter country for now, it doesn’t mean the little ones cannot experience some wintry fun on our sunny island! Create a winter wonderland at home for the kids by learning how to make fake snow with these easy DIY snow techniques! They are very simple, but also fun for your kids to get crafty and have an unforgettable Christmas this 2020! 

1. Baking soda DIY snow

Are your kids big fans of Frozen? If so, one of their favourite songs has got to be Do You Want To Build A Snowman? This Christmas, their dream of building a snowman can finally come true with this DIY snow recipe! The baking soda DIY snow is unbelievably easy to create and feels super satisfying on hand. Plus, the ‘snow’ is very malleable and can be shaped into a snowman or even an igloo! 

You will need:

• 3 cups baking soda
• ½ cup white hair conditioner

How to make fake snow:

1. Pour the Arm & Hammer 100% Pure Baking Soda (available on S-Mart by Shopee Official Store) and hair conditioner into a large mixing bowl. Make sure that the hair conditioner is white in colour. Any other coloured hair conditioner will dye your DIY snow.
2. Mix everything thoroughly with your hands. The kids can help with this step too! You should achieve a light, fluffy texture that can hold its shape when compressed into a ball with your hands.
   
   Pro Tip: If your DIY snow turned out too sticky, simply add more baking soda and mix well to get the ideal texture. Likewise, if the DIY snow becomes too crumbly and doesn’t hold well together, add more hair conditioner.
3. We suggest laying the DIY snow on a large baking tray so your kids can play with it easily! Alternatively, wrap the kids’ table with a cling wrap to protect the surface from the mess and pour the DIY snow straight onto the table.
4. To make a snowman, simply roll two ‘snowballs’ and stack them on top of each other. Use black buttons for the snowman’s eyes and twigs for its arms. You can also colour a cotton bud orange and push it through the snowman’s face to give it a nose. Let your children’s creativity run wild as they complete their wintry masterpiece!

2. Shaved ice colourful DIY snow

Most of the DIY snow methods listed here create results that look similar to actual snow, but something’s missing. They don’t feel cold like real snow does! If your little ones are particular about having ‘snow’ that feels cold to touch, they will be pleased with this shaved ice DIY snow recipe! But be sure to have them play with this ‘snow’ in an air-conditioned environment (about 18 degree celsius) or you may find that the DIY snow melts away too quickly! 

You will need:

• Blender
• Ice cubes
• Baking tray
• Squeeze bottles
• Watercolour paint

How to make fake snow:

1. Fill some Walfos squeeze bottles (available on Walfos Official Store) with water. Get the kids to pick their favourite watercolour paint hues. Add a few drops of each paint colour to a squeeze bottle. Shake the bottle well. They will act as fun ‘snow’ paint for the kids later on!
2. Fill your blender with ice cubes and blend it up at high speed. The ice cubes will be shaved down into ‘snow’!
3. Pour the DIY snow into baking trays and it’s ready for play! Be sure to let your children know to keep the snow in the baking tray so they won’t cause a slippery mess when they melt.
4. Your little ones can get creative and squirt diluted watercolour paint created in step 1 onto the snow for a cold and colourful snowy experience!

3. Baby diaper DIY snow

Have some spare clean baby diapers lying around at home? Put them to good use this Christmas for your children’s DIY snow project! Yes, you heard us right! Disposable baby diapers contain a key ingredient to DIY snow — sodium polyacrylate. This is a super-absorbent polymer that expands when it comes in contact with water. Learn how to make good use of sodium polyacrylate to create some artificial snow! This method produces the closest result to store bought instant snow.

You will need:

• 2 disposable diapers
• Scissors
• Water

How to make fake snow:

1. Help the kids to cut up the soft padded section of the baby diaper to reveal a bunch of fluffy cotton wool. The cotton holds some powdery substance which is sodium polyacrylate.
2. With a bowl underneath, remove the cotton from the diaper and toss them into the bowl. The kids can help to shake up the cotton to separate the powder
   
   Pro Tip: Another easy way to get the sodium polyacrylate out of the cotton is by packing the cotton into a ziplock bag. Seal the bag and shake it hard so the powder falls out of the cotton. Take out the cotton and you’ll be left with sodium polyacrylate!
3. Remove the cotton from the bowl but don’t throw them away just yet! We suggest storing them because they will come in handy to make some cotton DIY snow (method 5) as shown in the later part of this article!
4. Repeat step 1 to 3 for the second diaper. You can use even more diapers, depending on the amount of DIY snow you would like to create.
5. Pour a small amount of water (about two to three tablespoons) into the bowl and mix well
6. Repeat step 6 one more time to get fluffy DIY snow

4. Corn starch DIY snow

Making last-minute DIY snow with your kids and don’t have any diapers to spare? Don’t fret, here’s another simple alternative for you! This DIY snow method only requires two common household essentials that most people will have — corn starch and body lotion! Making corn starch DIY snow is a great sensory experience for your little ones. Plus, this recipe is extra-moisturising for the skin thanks to the addition of body lotion, so you kids are guaranteed to have soft and hydrated hands after playtime! 

You will need:

• 3 cups corn starch
• 1 cup white body lotion
• (Optional) food colouring

How to make fake snow:

1. (Optional) If your kids prefer coloured to white snow, add in a few drops of food colouring of their favourite hues into the baby lotion. Mix well. Be sure to wash your hands if they come in contact with food colouring to avoid splotchy shades in the DIY snow.
2. Mix the lotion and corn starch together for about two to three minutes. You know you’ve achieved the right consistency when the DIY snow holds its shape in your hands.
   
   Pro Tip: If your kids want to keep the snow for playtime tomorrow, you can seal them in a ziplock bag or an airtight container. But we suggest making a new batch every time (they are super fun and easy to make anyway) instead to keep the DIY snow as hygienic as possible.
   

5. Cotton DIY snow

Not keen on all the mixing and blending? Perhaps cotton DIY snow will be a better, fuss-free option for your family! Plus, cleaning up after the kids are done playing is a breeze. Simply vacuum up all the cotton pieces and your house is neat again! 

You will need:

• Cotton balls
• Pillow stuffings
• Kids’ shovels
• Pails

How to make fake snow:

1. Gently unroll the cotton balls and tuck at them to make them bigger and fluffier. This is also a great chance to make good use of the cotton leftover from the baby diaper DIY snow project mentioned above!
2. Tear the pillow stuffings up too to create more ‘snow’
3. Pour cotton balls and pillow stuffings on the floor
4. Get some kids’ beach shovels (available on Flying Kids Fashion) and pails for the children. They can spend the whole Christmas afternoon shovelling up snow and engaging in ‘snowball’ fights!

6. Styrofoam DIY snow

Another easy method to make DIY snow is to use styrofoam. Upcycle your styrofoam boxes or boards at home to put a smile on your children’s faces! This DIY snow will also make great video or photo props, so get the little ones dressed in their kids’ winter jackets to capture this wonderful memory.

You will need:

• Styrofoam boxes or boards
• Fork
• Funnel
• Balloons
• Tape

How to make fake snow:

1. Shred the styrofoam board (available on VIP Educational Supplies Pte Ltd) or box with a fork to get a bunch of small styrofoam balls
2. Place a funnel into the opening of a balloon. Pour the styrofoam balls into the balloon through the funnel. Tie the balloon up. You can make as many ‘snow-filled’ balloons as you want.
3. Tape the balloons up on the ceiling
4. When the little ones are ready, get them to stand under the balloon. Help them burst the balloons with a fork and watch as the DIY snow rain down on them!

Christmas can be snow much fun!

Can’t get enough of fun Christmas projects to do with your kids? Check out our array of Christmas card ideas for kids which your little ones can make for their friends and family! In addition, we’ve got more fun sensory activities that will stimulate your toddler’s senses during playtime. Meanwhile, older children will be more entertained with these cool science experiments for kids.