The sound of a snowplow repetitively hitting the pavement as dawn begins to break can only mean one thing: SNOW DAY.

Of course, your child instinctively knows this and is awake long before the usual alarm begins to sing.

When you’re a Work-At-Home-Mom (or parent), you need to be able to carve out time to do your job. So how do you balance this work and still have time to build a snowman? With a back pocket, full of activities that are new and different to your little one.

Here are 9 screen free snow day activities to help boost your productivity:

1. Drawing Prompts: I found my daughter these doodle books over the holidays (Marshall’s) filled with inspiring ideas to get kids drawing. For example: Draw something that begins with the letter A; Draw the view from your window; Draw without taking your pencil off the page; Draw a thunderstorm; Fill the page with stars using primary colors. You can easily DIY with blank printer paper.

2. Cardboard City: All of those Amazon boxes you have from Christmas … let the kids go wild making a cardboard city. Bring out the art supplies and watch their imaginations soar (Need to buy more time? Barbie, Stuffies and Superheros love vacationing here!).

3. Scavenger Hunt: Make your own or grab one from Pinterest. Have them hunt for things around the house that are of certain size, shape, color, texture, etc. (or specific items work, too).

4. Bring the Snow Inside: Fill the bathtub or put down trash bags on the kitchen floor. Add some color with food dye, pull out measuring cups, spoons, etc. (Barbie and friends also like making snow angels).

5. Play-Doh Picnic: My daughter is a big Food Network fan … but in attempt to limit screen time, we recreate her favorites. For example, we found that Play-Doh works great for a Chopped Kitchen challenge. Let the stuffed animals be their restaurant patrons.

6. Science Experiment: Fill one cup or bowl with snow and another with ice. Which melts faster? Have your child observe and check on the experiment every so often, noting any changes.

7. Secondhand Shop: Choose a room or space to set up a store. They’ll need to choose the items that go with their theme, create price tags, find shopping bags. When you’re done doing your work and the store is all set up, you can take turns playing customer and shop owner.

8. Kid Collage: If you’re like me, you have a pile of magazines that have probably never been read. Let the kids go through them and cut out anything that pops out and catches their eye. When they’re done, they can glue them on paper to make a collage or even remake their own magazine by spreading the cutouts on several pages.

9. Snail Mail: Sometimes kids find making pictures more fun when they have someone to send their creations to. There’s something about folding up the work, placing it in an envelope and adding a stamp that makes this activity special.

Lastly, find a way to get your kids involved with your work if possible. As a writer, I often tell my daughter I need her help brainstorming my next picture book or poem. With my Juice Plus business, I ask her to name all the people she thinks we should help get healthy (this turns into quite the list). Allowing your children to be part of your work, even briefly, makes them feel purposeful … like they are helping you achieve your goals.

Happy snow day … may the flakes be with you.

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