Homemade Snowman Skittles: Easy Winter Craft for Kids

It’s freezing outside, but there’s still no sign of the snow the children are hoping for. While I can happily manage without icy pavements and soggy gloves, I do understand their disappointment. There’s something rather unfair about it being cold enough for snow without actually getting any!

If you’re waiting for a snow day too, these homemade snowman Skittles are a lovely way to bring a little winter fun indoors. There’s no need to wrap everyone in several layers, and you can build your snowmen with a hot drink beside you. That’s much more my sort of cold-weather activity.

This simple craft uses cardboard tubes and a few bits from the craft box. Once the glue has dried, the snowmen become a bowling game, so you get an activity to make and something to play with afterwards.

What you need

You don’t need anything particularly fancy to make snowman Skittles. Rummage through your recycling and craft supplies before buying anything.

• Six clean, empty toilet roll tubes, or kitchen roll tubes cut to size
• White paper
• Coloured paper/and or fabric
• Eye stickers or a black felt-tip pen
• An orange pen or a small piece of orange paper
• Glue
• Scissors
• Scrunched-up newspaper
• A small, soft ball

Wrapping-paper offcuts are useful for making colourful hats and scarves, so this is a good excuse to keep those little pieces which otherwise end up in the recycling.

If you would rather avoid using toilet roll tubes, kitchen roll tubes work just as well. An adult can cut them into shorter lengths before the children start

decorating.

How to make snowman Skittles

1. Cover your cardboard tubes

Start by cutting a piece of white paper large enough to wrap around a cardboard tube, with a little overlap.

Spread glue over the outside of the tube, then wrap the paper around it and press the join down firmly. Trim away any excess, leaving enough at the top and bottom to tuck neatly inside.

Repeat with the remaining tubes. Six snowmen are ideal for a small game of skittles, although you can make more if you have enough tubes and enthusiastic helpers.

Don’t worry if the paper is a little wonky. These are homemade snowmen, and they certainly don’t need to look identical.

2. Add a colourful hat

Cut a strip of coloured paper and glue it around the top of the tube to make a hat.

You can keep this as a simple coloured band or make it taller by letting the paper extend above the tube. A second, narrow strip in another colour makes an easy hat trim.

Let the children choose their own colours and patterns. Striped paper, leftover gift wrap or even cut-up magazines work well for this – there is no need to buy anything fancy; just use what you have around the house. If you are feeling adventurous, then you could even cut up old clothes and use the fabric.

3. Make a paper scarf

Cut another strip of coloured paper (or fabric) and wrap it around the tube, just above the middle, leaving room for a face above it.

Glue this into place, then add one or two short strips hanging down at the front to make the scarf ends. Small snips along the bottom give them a fringed look.

Younger children may need a little help with the cutting, but they can choose the paper and stick the pieces into place themselves.

4. Give your snowman a face

Now for the part which gives each snowman its own character.

Use eye stickers or draw on two eyes with a black pen. Add an orange paper carrot nose, or simply draw one, then finish with a smile.

A row of black dots makes a lovely coal-style mouth, and you can add buttons down the front too.

Some might have enormous smiles, others surprised faces, and there will probably be at least one with eyes pointing in completely different directions. I think that’s all part of the fun.

5. Add the newspaper and leave to dry

Once you’ve finished decorating, loosely tuck some scrunched-up newspaper inside each tube. Keep it contained within the snowman so the bottom stays flat and it can stand upright.

There’s no need to pack it tightly; you still want the skittles to fall over when the ball reaches them.

Leave the glue to dry properly before playing. This is usually the point when everyone is keen to test them, but giving them a little time helps keep the hats and scarves attached for the first round!

How to play snowman Skittles

Find a clear space in a hallway or living room and stand the six snowmen in a triangle.

• Three at the back

• Two in the middle

• One at the front

Mark a starting line with a spare scarf laid on the floor, or a small piece of masking tape if it’s suitable for your flooring.

Take turns rolling a soft ball towards the snowmen and count how many fall over. A rolled-up pair of socks can work too if you haven’t got a suitable ball.

For younger children, start close to the skittles and let them have a couple of rolls each. Older children can move further back for a bigger challenge.

I’d keep this as a rolling game indoors, with anything breakable moved out of the way before the bowling begins.

More ways to play

Once everyone has had a few turns, you can change the rules to keep the game going a little longer.

Number your snowmen

Write a number on each snowman and add up the points when they fall over. Use numbers one to six for a straightforward game, or try tens for children who fancy a little more adding up.

You can also ask younger children to count how many snowmen are still standing.

Pick a snowman

Give each snowman a name and challenge players to knock over a particular one.

Can they reach the snowman at the back? Can they knock down the one with the blue scarf? It’s a simple way to make each turn a little different.

Work together

Instead of competing, see whether everyone can knock down all six snowmen using a set number of rolls between them.

This is a useful option when you have children of different ages playing together, as you can move the starting line to suit each child.

Make your own snowman family

You don’t have to make all your snowmen the same size. Try using a mixture of shorter and taller tubes to create a whole snowman family. Another way of adapting this craft is to use plastic bottles and decorate them instead of the paper tubes.

The children could give them names, draw different expressions or decorate each one with somebody’s favourite colour. You could even make a tiny paper pet to sit beside them when they aren’t being used for bowling.

I like crafts which leave room for children to do their own thing. Once the basic white covering is in place, there’s plenty of opportunity to make each snowman their own.

Other Christmas Skittles to try

Once you’ve made a set of snowmen, you can use the same idea for other characters.

• Santa skittles: Cover the tubes in red paper, then add a black belt, a face and a cotton wool beard.

• Reindeer skittles: Use brown paper, draw on faces and add paper antlers. Give one a bright red nose.

• Elf skittles: Choose green and red paper, then add pointed paper hats and cheerful faces.

• Penguin skittles: Cover the tubes in black paper and add white tummy shapes, eyes and orange beaks.

You could make a mixed set and let each child choose which character they would like to create.

A cheap afternoon’s entertainment

These homemade snowman skittles are a lovely activity to have up your sleeve for a cold afternoon, especially when everyone needs a break from screens, and you don’t fancy heading outside.

There’s cutting, sticking and decorating to keep little hands busy, followed by a game you can bring out again. Keep it simple, or spend longer adding details, depending on the children’s ages and how much patience everyone has that day.

Once you’ve finished playing, pop the snowmen into a box ready for next time. They’re light, easy to store and a good reminder that you don’t always need expensive craft kits to fill an afternoon.

We might still be waiting for the real snow, but at least these snowmen won’t melt all over the floor!

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