Winter is upon us, and you may be looking for some great indoor activities to add to your list to celebrate the season and avoid the cold weather outside! Here are some of our favorites.
These 10 simple preschool winter activities are the perfect addition to your daily daycare activity schedule, allowing toddlers to be creative and explore concepts related to winter.
We’ve compiled this list of easy to create winter activities that require a short list of supplies, and a lot of creativity! Hope you enjoy and ensure to come back to this page for new updated activities!
1) Silly Snowmen
Children will replicate snowmen and will apply math skills to put them together in this fun art activity. This activity is perfect for introducing math to preschoolers and learning about snow!
2) Polar Pals
Polar animals share many characteristics that allow them to live in cold places. The coloration of their bodies (usually white), their compact bodies and their hibernation or migration are some of them. Children will apply their knowledge about polar region animals through open-ended play experiences.
3) Icy Icy Ocean
Learn all about icebergs in this hands-on activity by experimenting with warm water, salt, and ice! This developmentally appropriate activity is perfect for developing fine motor skills, promotes curiosity, and teaches kids about earth, science and the environment!
4) Movement: Polar Wands
Get moving with this simple activity and keep the little ones engaged both inside and outside! By taping streamers to craft sticks or tying ribbon to wooden rings, children will create polar wands to explore with. With many modifications available, this activity is perfect for toddlers or younger children’s gross motor and fine motor development!
5) Snowflake Names
Children typically begin to recognize the letters in their names first. This snowflake name activity is a great addition to your winter activities. Ignite their curiosity by writing the letters of children’s names on doilies, or child-created snowflakes for a fun search and find name game! This activity is perfect for younger children to learn letters and help develop self-awareness and self-concept!
6) Winter Wonderland Bottles
Create some beautiful winter scenes in discovery bottles! This interactive sensory activity is easy to put together and children will love to see how the different materials mix together and react.
Enjoying these activities ideas so far? Click below to check out our Daycare Activities Database for more fun activity ideas and tons of other curated activities for toddlers and preschoolers to add to your daily daycare activities schedule!
7) Snowflake Candy Counting
Children will love practicing number recognition and counting with this fun snowflake candy counting activity! This activity is so easy to set up and can be done in small groups or for a whole classroom. It is also a great way to identify numbers with children and will gain their interest through some sweets!
8) Paper Plate Snowman
This preschool winter activity with paper plates is perfect if you are looking for a low-budget craft that kids can take home. Using only simple materials, children will have the opportunity to exercise their fine motor skills, while having a lot of fun!
9) Christmas Tree Math Activity
Take advantage of the holiday spirit to teach preschoolers to count from 0 to 9, and to match numbers to objects. Christmas trees are perfect to teach basic math skills because of the variety of different ornaments that they have. Plus, it will be easier to keep the students involved with this activity that is eye-catching and fun.
10) Marshmallow Snowman Craft
This snowman activity is a great way to use mini marshmallows and practice counting and hand-eye coordination for little ones. There are a lot of different skills going on in this activity and it’s a great way to challenge younger ones and practice those skills!
Here are some more fun and interactive winter crafts to try:
Popsicle Stick Snowflakes
This is a classic preschool winter craft that requires just a few different materials and only a couple of steps. Arrange 4 popsicle sticks on top of each other, alternating angles to create a snowflake or star pattern. Hot glue the sticks in the center to secure them (you’ll want to prep these beforehand for the little ones!). Next, provide preschoolers with a range of decorations, such as glitter, snowflake confetti, cotton balls, or any other winter-themed items to stick to their snowflake with craft glue. If desired, add a string for hanging up in the window.
Ice Ornaments
You and your classroom can make pretty ornaments to hang outdoors using just a few simple items you can gather from around your classroom. Using a variety of different-sized containers, string, water, and a few odds and ends, you’ll create ice ornaments that glitter in the sun. Fill the dishes with water, submerging the end of a length of string for hanging later. Place decorations like small twigs, berries, glitter, or anything else you can think of into the water. Take the containers outdoors, wait for them to freeze, and when ready, remove the ice ornaments from the containers and hang them in a tree!
Handprint Tree
Have preschoolers paint a winter landscape scene, complete with snowflakes and a thick blanket of snow on the ground. When their creations are dry, let children dip their hands in brown paint and place their handprint directly in the middle of the scene to form the tree’s branches. Add more brown paint to extend the trunk to the ground, and have the children add a little more white paint on their newly formed tree to capture the look of freshly fallen snow!
Snowman in a Bag
All this craft requires is a Ziploc bag, shaving cream, and a few scraps of black and orange foam sheets! Using black construction paper, cut two quarter-sized eyes and five smaller circles to create the snowman’s mouth. Glue these shapes to the outside of your plastic bag. Cut a large orange foam triangle and place it inside the bag, along with a generous squirt of shaving cream. Add glitter if desired, then seal up the bag (fold the top over and tap for added security)! Preschoolers will love squishing the snowman’s face and moving around its nose inside.
Simple Bird Feeder
What better way to attract some cold-weather wildlife than with a bird feeder? This fun winter craft for preschoolers can be tied into your curriculum to further explore the season. Each child should coat an empty toilet paper tube with peanut butter or another school-safe nut butter, then roll it in birdseed until the tube is covered. Thread a length of ribbon or yarn through the center of the tube, and tie the ends. You and your preschoolers are ready to head outdoors, hang your bird feeders and wait for the birds to arrive!
Looking for more great activities and crafts for your preschool? Click below to access some of HiMama’s favorite daycare activities and ideas!
What activities do you like to do with your classroom to ring in the winter season?
Love, LOVE the snowman in a bag!