Our Top 15 Favorite Winter Activities For Preschoolers
There is something magical about how preschoolers view winter; everything is new and wondrous, even if it's their third or fourth winter. They are always eager to learn with open eyes and an open mind, soaking up everything that this mystifying season has to offer.
If you're looking for some winter fun to keep your little learners smiling from ear to ear— you came to the right place! Here are our top 15 favorite winter activities for preschoolers.
Snowball Sensory Bin
This is a learning activity that will appeal to your little one's senses. Sensory bins are textural, visual, and audible and can help with fine motor skills, counting, colors, and even matching. All you need are a few bins to fill up with random objects, as long as the objects are safe and child-friendly, of course. For a fun wintery twist, use items to stick with the theme like snowballs (aka cotton balls) and holiday stickers. You can then let your tiny tot begin to explore and discover all these things.
Pretend Play
What tiny tot doesn't love to dress up as their favorite cartoon character and pretend play? Maybe they want to have a tea party with all their stuffed animals. For this fun activity, you can allow your child to have some "supervised" alone time, so they can play with their favorite toys and learn to be creative and use their imaginations.
Animal Tracks
For this fun activity, all you need is a little bit of "snow" (white playdough) and a fewpolar animalfigurines such as reindeer, penguins, polar bears, and arctic wolves. Have your toddlers make tracks with the animals in the "snow.” They can make as many tracks as they like, and you can even have them try to guess which tracks belong to which animal. Once they've run out of room to make tracks, take them outside in the snow to make tracks of their own.
Build a Fort
Remember back in the day when you would use pillows and blankets to make a fort in the living room? Well, why not let your little ones experience that same thing this winter? Grab a few sheets, a ton of pillows, and all of your toddler's favorite stuffed animals and spend time together building a cozy cove. Once you help them build the winter fort of their dreams, snuggle up next to them and read a fun holiday story.
DIY Ball Pit
Want to really give your preschoolers a good time? Take your favorite FUNBOY kiddie pool out from hibernation and inflate it in the house. Then, fill it up with ball-pit balls in various colors. Add some fun extras like beach balls and pool floats, andvoila! You just created a fun indoor winter activity that is sure to keep your preschooler busy for hours. Want to keep them preoccupied a little longer? Throw on their favorite holiday movie while they enjoy sitting in their very own ball pit!
Build a Snowman
After getting cozy inside and watching all the favorite holiday hits, let your preschooler's imagination soar and take them outside to build a snowman. Let them help you to roll big balls of snow for Frosty's body and have them scavenge the area to find sticks for his arms and rocks for his eyes. Add a carrot for the nose, and don't forget the hat to bring your snowman to life.
Sledding
Sledding is arguably the most fun that anyone can have in the snow and is sure to have your tiny tot giggling the entire time. Take your little one to the local hill on the next snow day and give them a sledding adventure they will never forget. Be sure to choose an open hill that is not very steep, is without obstacles, and is suitable for young children. There are many different types of sleds on the market to choose from, but be sure that the sled you choose is safe for young children.
Shaving Cream Snow
This activity might get a little messy, but the kids will love it. Tape pieces of foil to the table and squirt a little bit of shaving cream to each piece. Preschoolers can pretend to ice skate with their fingers on the foil or let their imaginations soar to come up with fun shaving cream design.
Dance Party
Pump up the holiday tunes and get your groove on— toddler style. Have a dance-off, play shadow dancer (your child has to follow your moves and vice-versa), or just move to the music. Your little one can stomp their feet, clap their hands, and twirl around a well-cleared living room or playroom.
Make Soapy Snow
Get your science on and make some soapy snow with your tiny tot! Microwave a bar of Ivory soap— yes, it must be Ivory soap. Put the soap on a microwave-safe dish and set the timer for fifteen seconds. Keep heating the soap in fifteen-second increments until it's… well, you'll see. Let's just say it turns into a magical cloud of puff. Take the soap out, but absolutely do not let your kiddo touch it. In fact, don't even touch it yourself. It will be crazy hot. Marvel at it. Let it deflate. And then when it's finally cooled down, flake off what remains into soapy faux snow. Scoop it in a bin, use it in a winter craft, or just allow your preschooler to explore the snowy and soapy sensations.
Make A Ski Course
No, your little one is not going outside, strapping on skies, and whooshing down a mountain like some kind of slope expert. Set up an imaginary ski course, using flexible plastic cones or little flags to pretend ski around. Time your little monster, race together, or challenge your tot to get creative and come up with a few imaginative skiing moves.
Indoor Obstacles
Another great winter activity that your preschoolers will enjoy is an indoor obstacle course. This is an easy way to entertain your little ones and get them moving. They don't need an elaborate setup with army crawl and some sort of netting to toss themselves over. Keep things simple and create a runway that's lined with fluffy pillows and cozy blankets. Set up toys to hop around and cheer them on as they run through the course.
Winter Walk
Bundle up your preschooler in warm layers and take them for a fun winter walk around the neighborhood or schoolyard. Talk about the changes they see in nature. How do the trees look now that it's different from summer? How does the grass look? How does the sky look? Are there any winter animals around? Are there any flowers? Play "I Spy" and have them search for pinecones, birds, and leaves.
Blow Some Bubbles
Blowing bubbles doesn't need to be just a summer activity. Grab some bubble solution and head outside into the cold weather. Have your little ones blow bubbles and watch as they crystalize before their eyes. If you happen to have a blacktop outside, blow the bubbles there and watch as they freeze and roll around on the ground instead of popping. Have your toddler touch the bubbles to see how they feel. Eventually, the bubble solution itself will freeze, and you can have your child watch as the crystals slowly appear across the liquid's surface. Then, grab your tiny tot and run inside to get warm!
Pro-Tip: This activity works best on chilly winter days that dip below freezing. You'll also find that it works better if the bubble solution is cold before you begin the activity. With that in mind, it's a good idea to set the solution in a safe place outside in the morning and do this activity in the afternoon when the bubble solution is cool.
Pinecone Birdfeeder
Learn more about the friendly species that stick around during the winter months by making a pinecone birdfeeder. Have your preschooler try and draw the winter critters that come to visit. With the white snowy background, various ducks, hawks, songbirds, and mammals are much easier to spot than they are in the warmer months. Talk about the animals they see and have fun trying to mimic the sounds they make.
Recap
Preschoolers are easy to entertain in the winter because there are a ton of fun and exciting activities that come with the colder season. Whether you decide to take your tiny tot outdoors to slip and slide down the local hill for some good ol' sledding fun, or if you keep things indoors and make your own kiddie pool ball pit, your kids are sure to have a blast.
Sources:
https://www.coolantarctica.com/Antarctica%20fact%20file/arctic_animal.php
https://www.barnowltrust.org.uk/owl-facts-for-kids/owl-crafts/pine-cone-bird-feeder/
