6 Winter-Themed Activities to do with your Children this Weekend
Looking for ways to keep your preschooler or toddler entertained this winter? Discover a range of engaging winter activities suitable for all ages, from infants to kindergarteners. These activities, designed to be fun and educational, are perfect for parents and childcare providers alike. Explore ideas for indoor and outdoor fun, arts and crafts, sensory play, and more!
1. Ice Excavation
What you’ll need:
containers to freeze things in
animal figurines, small toys or craft items (e.g., gems, large buttons, novelty erasers, etc.),
discovery tools (eye droppers, salt, tongs, play hammer/tools, etc.)
rectangular sensory bin or container
What to do:
Choose and Freeze: Select small toys or objects to freeze. Think about things like animal figurines, small toys, plastic dinosaurs, toy cars, or craft items (e.g., gems, large buttons, novelty erasers, etc.). Place the items in containers you don't mind getting wet (ice cube trays, plastic bowls, etc.) and fill them with water. Make sure the items are completely submerged. Pop them in the freezer until the water is solid ice.
Prepare for the Rescue: Once frozen, remove the ice blocks from their containers. Gather some "rescue tools" for your child. Good options include:
Eye droppers/spray bottles filled with warm water
Salt
Spoons
Small toy hammers or tools
Tongs
Rescue Time! Set up the ice blocks in a bin, tray, or on a towel. Let your child explore different ways to "rescue" the frozen objects. Encourage them to experiment with the different tools and observe what works best. Talk about what they're doing and what they observe happening to the ice.
Repeat the Fun: If your child enjoys this activity, let them choose new items to freeze and rescue again!
Tips:
Supervision: Always supervise young children during this activity, especially when using tools or salt.
Location: This is a great outdoor activity on a warmer winter day. If doing it indoors, protect your surfaces with a towel or plastic tablecloth.
Learning: This activity is a fantastic way for kids to explore concepts like freezing, melting, cause and effect, and problem-solving!
2. Winter Wonderland Scavenger Hunt
Get Ready to Explore!
Winter transforms the world around us! Bundle up and head outside for an exciting scavenger hunt adventure. Will you find frosty treasures or signs of animal friends? Let's see what wonders we can discover!
What You’ll Need:
A Clipboard: To hold your scavenger hunt list and keep it from blowing away in the winter wind!
A Pencil or Pen: To check off your finds!
A Bag or Bucket: To collect some of your nature treasures (remember to only take things that have fallen to the ground!).
Warm Clothes and Sturdy Shoes: Winter weather can be chilly, so dress warm and wear shoes that can handle a bit of snow or mud.
Optional: A magnifying glass for close-up investigations!
What to Do:
Print Your List: Download and print the Winter Scavenger Hunt Printable.
Choose Your Location: Decide where you'll have your adventure. A local park, your backyard, or even a walk around your neighborhood can hold hidden winter treasures!
Search High and Low: Use your scavenger hunt list to guide your exploration. Look for things like:
Pinecones
Acorns
Icicles
Evergreen branches with needles
Animal footprints in the snow or mud
Berries on bushes
Colorful leaves clinging to branches
Different types of bark on trees
Check Off Your Finds: As you find each item, mark it off your list.
Observe and Learn: Take time to really look at the things you find. What colors and shapes do you see? What do they feel like?
Collect Treasures (Responsibly!): If you find things like pinecones or fallen leaves, collect them in your bag to use for a winter nature craft later. Remember to only take things that have already fallen to the ground.
Make it a Game!
Who Can Find the Most?: If you have multiple children, make it a friendly competition to see who can find the most items on the list.
Scavenger Hunt Bingo: Create a bingo card with different winter items. The first one to get bingo wins!
Extend the Fun
Nature Journal: Encourage your child to draw or write about the things they found on their scavenger hunt in a nature journal.
Winter Crafts: Use the items you collected to create a winter-themed craft, like a pinecone bird feeder or a leaf collage.
3. Winter Hat Fashion Design- Unleash the Creativity!
Fashion Fun for Little Fingers!
Let's get creative and design some stylish winter hats! Will your hat be topped with fluffy pompoms or sparkling gems? Maybe it'll have stripes or a cool pattern. Let your imagination run wild!
What You'll Need:
White Paper: For printing the template or for creating your own hat shapes.
White School Glue: To attach all those fabulous decorations!
Markers: To add details and colorful designs.
Collage Materials: Let your child pick their favorites! Some ideas include:
Pompoms (big and small!)
Colorful tissue paper
Sparkling gems or sequins
Glitter (if you dare!)
Washi tape in fun patterns
Buttons
Yarn or ribbon
Felt scraps
Anything else you have around the house that inspires creativity!
What to Do:
Prepare the Hats: Print out the Winter Hat Template or encourage your child to draw their own hat shapes on white paper.
Decorate! This is where the real fun begins! Let your child use their imagination and the collage materials to decorate their winter hats. They can create silly hats, fancy hats, or hats that match their own winter style.
Add Details: Use markers to add extra details, patterns, or even faces to their hat creations.
Show Them Off! Once the hats are complete, put on a fashion show or hang them up for everyone to admire.
Tips for Little Artists
Variety is Key: Offer a wide variety of materials to spark creativity.
Process Over Product: Remember that the process of creating is more important than the final product. Let your child explore and experiment!
Get Involved: Join in the fun and create your own winter hat alongside your child!
4. Wax Resist Winter Scenes: A Magical Art Experience!
Discover the wonder of wax resist art with this enchanting winter activity! Watch as colorful watercolors magically dance around your crayon creations, revealing hidden snowflakes and frosty landscapes.
What You'll Need:
White Paper: Sturdy paper works best for watercolors.
White Crayons or Oil Pastels: The "magic" ingredient for this art project!
Watercolor Paints: Either watercolor palettes or liquid watercolors work well.
Paintbrushes: Have a variety of sizes available for different effects.
Water Container: For rinsing brushes.
Paper Towels: For blotting brushes and cleaning up spills.
Optional: Salt for adding texture (see tip below!).
What to Do:
Create a Winter Scene: Encourage your child to draw a winter scene on their paper using a white crayon or oil pastel. They can draw snowflakes falling from the sky, snow-covered hills, snowmen, houses, trees... anything that reminds them of winter! Remind them to press firmly with the crayon to create a good wax resist.
Paint the Magic: Once the drawing is complete, it's time to add the watercolor magic! Have your child paint over their entire picture with watercolors. They'll be amazed as the paint resists the areas where they used the crayon, revealing their winter scene!
Experiment with Colors: Encourage your child to experiment with different watercolor techniques. They can blend colors, use light washes, or create bold strokes.
Add a Sparkling Touch: For an extra touch of winter magic, sprinkle a little salt on the wet watercolor paint. As it dries, the salt will create a beautiful, crystal-like effect.
Tips for Little Artists
Magic Winter Scenes: For younger children, you can create "Magic Winter Scenes" by drawing snowflakes or other winter designs on the paper beforehand with the white crayon. Then, let your child paint over the paper with watercolors to reveal the hidden surprises!
Explore Textures: Try using different types of paper, like textured watercolor paper, for a different effect.
Vary the Pressure: Experiment with pressing harder or lighter with the crayon to see how it changes the wax resist effect.
5. Snowflake Window Decorations: Sparkle and Shine!
Transform your home into a glistening winter wonderland with these dazzling snowflake window decorations! This simple activity combines creativity and fine motor skills, resulting in beautiful snowflakes that will shimmer and sparkle in the sunlight.
What You’ll Need:
Paper: White paper or coffee filters work best for this craft.
Scissors: Adult supervision is recommended, especially for younger children.
Decorating Supplies: Let your child's creativity shine with a variety of options:
Markers (washable markers are a good choice)
Watercolors
Glitter glue
Sequins
Stickers
Tape: To hang the snowflakes in the window (masking tape or painter's tape work well).
What to Do:
Let's Create Snowflake Magic!
Prepare the Snowflakes:
For Younger Children: Cut out simple snowflake shapes from white paper or coffee filters. You can use a variety of sizes and shapes to add interest.
For Older Children: Challenge them to fold and cut their own snowflakes! There are many tutorials and patterns available online.
Decorate: Let the creativity flow! Encourage your child to decorate their snowflakes with markers, watercolors, glitter glue, and any other embellishments they like. They can create intricate patterns, colorful designs, or even add sparkly faces to their snowflakes.
Dry and Display: Allow the snowflakes to dry completely. Then, use tape to hang them in the windows. Arrange them in clusters or create a swirling pattern for a beautiful winter display.
6. Winter Accessory Clothesline: Clipping Fun for Little Hands!
Brrr, it's chilly outside! Time to bundle up with our warm winter gear. This playful activity combines fine motor skills and imaginative play as little ones practice using clothespins to hang a variety of winter accessories on a clothesline.
What You’ll Need:
String or yarn
Two sturdy objects to tie the string to (chairs, table legs, doorknobs, etc.)
Clothespins
Winter Accessories: Gather a collection of winter items such as:
Hats
Mittens
Gloves
Scarves
Earmuffs
Socks
What to Do:
Set Up the Clothesline: Tie the string or yarn securely between two sturdy objects, creating a clothesline at a height your child can easily reach.
Gather the Gear: Lay out the winter accessories near the clothesline.
Clip and Play: Show your child how to squeeze the end of a clothespin to open it, then use it to clip a winter accessory to the clothesline. Encourage them to experiment with clipping different items and arranging them in different ways.
Tips for Little Helpers:
Start Simple: Begin with larger clothespins that are easier for small hands to manipulate.
Vary the Challenge: Use different types of clothespins (wooden, plastic, spring-loaded) to provide variety and increase the challenge.
Make it a Game: Turn it into a game by seeing who can hang the most items on the clothesline, or create a pattern with the different accessories.
Add a Story: Encourage pretend play by suggesting that the clothesline is for a snowman's family, or for animals getting ready to play in the snow.
Extend the Fun:
Laundry Day: Let your child help with real laundry by having them clip small items like socks or washcloths to a real clothesline or drying rack.
Color Matching: Use colored clothespins and have your child match them to the colors of the winter accessories.
Counting: Count the items as they are clipped to the clothesline, or have your child count out a specific number of clothespins to use.
This engaging activity is a fun way to develop fine motor skills, encourage imaginative play, and get little ones excited about winter!
8 Bonus Activities Utilizing Snow
1. Snowy Obstacle Course
Use the snow to create a mini obstacle course in your backyard. Build tunnels, hills, and mounds for your kids to navigate. This fun and exciting activity provides physical exercise and enhances motor skills!
2. Build a Snowman Together
Build a snowman in your backyard and watch the magic happen. Let the kids roll snowballs and stack them up, and then get creative with accessories like scarves, hats, and buttons. This classic activity is not only fun but also encourages teamwork and imagination.
3. Painting with Snow:
Gather snow from outside and put it in a large rectangular sensory bin or bucket. Offer watercolor palettes, water cups, and paint brushes then invite your child to paint the snow!
4. Snowy Animal Track Exploration
Take a stroll through a snowy area and look for animal tracks. Or, for an indoor alternative, gather different-sized animal figurines and make tracks in the snow in sensory bins!
5. Snowy Scavenger Hunt
Create a winter-themed scavenger hunt in the snow. Hide small toys or objects, and provide the children with a list of items to find.
6. Snow Fort Building
Encourage teamwork and creativity by building snow forts or igloos. Use buckets or containers to create bricks of snow and build walls. Once the structure is complete, enjoy your very own snowy hideaway!
7. Snow Angels and Snow Shapes
Encourage the children to lie down in the snow and make snow angels. Extend the fun by challenging them to create different shapes and patterns in the snow using their bodies.
8. Snowy Tic-Tac-Toe
Use sticks to draw a tic-tac-toe grid in the snow and find contrasting objects like pinecones and rocks to serve as Xs and Os. Play a few rounds of this classic game in a winter wonderland setting.
From outdoor adventures to cozy indoor crafts, let's make this winter snowy season one for the books!