Winter Activities for Preschoolers
Discover five exciting winter activities for preschoolers! From baking to reading and more, combat winter boredom with these fun ideas.
Nothing is worse than a preschooler trapped in the house on a cold winter day. They’re bored and restless. And you’re stuck trying to find them something to do.
Here’s an easy solution: try one of these five exciting preschool winter activities!
Winter Activities for Preschoolers
Wintertime can be a great opportunity for preschoolers to explore the outdoors and try new activities. Sledding, snowboarding, and making snow angels are all classic winter pastimes that are perfect for preschoolers. In addition to being lots of fun, these activities also help preschoolers develop important motor skills.
If the weather is too cold for outdoor play, preschoolers can still enjoy winter indoors with activities like painting with glitter glue or creating homemade paper snowflakes.
No matter what they choose to do, preschoolers are sure to have a blast during the winter months.
Bake Cookies
You absolutely have to bake cookies with your preschooler this winter! Gingerbread and sugar cookies are perfect for those cold winter day when your preschooler is stuck inside.
First, take your time finding the perfect recipe. My kids love browsing through the cookbook with me. We study the pictures and debate about which cookies would be best to bake.
Once we’ve decided on the recipe, it’s time to start mixing the cookies.
After you’ve made your dough, encourage your child to roll the dough flat like play dough.
Then start cutting different shapes! Stars, snowflakes, and trees are always fun during winter. You can also cut out boys and girls from the dough.
Bake the cookies and mix up the icing. Remember to let the cookies cool before you ice the cookies. Otherwise, the icing will melt!
Add a bit of food coloring and let your preschooler spend a happy hour decorating cookies.
Curl Up with a Good Book
Next, pull out fun winter books to read on a cold day. Make hot chocolate. Pile cookies on a plate. If you’ve just spent the morning baking cookies, you’ll have plenty to eat while you read. And don’t forget the sleeping bags, pillows, and blankets!
Get everyone settled and then either start a new chapter book to read aloud over several days or choose one of these 9 engaging winter books.
Your preschooler will remember lazy winter afternoons for years to come.
Printable Fun for All
When the kids get tired of decorating cookies and reading books, put your computer to use and print up some fun for everyone!
These fun preschool snowman activities are perfect for cold winter days.
Your puzzle loving preschoolers will adore this 3 Step Sequencing Puzzle.
And don’t forget to try a printable forest count and clip card.
My preschoolers loved printable fun and wanted me to print their favorite worksheets again and again for endless winter fun!
Winter Nature Hike
Just because it’s cold outside doesn’t mean you need to be stuck indoors! Bundle up and head outside with your preschooler to take a look at the changing landscape. The quiet winter world is far different from the lively green of summer!
Point out the sleeping trees, the bare branches, and the nests now visible among the branches of the tree.
See if you can find tracks of animals in the snow or mud.
Note the lack of animals and remind your child about hibernation and migration. When animals either go to sleep for the winter or leave for distant lands.
And start a discussion with your preschooler about all the differences between being outdoors in the summer versus the winter.
Winter Nature Table
If your preschoolers are anything like mine, they’ll gather acorns, leaves, and rocks on your hikes. So set up a nature table to store your children’s treasures.
You can organize the table by types of items or encourage your child to decorate it artistically. Use it as a springboard for projects like making cinnamon scented slime with leaves.
And each season you can empty the table to gather new treasures from outside.
With a bit of thought, you and your children can enjoy the cozy winter season whether you’re heading outside and exploring the frozen world or curling up with good books and cookies.
You’ll create beautiful memories of an enchanting childhood with your preschooler.
PRESCHOOL BOOKS WINTER FUN
Fill your book basket with a great collection of books about winter. Most of these books can be found at your local library or used bookstore.
If you have a hard time finding them, you can order them through my Amazon affiliate links by clicking the images below.
Walking in a Winter Wonderland – The classic and beloved winter holiday song “Walking in a Winter Wonderland” is brought to life with bright and colorful illustrations.
Ten on the Sled – In the land of the midnight sun, all the animals are having fun speeding down the hill on Caribou’s sled. But as they go faster and faster, Seal, Hare, Walrus, and the others all fall off . . . until just the caribou’s left, only and lonely.
The Biggest Snowman Ever – When the mayor of Mouseville announces the town snowman contest, Clayton and Desmond claim that they will each make the biggest snowman ever. But building a huge snowman alone is hard! They work and work, but their snowmen just aren’t big enough.
This “ARCTIC WILDLIFE” quiet book introduces your baby the Polar animals, helps to develop imagination and fine motor skills!
This Arctic small world sensory bin filler includes everything your child needs to engage in beneficial sensory play. Sensory play encourages children to explore their senses and enhances creativity.
Winter can be a challenging time for parents of preschoolers. The days are shorter and the weather is often unpredictable, making it difficult to come up with new ideas to keep little ones entertained.
We hope that our list of five winter activities for preschoolers has inspired you and given you some new ideas to try out this season. Have fun!