Winter is coming and with it, the certainty of bored, fussy toddlers and preschoolers. While it can be nice to bundle up and participate in outdoor winter fun, the weather can change quickly, sending everyone back inside. Thankfully, there are many winter activities for little ones that they can do indoors. Here are some of our favourite snow day activities to get you started!
Photo by Kelly Sikkema on Unsplash
Children learn best through play, so having fun is key to keeping them busy and entertained while stuck indoors. Fortunately there are lots of fun winter activities that can keep your toddler or preschooler happy at home, and a happy child means a happy mother! These indoor winter activities are sure to keep both them and you happy and sane through the winter months.
1. Winter Sensory Bin Play
Sensory bins are a great way for your little one to play and learn by experiencing through their senses of sight, hearing, and touch. Sensory bins are also fantastic for helping them develop counting skills, matching skills, fine motor skills, and more.
To make a winter-themed sensory bin, all you need is a container and a variety of objects that represent the season. Focus on objects with different textures and those that make interesting sounds. Some examples around the house could include cotton balls, uncooked rice, blue and white marbles, plastic snowflakes, marshmallows, pompoms, white textured fabric, or animal figurines. (You will need to be more choosy when creating a bin for younger toddlers who may still put things in their mouths.)
Set your child free to explore the textures, stack or pull apart the cotton balls, pour rice, listen to rolling marbles, create a play environment for the animals, etc. The sky’s the limit!
2. Build a Gingerbread House Fort
Fort building is an excellent winter activity that will keep your child busy for hours. Transform a large appliance cardboard box into a gingerbread house by cutting out windows and a door. Once you have the basic shape, set your child free to decorate it with paint, markers, pompoms, stickers, or any other craft supplies to create a gorgeous little play fort. Make it even more festive by using cotton batting or cotton balls for icing or snow.
Don’t have a large cardboard box? You can build a cozy fort together using sheets, blankets, and pillows, and add some Christmas twinkle lights to make it more festive.
More Fun At Home: Make Two Ingredient Play Snow
3. Indoor Snow Painting
If it’s a particularly cold, snowy day outside, bring the snow indoors. All you need for this activity is a cookie sheet, paint brushes, and watercolour paints. Head outside and collect snow in your cookie sheet, pack it down tightly into the tray, and bring it indoors. Then have your child paint the snow with the watercolor paints.
Photo by Dragos Gontariu on Unsplash
The masterpieces they create will be breathtaking – and temporary – so have your phone at the ready to take a photo to remember your beautiful snow painting.
4. Winter Dress Up
Playing dress up is a great way to encourage your little ones to be creative and use their imaginations. Preschoolers love pretend play, so this activity is sure to keep them engaged.
Gather a variety of clothing items from around your house that signify winter: coats, hats, mittens, scarves, fluffy socks, and more. Then have your child create their own winter outfit from the items you’ve gathered, the dress-up bin, your closet, or their own. Encourage them to create a story that revolves around their wintry outfit and see where the pretend play takes you.
5. Giant Gingerbread Man
This is a fun activity for children of all ages. You might even enjoy it too! Grab a large roll of paper, some painter’s tape, crayons, and washable markers, and get to work.
Cut a sheet of paper large enough to fit your child’s body on it. Tape the paper to the floor then have your child down on the paper. Trace around their body to create a giant gingerbread man shape. Once the shape has been drawn, give your child free rein to decorate their gingerbread man however they like. Get creative with crayons, washable markers or paint, buttons, ribbon, washi tape, or any other craft supplies you have on hand.
6. Winter Wonderland Indoor Obstacle Course
An indoor obstacle course is a fabulous activity for kids over the winter months, and you can create one with nearly anything you have in your house. The best part? You can make the construction of the obstacle course part of the fun. Use your imagination to build a safe place for your toddler or preschooler to play.
Make snow tunnels by rolling up a play mat and taping it in place. Pile up pillows and cushions like a snow hill to climb over. Masking tape on the floor can become a narrow snow trail to practice their balance on. Make it even more festive by hanging snowflakes and twinkle lights around the course.
7. Snowman Bowling
This activity is both a creative seasonal craft and a fun game. First, decorate 10 plastic or Styrofoam cups to look like snowmen. Use any craft supplies you have on hand – think markers and paint, pompoms as buttons, and a construction paper carrot nose. Once you have your snowman cups, line them up on the floor like little bowling pins then give your child a soft ball and see if they can knock them all down. This game is best played in a hallway or long room and will help your child develop both fine and gross motor skills.
Thank you for these ideas, someday are just too cold to go outside.