The winter season provides some unique opportunities in terms of keeping the kids entertained. With freezing temperatures outside, it only makes sense to get them involved in some fun craft projects that can stimulate their senses. Below are 5 winter-themed sensory activities that are sure to give your little ones plenty to do on a frigid day.
1. Snowflake Puzzles
This is such a neat activity, because it helps your child develop the all-important skill of estimation in a fun and engaging way. The basic premise is to provide your child with a printout of a snowflake (only the outline of the snowflake pattern, no details), and then give them some blue construction paper, glue and scissors to use as tools for the project. Their job will be to use their skills of estimation to cut shapes out of the construction paper, and then glue them onto the printout in a way that will fit inside of the boundaries of the snowflake pattern. By doing this, they can essentially create a homemade snowflake jigsaw puzzle with their construction paper fragments. Teacher and educational blogger Deborah J. Stewart has all of the details for this exciting activity at her Teach Preschool blog.
2. Cotton Ball Snowman
The winter themes abound with this simple yet irresistible craft project. Using basic supplies such as construction paper, school glue, contact paper, pom-poms, markers, and–of course–lots of cotton balls, your child can create a snowman (or an entire snow scene) however their imagination decides it should be! Carla over at Preschool Powol Packets provides you with all of the ins and outs for this fun craft.
3. Winter Sensory Bin
Allison at the uber-popular educational blog No Time for Flash Cards offers this excellent idea for highly entertaining sensory stimulation. To be sure, there are dozens of versions of this concept, but the basic premise is to put some fun materials such as styrofoam packing peanuts, pom-poms, pieces of ribbon, etc. into a storage bin or tray of some kind (she used a lasagna pan for her example), and let your preschooler go to work. Not only will your child learn basic concepts such as measurement and estimation, but they will also sharpen their fine motor skills and hand-eye coordination.
4. Indoor Snowball Toss
This is the perfect game for a day when it’s far too cold outside, and you have to think of something to do to keep your little one entertained. Not only is the indoor snowball toss a load of fun, but it’s also a great way to help your child develop their hand-eye coordination. Using nothing more than some styrofoam cups, markers and some 3-inch white pom-poms, you can reinvent a classic ball toss style of game by infusing it with some winter-themed flair. Head over to We Made That to see exactly how blogger Tracy Kite and her kids did it.
5. Paper Plate Snowflakes (No Mess)
Although this fun craft involves decorating a paper plate snowflake with colored paints and glitter, you’ll be surprised to learn that you can pull this off with very little mess. How is this possible? Well, you simply load the paper plate snowflake into a freezer bag, then allow your child to squirt the paints and sprinkle the glitter into the bag. Now seal it up and let your little one spread and shape the paint and glitter all over the plate by handling the bag. It’s a great way for your child to stimulate those tactile senses while avoiding any major messes. Visit Louise at Messy Little Monster for all the details.
When the weather outside is frightful, get your preschooler involved in something delightful! Keep the above winter-themed crafts in mind to pass the time with some fun, stimulating and educational activities.
