There are certain winter days when you absolutely have to be warmed up from the inside out. Warm snacks are perfect for an afternoon after sledding or as a part of a preschool winter theme. Children learn that just as clothes keep us warm in winter, warm foods help us out this time of year as well. Plus, sharing warm food you’ve prepared together provides many of the developmental gains mentioned in this post. Here are a few fun snacks to warm you through during a cold winter theme!
Snow Scene Collage
If you’ve already done a few snowstorm paintings, switch things up a bit and get three-dimensional! Collect a sampling of random white items to glue onto a snow collage. Have your children help if you can! Here are some ideas: cotton balls, batting, tissue paper, packing peanuts, styrofoam (break it into the tiny balls for realistic snow), white buttons, white tulle, plain old white paper (have the children rip it into pieces for more texture and increased small motor skills), paper with white prints (white on white-ish plaids, stripes, etc.), glitter, salt, white scraps of ribbon or fabric – you notice the theme here, right? White stuff! If it can be glued onto paper and it’s white, (and suitable for children of course) it’s perfect!
Mitten Match
For those of you implementing a winter theme, consider creating a mitten match! You could use actual gloves and mittens and have children pair them together, or create a type of memory game like the one I did here.
I made mine out of felt for quick and easy durability. I gave each set different characteristics, but you can see, for my older children, I made it a bit challenging by making some pairs similar to other pairs. I thought I had made each set as a matching pair (with one lefty and one righty), but it looks like a lack of sleep caught up with me and some are opposing and some are not. I can see an argument for either. If you make each hand you have an actual pair, but if you make them the same hand, you have an identical match. I ‘ll let you decide for yourself, or just be like me and make them late at night and see how they look in the morning!
Bring in the Snow!
Next time you’re out shovelling the walk, shovel a bit into a bucket and bring it inside! Fill your sensory table with snow and try one of these fun activities for exploring the enchanting powder with your little ones!
Book Activity: Snip, Snip, Snow!
Snip, Snip, Snow! by Nancy Poydar tells the story of a relatable, spunky girl named Sophie, who can’t wait for the snow to fall! Her excitement turns to disappointment as the storm is stalled. In its place, Sophie and her friends begin cutting paper snowflakes, creating their own snowstorm. Caught up in their own fun, the first real snowflake almost goes unnoticed. The children run outside to enjoy the new snow! This story is so well-written and the illustrations really draw you in. The book also includes instructions for making paper snowflakes, just like Sophie did!
Baby It’s Cold Outside!
The seasons are changing once again! At least around these parts, the temperatures are dipping, the snow’s beginning to fly, and little children are once again fascinated to watch their own breath floating in front of them outside! I’ve collected a list of some of my favorite winter-themed activities for you to use with your preschoolers- whether as part of a formal preschool curriculum, as play group activities, or as projects to do around the kitchen table!
Baby It's Cold Outside!
The seasons are changing once again! At least around these parts, the temperatures are dipping, the snow’s beginning to fly, and little children are once again fascinated to watch their own breath floating in front of them outside! I’ve collected a list of some of my favorite winter-themed activities for you to use with your preschoolers- whether as part of a formal preschool curriculum, as play group activities, or as projects to do around the kitchen table!