Winter is a magical time of year for kids, and it’s perfect for bringing in all those special winter activities for preschool! There’s nothing quite as fun as seeing the delight on your kids’ faces as they create their very own snowmen, play in inviting winter wonderland sensory bins, and create beautiful crystallized snowflakes of their own.
Related: Winter Themes for Preschool
We have carefully selected some of our favorite winter-themed activities for your toddlers, preschoolers, and kindergarteners. These are full of hands-on learning and are also super fun! The best part? They are extremely user-friendly and easy to prepare!
We’ve included winter math activities, science activities, literacy activities, and a variety of winter art activities. Of course, we also LOVE stories during this chilly, nostalgic time of year! Be sure to check out these perfect winter books for children.
What is the holiday season without music?! Your kids will certainly love getting their winter wiggles out with all these winter songs for kids!
Get the best learning activities for 3-5 year olds at your fingertips
Find done-for-you Winter Lesson Plans for preschool in our store! They’re packed with hands-on learning activities, games, printables, and more! These easy-to-follow lesson plans include activity modifications and adaptations to meet the needs of all kids.
Winter Activities for Preschool
Winter Literacy Activities
Name Snowmen from Fun-A-Day – Never underestimate the power of a name! Incorporating name-writing (and reading) into a variety of lessons is not only fun but crucial to early childhood learning. That’s why when teaching letters, we typically start with the letters of a child’s name. Your kiddos will be so proud of displaying their name in snowman form! And, because each circle displays a separate letter, it’s an excellent way to reinforce that individual letters make up words, including our names!
Snowball Alphabet Sorting from Life Over C’s – This FREE alphabet sorting activity can be used in a variety of ways to reinforce letter recognition and sounds. The sorting mats make a simple snowy center where your preschoolers can match letters to their corresponding letter cards. I always encourage the kids to say the sounds the letters make as they sort and place them. You can also do some engaging adaptations such as hiding letters in a sensory bin or creating a scavenger hunt where kids can find the letters around the room and then place them on the appropriate sorting mat. Be sure to click here to read about these adaptations and more!
The Mitten Story Rocks from Fun-A-Day – One of the most beloved children’s books when planning winter activities for preschool is, hands-down, The Mitten by Jan Brett. With the free printables so kindly shared here, you can create special story stones for kids to retell “The Mitten” in their own words. This is a very powerful activity that enhances comprehension, sequencing skills, vocabulary, dramatic play, and more! Once this is modeled and practiced, it can become an independent literacy center in your library.
Mystery Mitten Letter Sound Game from Growing Book by Book – Don’t you just love when you find the perfect book to go along with a fun classroom activity? This simple phonological awareness game can be done again and again either one-on-one, in a small group, or as whole group instruction. It surely will be enjoyed the most when introduced using Stephen Kellogg’s delightful story, “The Missing Mitten Mystery”!
Hot Cocoa Winter Rhyming Puzzles from 123 Homeschool 4 Me – Rhyming! So fun and also more important than you may even realize! It is one of the key literacy/pre-reading skills that is an indicator of future reading success. So, print out these free rhyming printable and allow your kids to rhyme with some adorable hot cocoa fun! Serve up some warm cocoa and marshmallows to make this activity extra delicious!
Winter Math Activities
Snowflake Craft from Early Learning Ideas – Who knew that so many learning concepts could be packed into one beautiful winter ornament? These snowflakes only use two materials, but the learning applications are numerous! There’s counting, patterns, comparing and contrasting, and of course developing fine motor skills. The best part is that it can be wrapped and sent home as a parent gift for the winter holidays!
Snowball Counting Practice from Preschool Play and Learn – Winter math activities are more fun with cotton balls for snow, of course! This free set of mitten printables will make an engaging and snowy math center. Simply print, laminate for durability, and grab lots of cotton balls for counting and filling up those mittens. My favorite thing about this center is how easy it is to differentiate.
Winter Patterning Cards from Stay at Home Educator – Snowmen, snowflakes, and mittens, oh my! These free printable pattern cards and matching picture cards are a “cool” way to work on key math skills during center time. Your preschoolers will get lots of pattern practice, as well as sorting and development of visual discrimination skills. The materials are colorful, fun, and easy to differentiate to meet the needs of all your kiddos.
Winter Counting Puzzles from Life Over C’s – Number puzzles are a great addition to your indoor winter math activities for cold, blustery days! With adorable pictures, you have an option of puzzles that focus on 1-5 or ones that continue on all the way to 10 for your more advanced counters. These darling puzzles allow for counting, sequencing, and fine motor practice and are low prep, which is always a huge bonus!
Winter Science Experiments and Sensory Activities
Melted Snowman Sensory Bin from Preschool Inspirations – I can’t think of a better winter activity for preschool than a melting snowman in a sensory bin, can you? This is the stuff preschool dreams are made of, friends! Make all your kiddos’ dreams come true with a sensorial experience they won’t soon forget!
Marshmallow and Toothpick Snowflake STEM Activity from Preschool Inspirations – Marshmallow snowflakes and symmetry? What a tasty combination! This engaging STEM activity is perfect for all your little builders! Great for hands-on fine motor practice. Just be sure to let your littles taste a few samples before they build.
Winter Snowstorm in a Jar from Little Bins for Little Hands – It’s time to channel your inner Elsa and create a snowstorm in a jar! This winter science experiment is perfect if you are a desert dweller like me, but of course, is fun in all climates. What’s best about this experiment is that it uses simple common household items. Your kids will be amazed, while also learning about liquid density and chemical reactions!
Salt Crystal Snowflakes from Living Well Mom – It’s hard to believe that something so beautiful can simply be made with just salt, water, pipe cleaners and clothespins! Kids will be mesmerized by their creations while also engaging in some fantastic hands-on science!
Exploding Snowman from Mombrite – All you have to do is say the name of this experiment and you will have the undivided attention of all your students! This is a fun wintery twist on a baking soda and vinegar experiment. There are even a few suggested variables for your budding scientists to further their investigations!
Winter Sensory Bin from Teaching Mama – A winter sensory bin should be at the top of your list for toddler activities for winter, and is perfect for preschoolers, as well! Here is a fun, inexpensive way to create an engaging sensory experience for all your little ones. As a bonus, there is a FREE printable with cards you can include in your bin that covers the life cycle of a snowflake – I love that science connection!
Winter Art Activities and Crafts
Paper Plate Snowman Craft from Preschool Inspirations – An easy paper plate craft with a popcorn twist! Your kids will love crafting with popcorn and as an added bonus, you probably already have most of the supplies needed around your house! If not, a quick trip to the dollar store will have you all set, so it’s also easy on your budget!
Coffee Filter Snowflakes from One Little Project – A crafty way to turn your classroom into a winter wonderland! With just a few simple materials (coffee filters, markers, an eyedropper, and scissors), your students can easily create snowflakes that even Olaf would envy. As an added bonus, your kiddos will work on developing their pincer grips with the eyedropper and water! You and your students will love walking in a winter wonderland when it’s all done!
Sparkly Winter Paintings from Stay at Home Educator – I am a big fan of process art, as it allows the child to embark on his/her own creative endeavors. There’s so much learning going on as they make decisions, play around with trial and error, and apply spatial reasoning! These sparkly winter paintings will allow your kids to create beautiful masterpieces that are truly their own. These beauties can even be done by little guys, so be sure to add them in your plans for toddler activities for winter!
Paint Snow from Busy Toddler – When you get your next perfect wintery blanket, fill a bin with some of it and bring it on inside for your kiddos. Add some colored water and paintbrushes, and you’ve got a beautiful work of art! Bringing snow inside is a great toddler activity for winter, as some toddlers don’t yet want to go outside to play in the snow.
Winter Birch Tree Art from How Wee Learn – This gorgeous birch winter tree replica recycles old magazines in such a clever way! It will be truly magical for your preschool and kindergarten artists as they peel the tape away to present their hidden trees underneath. You may even want to make frames with the kids and present this as a special winter gift to parents from their favorite little Picassos!
Winter Games and Motor Skill Development
Gross Motor Dice from Life Over C’s – Do you sometimes find your little penguins with excess energy and in need of a brain break? What better way to get those wiggles (waddles?) out than with the roll of this fun gross motor cube! Your little ones will love acting out these classic wintry activities while also developing their gross motor skills.
Winter BINGO Game from The Resourceful Mama – This eye-catching wintry BINGO is a festive and fun addition to all your preschool activities about winter! There are so many learning applications: vocabulary building, memory recall, fine-motor skills, hand-eye coordination, and more! You could even set this up as a center using the matching calling cards with a focus on beginning sounds.
Snowman Factory from Buggy and Buddy – This activity with homemade playdough and snowman supplies will delight your students! A printable sign can be downloaded for free, or you could create your own as a class. I also recommend jumping on the suggested opportunity of creating an amazing class story about their snowman factory and how it comes to life! This will be an experience that your students won’t soon forget.
Each of these winter activities would make a wonderful addition to your winter lesson plans! They are perfect for December themes, January themes, and February themes. Click on the month below for more great winter theme ideas!
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