Winter Theme
As the breeze gets colder, cozy up inside and learn about winter the fun way! Try out a few (or all) of these winter theme ideas.
Why Teach Kids about Winter
Understanding Nature Cycles
Teaching little ones about winter and the seasons helps them to see the passage of time. As the environment around them changes, so do the animals and plants. This is a great time to talk about hibernation, migration, and other ways things in nature prepare for the cold.
Winter Safety
Bundling up when it’s cold isn’t just a good idea– it’s an important life lesson. Without the appropriate clothing, little ones can get too cold quickly. Teaching preschoolers what is needed helps them take ownership of their bodies.
Another aspect of winter safety is playing safe in the snow. Hiding in snow piles along the edge of the road or around vehicles is another important safety lesson littles need to learn about winter. A winter theme is a great time to incorporate these lessons.
Introduce Scientific Concepts
Teaching about the different states of matter that water can be in is a fun way to celebrate winter. Learning about the tilt in the Earth’s axis to create winter is another scientific concept that preschoolers can learn (with the help of a globe 😉).
Weather and Temperature
Seeing the temperature change is a fabulous indicator to preschoolers that winter is near. They can learn about weather patterns (hot in the summer and cold in the winter). The length of the day can be brought into the conversation, too. Talk about how, at dinnertime, it’s already getting dark!
This article may contain affiliate links to products that may help you when homeschooling preschool.
Winter Books
We’ve compiled many great winter theme books for preschoolers in an easy-to-use post here.
Winter Theme Activities
DIY Birdfeeder
During your winter theme, help your local feathered friends with an easy meal. Wintertime can be harsh for animals, and birdfeeders are a great way to help them find enough food.
Winter Animal Movement
Move across your space like winter animals. Waddling like penguins, crawling and roaring like polar bears, and being birds flying south for the winter are all fun ways to move.
Snowball Toss
Ball up some socks (or use crumpled-up paper) and toss the snowballs into a basket. This is a clever way to work on hand-eye coordination.
Make Some Homemade Ice Cream
After talking about the different states of matter, try making some homemade ice cream in a bag! It’s a yummy way to show how the liquid cream turns into more of a solid as it gets colder.
Winter Sensory BinTo make a winter sensory bin, add
Add fake snow, cotton balls, cotton batting, or other white items.
Indoor Ice Skating
Pretend to ice skate by putting on socks and sliding across a smooth surface. This is a fun way to mimic ice skating without needing a rink (and it’s a whole lot warmer).
Winter Theme Collage
Make a winter scene using clippings from magazines.
If you don’t have some magazines, add images to a blank document and print them out. Let your preschooler decide which winter animals, trees, etc., to use from the printed items.
Musical Snowflakes
Place music and have little ones move around as it plays. When the music stops, have your preschooler freeze with their arms and legs spread out to look like a snowflake.
Snowman Pancakes
Cook up small circle pancakes. Have your preschooler stack them on their plate to look like a snowman. Add some blueberry eyes and buttons. Encourage your preschooler to come up with a way to make the snowman’s mouth.
Then enjoy eating it!
Blubber Experiment
Talk about how animals prepare for winter. When doing this, littles may wonder how seals and polar bears stay warm in such cold environments. Blubber to the rescue!
To show how blubber works, coat the outside of a sandwich baggie with Crisco. If you can, add a second bag over the top of the Crisco.
Fill a bowl with cold water and many pieces of ice.
Add the blubber baggie to the bowl, but take care that the top (open) part doesn’t get in the water. Have your little one stick their hand into the bag to see if their hand feels cold.
Check out some more ways to teach about winter with this post.
Winter Unit for Kids
Winter looks a bit different around the winter. Whether you get feet of snow or only a cool breeze, a winter theme is a fun, educational unit to try with your little one.
