Preschool
Winter Activities & Crafts
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Winter
Preschool Fun
Snow
statues, ice skating, snow forts, skiing and more ...wintertime,
a time of fun activities for your preschooler and a time of COLD!
Here are some tips to keep in mind while you and your preschool
age child are enjoying the great outdoors during the cold winter
season.
Check
the weather report and heed precautions and advisories. If weather
warnings suggest a severe wind chill or extremely low temperatures,
consider avoiding outdoor activities until the weather improves.
Vehicle
Safety - Clean all the snow off your vehicle to prevent any vision
restrictions. Make sure you have good all season or winter tires
on. Drive according to conditions. Keep a warm blanket and a candle
with matches in the vehicle, you will be amazed how much heat
the candle can produce if you are stranded with your vehicle.
Also if possible keep a cell phone handy and charged.
Preschool
age children get so caught up when they are having fun you need
to watch for symptoms of hypothermia such as complaints
about being cold and irritability, uncontrollable shivering, impaired
or slurred speech, blurred vision and or clumsy movements
On
bright days use sun glasses and sun block. Snow blindness is when
the bright sun reflects off the white snow and causes your eyes
to get damaged. Symptoms are pain around the eyes and a gritty
feeling like sand behind them. Sun burns are also very common
in the winter. Just because it is cold does not mean you will
not damage your skin from the sun. Along with sun block chap stick
is also a great thing to keep handy.
Dress
your preschool age child in layers. It is very important
to keep warm and dry while enjoying outdoor activities in the
winter. If you are traveling make sure to bring lots of changes
of clothes to stay warm. Also make sure that clothes are comfortable.
Tight clothing restricts circulation and can increase chances
of frostbite. Wear brightly colored clothing and take extra care
when dusk or evening approaches as a result of reduced visibility.
For young children if they are playing unsupervised for periods
of time it is wise to remove all drawstrings from snow suits and
avoid use of scarves if possible to reduce the risk of strangulation.
ALways keep a spare set of winter mittens handy.
Teach
children never to touch metal during cold temperatures and not
to throw snow at other people. Snowballs can contain
ice chunks or stones that can cause harm including damage to eyes.
Keep
children away from ice, ponds or lakes without an adult first
checking the ice and children should never play on snow
piles near parking lots or on the road side. Make sure children
never go near snow plows or areas being plowed.
Keep
these safety tips in mind...and have fun!
Paint
the Snow
Age: 4 and Up
Mess: Medium
Material:
Food coloring, spray bottles and water
Instructions: Fill the spray bottles with water
and some food coloring (use caution it stains). Take your child
outside and spray paint designs in the snow.
Snow
People
Age: 3 and Up
Mess: Low
Material:
Costumes, food coloring, spray bottles and water
Instructions: Instead
of just building a snowmen, dress it in Halloween costumes or
old clothing. Use food coloring to decorate it.
Winter
Zoo
Age: 3 and Up
Mess: Low
Material:
Food coloring, spray bottles and water
Instructions: Create
a wintertime zoo out of snow. You can sculpt just about anything
out of snow with a little creativity. Decorate the animals with
food coloring.
Animal
Tracks
Age: 5 and Up
Mess: Low
Material:
None
Instructions: Have
your child create animal tracks. Check the internet or your library
for pictures of different animal tracks. Then use different tools
(wooden spoons, spades, empty spools, or whatever you have around
the house) to recreate the tracks in the snow.
Snow
Fort
Age: 4 and Up
Mess: Low
Material:
Shovels, empty pales and imagination!
Instructions: Use
the empty pales to fill with snow then empty them upside down
to build snow brick walls. The walls can grow very tall, so remember
this activity when you have a giant snowfall, the kind that keeps
everyone home for the day. Snow forts can get very elaborate;
help them make tunnels and whatever else you can think of.
Snowflake
Catching
Age: 3 and Up
Mess: Low
Material:
None
Instructions: Look
up into the sky focus on one flake and follow it with your eyes
as it floats down to the ground then catch it on your tongue.
Paper
Snowflakes
Age: 3 and Up
Mess: Medium
Material:
Construction paper, scissors and yarn.
Instructions: Help
your child make paper snowflakes by folding the paper and cutting
different designs on it. When complete hang them from the ceiling.
For sparkling snow flakes use some glue and sprinkle some sparkles
on the snowflake.
Snow
Salt Art
Age: 4 and Up
Mess: Medium
Material:
Hot water, salt, dark construction paper, crayons.
Instructions: Saturate
hot water with salt and let the water cool. Once cool have your
child use the salt water to paint on black paper. Once it dries,
look at the crystals of salt on the paper. Have the child then
make a winter picture on the paper (the salt looks like snowflakes
falling).
Snowman
Bowling
Age: 4 and Up
Mess: Medium
Material:
Food coloring, spray bottles and water
Instructions: Cut out snowman shapes from the
construction paper and tape them to some empty pop bottles. Have
your child decorate the snowmen however they want. Once done line
up the snowmen and using a ball have your child play bowling.
You might have to put a little water in the bottles so they stay
up.
Hot
or Cold Weather Collage
Age: 4 and Up
Mess: Medium
Material:
Different magazines, scissors, construction paper and glue
Instructions: Cut
out many articles from magazines that represent hot, or cold weather.
Ask your child to tell you which pictures are hot weather, and
which are cold weather. Have your child make warm and cold weather
collages with the pictures.
