Do you have kids who love to play in the snow, but they don’t feel well or you just can’t keep dressing them up to go out for two minutes? Try bringing in snow to play with indoors! Winter sensory play brilliance!
We don’t see much snow since we moved to sunny California, but back when we lived in Massachusetts it was a fixture of our lives for months on end. The kids loved going outside to explore, but they were young (my oldest was only 7 when we left), and their outdoor adventures rarely lasted for longer than a few minutes.
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Bringing in the snow allowed my kids to play with the texture for longer, without freezing. We still went out, but they LOVED this winter sensory play activity, and they still speak of it wistfully. Maybe we just need to make some snow for them to play with. I think we’ll use our snow cone maker instead of our blender, though.
This week we read The Snowy Day by Ezra Jack Keats for the Virtual Book Club for Kids. I LOVE this classic picture book, and I know I’m not alone. This year the post office even put out some wonderful stamps using illustrations from the book! I decided to re-share this older post in honor of the story.
Winter Fun for Kids: Bring in the Snow for Winter Sensory Play!
What You'll Find on This Page
Emma, Johnny, and Lily were begging to go out in spite of sleeting rain Tuesday afternoon. I knew that if I got them dressed up they would walk out, realize how un-nice the weather was, and beg to come in. So we compromised with an activity that has been a hit for the past three winters: we brought some snow in! Lily still wore her coat and Johnny wore a jacket, and they all had a blast!
*We’ve done this before with food coloring, but that makes for a bigger clean-up – and I actually recommend using washable paint instead of food coloring, since that will come out of clothes!
Bringing In the Snow Winter Sensory Play Cost-benefit analysis:
- Prep: 3/4 minutes
- Initial entertainment: nearly an hour, thanks in part to Emma building ice sculptures and all three children hiding small toys (dinosaurs) in the snow
- Clean-up: 3/4 minutes, plus a towel, spoons, and three trays to wash
- Lasting value: A fun afternoon spent together as siblings, and indoor fun on a bad-weather day. And a mini science lesson, since they got to watch the ice melt in the warm house.
More Snow Themed Learning Activities for Kids
Kids love snow, even when they live far away from it like my kids. Actually, I think distance often makes the heart grow fonder! While I LOVE looking out on a snow-covered scene, I certainly don’t miss experiences like the Snowtober of 2011. Here are some more great snow themed learning activities for kids:
- Icicle Painting – another favorite my kids still talk about!
- Easy Snowflake Craft
- Polymer Clay Snowman Ornaments
- Outdoor Snow Play for Littles
- Snowstorm in a Bag
- Winter Art – Painting with Corks
- Winter Science: Fizzing Snowmen
- Learn My Name – Snowball Fight
- Painting on Fake Snow with Toddlers and Preschoolers
- Snowy Day Sticky Table for Toddlers
- 3 Ingredient Snow Paint
- Snow Themed Alphabet Sensory Bin
- Snow Science Explorations for Kids
- Snowball Number Recognition Game
- The Snowy Day Algorithm Coding Printable
- Fizzy Snowy Day Sensory Bin
Do you have any favorite snow themed learning activities for kids? How about an activity to go along with The Snowy Day? Let me know, and I’ll get it added in! Share links in the comments below, or share a post link on my Facebook page! You can also tag me on instagram.
MaryAnne is a craft loving educator, musician, photographer, and writer who lives in Silicon Valley with her husband Mike and their four children.
Good tip on the washable paint instead of food coloring (not that we have any snow here either).
Looks like a lot of fun. I wish we had snow around here.
Amalia
xo
LOL, we are getting a ton of snow this winter in Boston. Another snow day tomorrow it looks like. Someone enterprising sold snow a few years ago when we really got slammed!
That’s kind of clever. You are having a rough winter, for sure!
I was wondering where you found snow in the Bay Area… Then I realized that this is one of your older posts. Do you miss the snow?
I miss the snow, but not the cold :)
It’s always so awesome when you can come up with an activity that is quick and easy, yet keeps the kids engaged and occupied.
Those types of activities are always my favorites!
This is great MaryAnne! I love that it can be used in different ways for a variety of ages. And using washable paint instead of food coloring is a good idea. I featured your photo and post in my 25+ Snow-Themed Sensory Tubs at http://livingmontessorinow.com/2013/02/05/25-plus-snow-themed-sensory-tubs/
Thank you so much, Deb!
I love it. My kids just yelled at me, “You never let us bring snow in the house!”
Oops – sorry… =)
This is so great! We have so many days that are just too cold to go outside in, so I’m definitely going to do this (once we have snow to bring inside)!
It’s been a fantastic solution for us on those way-too-cold days!
What a great idea! Recently, I’ve been looking out the window, thinking it’s a great day to go outside — blue skies, etc — and then I look at the thermometer! (Last Friday, at 7:30am, it was -24F/-32C!!! Finally “warmed” up to about 6F later in the day.) I bet my girls would LOVE this.
Good idea. Ingrid’s been begging to go outside but I know she won’t want to stay out there! And after all the effort of dressing kids in their winter gear they better want to stay out long!!
Way better than that fake snow stuff!
Send some to us :) I love the picture!
What a great winter activity!
Fantastic! We are trying this next snowfall…
What a super fun and creative idea!! Very smart too. I think it is very cute that Lily and Johnny still wore coats:-).
We’ve had good luck with similar warmer themed things
I like to bring the snow inside, too.
The one time the kids can play in the snow barefoot :)
Oooooh, fun! Can you ship some snow to Perth? ;)
LOL that Johnny put on a coat! I don’t know why I never thought to do this with Abby!
Great setup! I love it. I keep meaning to do this. It’s such a simple, obvious thing, yet I never remember to do it. I’m certain my girls would absolutely love it.