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Winter Fun for Kids: Bring in the Snow for Winter Sensory Play!

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!

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! #sensoryplay #toddleractivities #winterfunforkids

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!

Emma, Johnny, and Lily play with snow brought in from outdoors

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!

I LOVE this winter sensory play idea for littles - bring the snow in! #toddleractivity #preschool #ece #sensoryplay #spd #winter #winterfunforkids #childhood

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:

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 at Mama Smiles

MaryAnne is a craft loving educator, musician, photographer, and writer who lives in Silicon Valley with her husband Mike and their four children.

27 thoughts on “Winter Fun for Kids: Bring in the Snow for Winter Sensory Play!”

  1. 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!

  2. 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.

  3. 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)!

  4. 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.

  5. 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!!

  6. Two Chicks and a Hen

    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.

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