Wisconsin hasn’t had much snow this winter (so far), but given the frigid temperatures and wet ice conditions, kids and families are still spending more time playing indoors.
That’s not to say it won’t snow just yet. Experts warn that this winter could be snowy and “colder than usual”. Either way, families always have more options for educational indoor activities on snowy days or cozy winter weekends.
Many children already love spending time building forts out of pillows and blankets or baking bread with adults, but add a little science and sensory play for babies and school-aged children. There are countless options to do.
Instead of staring at screens all day, 15 easy activities collected by Post Crescent Education and Early Childhood reporters, grouped by age group, are meant to keep kids entertained.
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Infants can find entertainment by wiggling, crushing and playing with potato snow
And… Freeze!
Here are some simple activities suggested by Birth – Five Outreach at Appleton Area School District. This only requires an active baby or toddler and music. Sequence your favorite songs and start and stop at random intervals. Your child will dance when the music plays. If you stop it, your little one will freeze in any position.This is a great activity to keep your child moving on cold winter days. , lift the little limbs and let them dance.
Sensory play with artificial snow
Babies love to put everything in their mouths, and you can’t tell how clean the seemingly white snow can be in your yard. This is an alternative I found online that is safer if it gets in your baby’s mouth.
- Place a box (or boxes) of mashed potato flakes in a plastic container.
- Added figure. Dolls, trains, or anything else your child will enjoy.
- Let’s play with “snow”.
winter in a bag
Playing in a winter wonderland is no longer just an outside activity when you build a sensory bag. Here’s an example of a simple sensory bag you can make using items you probably already have at home.
First, collect materials of various shapes, sizes and textures. For the seasonal aesthetic, we recommend inexpensive clear hair gel, glitter (you can use fine glitter or cellophane glitter flakes), large plastic bags, white or blue pom poms, mini marshmallows, and uncooked tapioca his pearls. increase.
Then put the ingredients into a large plastic bag. Consider tape the top of the bag shut to prevent confusion. You can put the bag in the refrigerator for a few minutes to give it a cooling sensation.
Babies can tap, rub, and squish the outside of the bag to experiment with different textures.
snowman drop box
A drop box is a box with slits of various shapes that small children can drop things into. By doing so, children will acquire problem-solving skills through trial and error.
In this example, my mom made a drop box in the shape of a snowman.
- Gather materials: cardboard, duct tape, scissors, and materials for the child to put in the box. If you have a young child who tends to put everything in their mouths, you can use edible baby puffs like this one, or any of the other foods mentioned (blueberries, etc. are good options). are fun options using cotton balls, pom poms, jingle bells, popsicle sticks, etc.
- Make a snowman-shaped box using cardboard and tape.
- Punch holes in boxes of various shapes and sizes. Outline the hole with color.
- Now it’s time for your child to play and see which object fits in which hole.
board you can touch
Sensory boards are now ubiquitous on the idea-sharing website Pinterest as one of the most popular toddler/toddler activities. Fortunately, they are not difficult to make.
Here’s a good example I found on happyevermom.com. The author took a piece of cardboard and cut out a large shape. She then collects fun materials of various sizes and textures, such as square carpet, reflective materials like mirrors or aluminum, pipe cleaners, beads, conditioner, or other squishy substances and sandpaper, and places them in the holes in the box. Fixed.
I then secured these objects to the cardboard with packing tape and grouped the beads and conditioner into a ziplock bag that I taped to the board so my baby could move the beads around in the conditioner without making a mess. Bags filled with It, Googly Eyes and Orbees are other fun options for this board.
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Preschool children may be interested in more creative activities such as making homemade play dough or painting snow.
ice hop
Channel your child’s inner “happy feet” with this activity from AASD’s Birth-Five outreach. Cut white paper into chunk-like shapes that represent ice cubes. Then spread the “ice” around so that your child has enough space to jump from one block of ice to another. The aim is to help your child move from one mass to another without falling into the water (floor). In short, this is a frozen version of “the floor is lava”. In between rounds, spread out more and more blocks of ice for an extra challenge.
painting with frozen paint
Recommended by AASD Birth-Five Outreach, this activity requires some planning. Place the acrylic paint into ice cube trays and place a popsicle stick in each. Freeze overnight. By morning you will have your very own ice paint. We recommend placing a piece of plastic (such as a trash bag) under your next piece of art to keep the space clean as the paint will melt over time. For a twist, try layering different paint colors on the cube.
Or let nature be your canvas
Corrine Hendrickson, who runs Corrine’s Little Explorers, a licensed family daycare in her New Glarus home, recommended this activity as a way to clean up the snowy landscape. Just fill a spray bottle with food coloring and water, bundle up the kids and spray some snow around. Watch them fill with awe as their backyard suddenly looks more colorful.
make your own snowflakes
There are two main ways to perform this activity.
As recommended by AASD Birth-Five Outreach, making paper snowflakes using coffee filters is an easy way to keep kids entertained without buying extra supplies. Fold the filter as many times as you need (we recommend 4 folds) and cut out slits, circles, or any design you can think of from paper. Don’t forget to cut the edges to make the snowflake shape! Use watercolors or a mixture of water and food dyes to add color.
Another option is to create snowflake hand art using silver or white craft paint, a paintbrush and blue construction paper. Just press your hand onto the construction paper. Keep making more handprints in a circular pattern, always centered on the child’s palm. For even more fun, add glitter! This is a great activity to do every year so your child can watch their hands grow.
Snowflake activities are a great opportunity to talk to children about their personalities. Each snowflake is different due to its design. Each person is unique, but we all deserve love and respect.
ice bubble
According to Hendrickson and AASD Birth-Five Outreach, blowing bubbles outdoors isn’t just a good-weather activity. On a really cold day, take the little ones outside and participate in this experiment. What happens when you blow a bubble in winter? What does a spring bubble look like when it lands? Watching bubbles freeze and burst is fun for adults and children alike!
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Crafts can get more complicated as your child gets older.Kindergarteners and older siblings prefer more complex projects
Below are activities suitable for most age groups. The Building for Kids Children’s Museum offers snow and ice-themed crafts and science experiments, along with a library of videos of educational activities for children on its YouTube channel.
Hot Chocolate Oobleck Sensory Bottle
This activity was featured on AASD’s Birth – Five Outreach activity calendar, but its simple recipe makes this twist on a classic sensory activity fun for all ages. Orbrecks are commonly used in scientific experiments because they change shape between solid and liquid depending on whether pressure is applied or not.
- Mix cornstarch and water in a 2:1 ratio, adding each ingredient as needed. Do not add too much water.
- Add a packet of hot chocolate mix or a few tablespoons of cocoa powder. This will not only make it look nice, but it will also smell like a winter treat.
- For added sensory enjoyment and an even more authentic look, throw a few marshmallows on top.
Unusual story time
Brooke Skidmore, owner and director of The Growing Tree Child Care in New Glarus, has found that children love to create their own books and each is unique as its author. She either staples multiple sheets of paper together or uses a hole punch and ribbon to bind the book. Bring out art supplies for the children to illustrate their book.
“Sometimes I build a dedicated shelf for their books so they feel important,” Skidmore suggested.
ice sun catcher
To try out this Building for Kids idea, start by collecting a variety of items outside and around the house, such as leaves, sticks, pine needles, glitter, beads, and ribbons. Place in the bottom of a shallow container such as an aluminum pie plate. Fill the pan with water, make sure all items are covered, then place in the freezer overnight. If it’s really cold outside, you can put it there and freeze it.
Once set, remove from container and expose to sunlight. If you want to keep it for a few days (weather permitting), have an adult drill a hole in the top, tie a ribbon through it, and hang it outside in freezing weather.
colorful ice orbs
Another suggestion from Building for Kids is to create colorful ice orbs using food coloring, water, and balloons, similar to ice sculptures.
Add 4-5 drops of food coloring to the balloon and fill it with water. Leave him outdoors or in the freezer for 24 hours or until firm. Cut the balloon with scissors to find the colorful orbs inside. It is now ready to be used as an outdoor decoration or piece for outside play such as snow tic-tac-toe.
shape of melting snow
Building for Kids said they mixed water and baking soda to make a crumbly yet packable dough for a winter-themed science experiment. Make sure you don’t have too much soup, and feel free to mix in the glitter if needed.
Once the dough has been shaped, it can be shaped into a snowman or filled into sandcastle molds. Use your imagination or whatever mold you have. Then freeze until firm.
Once set, remove from freezer and whisk with water or vinegar to dissolve.
For more activities, visit AASD’s Birth-Five Outreach Events & Activities web page. Parents can find a calendar of activities for babies, toddlers, and preschoolers, a separate file for home activities, and more.
Please contact Annmarie Hilton at ahlton@gannett.com or 920-370-8045. Follow her on Twitter at @hilton_annmarie.
Madison Lammert is a member of the Report for America corps and is responsible for child care and early education for USA TODAY NETWORK-Wisconsin. Please contact her at mlammert@gannett.com or her 920-993-7108. Follow us on Twitter @MadisonLammert0.
You can support her work directly by making a tax-deductible donation online at http://bit.ly/Appleton_RFA or by issuing a check to the GroundTruth project with the America Post Crescent Campaign reporting subject line. . Address: The GroundTruth Project, Lockbox Services, 9450 SW Gemini Dr, PMB 46837, Beaverton, Oregon 97008-7105.