Snow themed activities are an entertaining way to bring the magic and wonder of winter into your learning environment while reinforcing these skills. Add a few snow activities to your lessons to help your preschooler explore snow through play learning – while staying warm and snug indoors!
7 Snow Lesson Plan Ideas for Preschool
1.SNOW NAMES
Learning to read and write her name is an important milestone that a preschooler should practice daily. Make it a snow day activity by helping your preschooler trace her name in block letters using white crayon on black construction paper. Give her a bottle of liquid glue and let her practice applying glue dots along each line. Provide a small pile of marshmallow snowballs for her to apply to her glue dots. Interacting with the letters of her name in an abstract way will help your preschooler become more familiar with it while also practicing her fine motor skills.
2.UNIQUE AS A SNOWFLAKE
Preschoolers are fascinated by the concept that some things are never alike. Like fingerprints, snowflakes are a wonderful way to incorporate a lesson about diversity into your lesson plan. Using safety scissors and construction paper, help your preschooler create his own unique snowflake. Instruct him to fold a single piece of paper in half and half again and then begin snipping away pieces of the paper along each edge. Using red marker, you may want to color in the innermost corner as a reminder to him not to snip it. Once complete, let your preschooler unfold his paper to reveal his own one-of-a-kind snowflake. Here are some fancier templates for Frozen and Star Wars themed snowflakes.
3.SENSORY SNOW
Children are kinesthetic learners, meaning they learn best by doing hands-on activities. Make a sensory snow bin using an empty plastic container (plastic storage tubs work great) and combining 3 cups of baking soda and ½ cup of conditioner. Mix together with your hands until completely incorporated. Your “snow” will have a slightly moist feel and can be molded just like real snow. (Here’s more detailed instructions on this fun science experiment.) Place additional character figurines into the snow bin for an imaginative play activity or add measuring cups, spoons, scoops, and bottles for an early math and measuring activity.
4.FEED THE SNOWMAN
Counting activities are an effective way to practice early math skills without memorization and repetition. Your preschooler will be practicing her numbers without even realizing that she’s counting. Create a quick and fun Feed the Snowman game by recycling an empty milk jug. Cut the top off and use construction paper to create the face of a snowman on the front of the jug. Take turns rolling a pair of dice, counting the dots on the sides facing up, and feeding the snowman an equal number of snowy cotton balls.
5.PAINT WITH SNOW
Preschoolers working on fine motor skills can grow tired of simply writing with pencil and crayon. Spice up your fine motor activities by painting with snow. Whip together unscented shaving cream and silver craft glitter in a mixing bowl and instruct your preschooler to dip his paint brush directly into the mixture and use it as paint. Let him paint onto a glass 8×10 picture frame so that he can wipe the glass clean and paint it again and again.
6.COLD AS SNOW EXPERIMENT
Use snow as a way to compare cold and hot temperatures. Fill one cup with hot water* and another with cold water. Clip a candy thermometer to the side of each cup and observe the change in temperature. Talk with your preschooler about the different thermometer readings for the hot and cold cup. Explain that snowflakes are really tiny crystals of ice that are even colder than the temperature of the water. Add ice cubes to the cold water glass and observe the changes in temperature.
*NEVER let your preschooler fill a cup with hot water! This is a parent’s task only!
7.EDIBLE SNOWFLAKES
Edible activities are always a favorite among preschoolers, so make snowflake-themed snacks using pretzel sticks and marshmallows. Challenge your preschooler to create elaborate patterns just like those seen on snowflakes. You can even have some printouts of real magnified snowflakes at the ready to show as an example to your preschooler. A fun fact your preschooler may love is that most snowflakes have 6 points. How many points does her snowflake have?
Bringing the snowy play indoors is a great way to challenge your child’s creativity and engage her eager mind. The best part? These activities can be done even in the heat of the summer months! Have fun!