kwumutFun Winter Activities for Toddlers
Play improves the cognitive, physical, social and emotional well-being of children and young people. Through play, children learn about the world and themselves. Although winter can be a challenging time for keeping little kids entertained. With a few supplies that you probably already have around your house, you can turn a boring, cold winter day into a fun adventure filled with games that activate your child’s imagination!
Iceberg Hop
If your kids have ever pretended that the floor is lava, this winter activity is the game for them. Create a few icebergs out of paper or fabric and turn your floor into an Arctic ice field that your kids must hop around to navigate!
Squirt Gun Painting
This snow activity for kids is perfect for toddlers, preschoolers, kindergartners, grade 1, and grade 2 students. With a few dollar-store squirt guns, you can make beautiful art in the snow and ice! Just fill each squirt gun with water and a few drops of food colouring and get painting.
DIY Snowman Tin Can Toss
This a great way to re-purpose tin cans from your recycling bin, and helps your child build their hand-eye coordination!
Supplies to make a DIY Snowman Tin Can Toss Game:
Tin cans – empty, washed, and dried
White acrylic Paint
Paints or markers in orange, black and other assorted colours
Ball or bean bag
Paint the outside of the tin cans with white paint. Do a couple of coats, allowing each to dry thoroughly. Then, you can work on adding facial features to your snowman, such as a carrot nose, eyes, buttons, and a warm scarf, whatever you want!
When the cans are dry, stack them up, grab a bean bag or ball, and have fun knocking them down. Make it harder each time by moving your child further away from the tin can snowmen, or try bowling a ball instead of throwing it.
Bird Feeder Fun
In winter, food and water can become scarce for many species of birds. Bird feeders not only provide essential nourishment for winter birds, but feeding birds can teach children empathy, and respect for wildlife. Below are some ideas for easy DIY Winter Bird Feeders. Kids will have a great time putting them together!
Ice Ornament Feeder to make an Ice Ornament Feeder, pour ½ cup of water into a plastic bowl. Add about 1 cup of seed to the water and mix well. Next, cut 2 strips of ribbon and tie them together on one end. Place the knotted end into the water. Freeze the bowl overnight outdoors or in the freezer. The ice ornament should pop out easily if you gently squeeze the plastic. Hang the bird feeder on a nearby tree!
Peanut butter pinecone
Attach a string loop to a dry pinecone. Smear it with peanut butter and roll it in birdseed, then hang it outside for your feathered friends.
Treat Garland
This is a great fine-motor craft for little ones! Have them string cheerios on to a shoelace or even pipe cleaners and hang the finished product from a branch. Cheerios are a tasty treat for birds in the winter (but shouldn’t be their main source of food).
Read more stories from our Tum'xuytl Newsletter here