Winter crafts for preschoolers: Teach kids about the season with themed crafts

Winter can be a wonderful time of year to be a preschool teacher.  Young children are dazzled by the exciting seasonal changes, and thrilled to learn about winter activities such as sledding and building snow men.  Young children exhibit wonder at even the most simple seasonal pleasures, such as catching a falling snowflake on the tongue.

Teachers and parents can help children to learn about the season by planning simple, fun and educational winter crafts for preschoolers.  Here is a list of great winter crafts for preschoolers, along with supplies necessary to complete each craft, as well as additional recommendations for themed preschool activities.

Winter Crafts for PreSchoolers:

Popsicle Stick Snowflakes

Supplies

? 3 popsicle sticks
? Washable paint and glitter
? Paint brush
? Elmer?s glue
? Jewels, buttons or small colorful beads

Directions

1. Glue the Popsicle sticks together in a criss-cross shape.  Some pre-schoolers may need adult assistance with glue. Allow to dry.

2. Once the glue is dry, paint the Popsicle sticks with your pre-schooler?s choice of colors, and sprinkle with glitter.

3. Put a dot of Elmer?s on each end and in the center of sticks.

4. Place a jewel, colorful bead or button on each dot of glue.

5. Attach a ribbon to hang finished snow flakes, or glue a magnet to the back to display on refrigerators.

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Teachers arranging winter crafts for preschoolers may want to consider broadening the theme of the craft to include other activities such as a winter themed story time with books about snow flakes, or serving snow flake shaped cookies for snacks.

Wonderful books about snowflakes that can be paired with this winter craft for preschoolers include titles such as Snowflake Bentley, a Caldecott Medal story book written by Jacqueline Briggs Martin and illustrated by Mary Azarian, or Kenneth Libbrecht?s Little Book of Snowflakes, featuring breathtaking microphotographs of real snowflakes.

Cotton Ball Snow Man

Supplies

? 3 white cotton balls
? Sheet of colorful construction paper
? Paint brush
? Elmer?s glue
? Crayons or markers

Directions

1. Glue the three cotton balls, arranged on top of each other in a snow man shape, onto your pre-schooler?s choice of colored construction paper.  Some preschoolers may need adult assistance with glue. Allow to dry.

2. Once the glue is dry, children may decorate the cotton ball snow man by adding arms, top hat, or coloring a winter scene around the snow man using crayons or markers.

This cotton ball snowman craft for preschoolers can be paired with videos or story books about Frosty the Snowman.  The picture book, The Snowman, by Raymond Briggs is another classic children?s book about a snowman that comes to life.  More adventurous parents or teachers may wish to undertake the task of building a real life snow man with their preschoolers.  Snow pants, warm mittens and hats are advised, and the activity is usually best followed by a cup of hot cocoa!