Activities for The Snowy Day Book

There are a lot of great winter-themed books that lend themselves to activities in the classroom or at home, and it’s great to read and explore winter books after the holiday break because it makes getting back to school a little more fun (and maybe gets kids dreaming of snow days, too).

Of course one of the classics of winter literature for kids is The Snowy Day by Ezra Jack Keats. It’s a classic because it expresses the joy of exploring on a snowy day, which can get kids thinking about what they would like to do on a snow day.

Kids can draw their own snowman and snow angel, or write about or draw what they would do on a snow day.

Homeschoool Creations has a good free printable activity pack that includes some writing practice, drawing and cutting lines, vocabulary, writing practice and sorting winter clothes and summer clothes.

Homeschool Share has a printable Snowy Day lapbook that includes sequencing cards, making a snowman with simple shapes, counting snowballs in the pocket, things that are white and more.

Make your own pretty snowflakes with this craft idea from Mama Jenn. These would be so cute to decorate the classroom with!

Deep Space Sparkle has a fun process art activity for making kids playing in the snow just like Peter did.

I love this little Peter doll from Wildflower Ramblings, which you could make for use in retelling the story, or kids could make out of paper instead of felt.

Anita Bremer has a 79 page activity guide on her Teachers Pay Teachers site that includes story elements, vocabulary, making connections, comprehension activities, a craft and more. Mrs. Wills Kindergarten has another set of paid resources, including writing and drawing prompts, that are part of her January activity pack on TPT.

Here are some more “Snow Day” Books

Snow Day! by Barbara Joosse – A delightful picture book suitable for young children. The story captures the joy of a snowy day

Snow Day by Mercer Mayer – Another charming picture book that explores the magic of a snowy day. Recommended for early readers

The Snow Day by Komako Sakai – A beautifully illustrated book suitable for children who enjoy quieter, reflective stories.

Growing Up Ladybug and How to Become a Butterfly are both by Stepanka Sekaninova and illustrated by Linh Dao, and they came out at the same time and are on similar themes, so let’s look at them together.

Growing Up Ladybug is narrated by Mariella, a seven-spot ladybug. She talks about the parts of a ladybug, where they live, different kinds of ladybugs, why humans love them, their defenses against predators and the life cycle of a ladybug.

The drawings are cute if not always scientifically accurate, it’s not in such a way that’s likely to confuse kids (who probably already know that ladybug mamas don’t push their larval babies around in strollers, for instance.

It’s a good general description of the life cycle of a lady bug and why we like having them around.

About the book: 32 pages, hardcover. Published 2026 by Albatross Media. Suggested retail price $16.95.

Similarly, How to Become a Butterfly covers the life cycle of a butterfly, starting with caterpillars eating burning nettle leaves. (Here Amanda is the narrator.) The book talks about a few of the more than 18,000 daytime butterflies in the world as well as other creatures that live in the meadow (there’s that ladybug again, along with crickets, bees and other bugs).

It also covers some of the enemies of caterpillars like wasps and spiders, and the defenses that caterpillars use to try to prevent being eaten. It illustrates how caterpillars grow and change as they molt and prepare to pupate, and what a caterpillar looks like before and while it is forming its chrysalis. And while the book uses the word metamorphasis it doesn’t really talk about what happens between the caterpillar forming a chrysalis and the butterfly hatching.

This butterfly is a peacock butterfly, and once it hatches the book covers the parts of a butterfly and the life cycle. It also talks about nocturnal moths (though it says nocturnal butterflies are “usually called moths” when moths are actually a different species) and what butterflies do at night.

I’m maybe a little hard on this book because my daughter is a butterfly expert from way back, but it is still cute and good for the very basic basics of the butterfly life cycle.

Both books would be fun additions to your bookshelf for younger kids starting to learn about different animals or who have an interest in insects.

About the book: 32 pages, hardcover. Published 2026 by Albatross Media. Suggested retail price $16.95.

Have you read?

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