Fun Winter Sensory Activities for Kids

December 30, 2023 by Sarah White Leave a Comment

Where I live it’s a rare thing to see snow in December (though a recent Facebook memory reminded me it snowed in mid-December once, 10 years ago!) but this time of year, whether there’s real snow on the ground or some people are just wishing there was (or you live in the other half of the world where some snow sounds pretty nice right about now) it’s a great time to make some snow related sensory activities.

I almost added this snow marble run from Happy Toddler Playtime to my Christmas STEM projects roundup, but then I decided winter/snow deserved its own post because we’ll still be in winter a lot longer than we were in Christmas season. This one calls for actual snow and you can do it indoors or out, but you could probably use some of the snow alternatives we’ll talk about later to do this one if you don’t have real snow handy.

But if you do have snow, you can try this fun snow paint activity from Two Kids and a Coupon. I like that you can do it inside, because that’s always my preference when it’s cold and snowy.

If you don’t have real snow, you can make your own from hair conditioner and baking soda. Find the recipe and ideas for playing with it in this winter toddler sensory bind post from The Mindful Toddler. Or you can make snow dough with this recipe from The Best Ideas for Kids.

While you’re making snow playdough you can also print out these winter playdough mats from Crafty Kids Play. You can use store-bought dough or make your own in different colors.

Use Styrofoam from a leftover holiday packing box to make this arctic sensory bin from Little Ladoo.

Or make a melted snowman art project with homemade puffy paint. 5 Minutes for Mom shows you how with a tutorial from Busy Mommy Media.

Are you looking for the best sensory toys and activities for your child? Explore our comprehensive resources to enhance your child’s sensory play and development. Check out our curated Amazon Idea List featuring top-rated sensory toys and items, and don’t miss our expertly written articles on sensory activities. Start creating fun and educational sensory experiences today!

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Learn about Vikings for Leif Erikson Day

Leif Erikson Day is celebrated on Oct. 9, and it’s a great time to learn more about the Vikings and why we still remember Erikson all these years later.

If you don’t know about Leif Erikson (sometimes spelled Eriksson), he’s believed to have been born in Iceland, and is considered the first European to set foot on continental America, more than 500 years before Christopher Columbus.

123 Homeschool 4 Me has a printable mini book about Leif Erikson and the Vikings for kids to read and color. It talks about who the Vikings were, what kind of ships they used, how they got to America and more. It’s a good overview for younger kids to use.

A good unit study is available from Simple Living Creative Learning, which includes a page where kids can write what they know, what they want to learn and what they learned through the unit, as well as information on the Vikings, longships, helmets, clothing and more.

Get a printable Viking unit study with reading passages, comprehension questions and other activities aimed at grades 4-8 from Creative Classroom Core at Teachers Pay Teachers. (And see more Vikings content from TPT here.)

Tina’s Dynamic Homeschool Plus has some great unit study ideas, too, including suggested books and videos. The post includes information about the Viking voyages, society, mythology and ships, as well as some vocabulary and a list of famous Vikings. While you’re over there also check out her free printable lapbook, which includes mini books on ships, a timeline, a Viking women coloring page, draw your own Vikings, geography, ancient runes and more.

Piqolo Kids has a lesson on Viking women with (available for purchase) worksheets about a day in the life of Viking women. Even if you don’t grab the printables there’s some good resources on that page and a link to a video on Viking women.

Learn how to draw a Viking ship with instructions from Drawing How to Draw, or grab Vikings coloring and labeling worksheets from Kids Puzzles and Games.

There’s a Leif Erikson Festival annually in Norway, Michigan, which you can learn more about here.

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