6 Fun Snow Activities For Children

What child doesn’t love a snow day? You get to bundle up and head out into the yard to play (and learn!). With winter fast approaching and the weather getting colder, it might be time to start thinking about what exactly to do on those days. Playing in the snow can be an excellent opportunity to develop fine motor skills and encourage outdoor learning while still having loads of fun.

What are some benefits to playing in the snow? 

Building A Snow Creature!

Coordination 
Walking through the snow is in itself a test of coordination and balance! Add in activities like jumping, rolling snowballs, throwing piles of snow, etc and you have many opportunities to develop coordination skills in the snow!

Math 
Counting snowballs and measuring the height of snow drifts or the depth of snow are great ways to develop some math skills.

Language 
Winter is the perfect time to introduce or reinforce some great adjectives such as icy, cold, wet, warm, hard, fluffy, crunchy, soggy etc

Science 
Have the children look around at how winter changes nature. What do the trees and plants look like? Can you spot some winter animals, or do you notice any animals missing? You can also talk about the life cycle of ice, icicles, snow, and snowflakes.

Winter Activities 

Here are some great ideas for some activities to do in the snow that will incorporate the benefits mentioned above.

1. Tobogganing is a great way to develop coordination as well as safety skills. Pick a safe hill away from traffic with a clear path. Make a safety checklist with the help of the child. Once all the safety rules are met (helmets are always a great idea!) you can start sliding!

2. Snow Sculptures! This isn’t your dad’s snowman! try making all sorts of different shapes and figures. Animals, critters, monsters, castles, etc… let the imagination fly! Develop artistic/creative skills, language skills, and coordination.

3. Snow Colouring. Fill a few spray bottles with water and food colouring. Have them create works of art in the snow or on snow drifts. Add some plant life back into the scenery by painting some flowery imagery. Or you can even use the spray bottles to give your sculptures some colour!

4. Snow Angels. Almost everyone knows how to make a snow angel. Lay down in the snow and move your arms up and down to create an effect like wings. Laying down in the snow also gives your child a new perspective. Have them describe what they see!

5. Fort building is a great way to develop math and coordination skills. Make blocks out of packed snow and pile them up to build a wall. Remember to be safe when digging any tunnels as the snow can collapse and cause injury.

6. Winter Walk. Take a walk through the neighbourhood to see the holiday lights, or through the local park to observe how nature changes in the wintertime. What plants and animals can you spot?What winter treasures can you find? You could even plan a scavenger hunt and have the child look for branches, winter birds, etc..

 Remember to stay safe through all of these activities. 

• Never play outside if the temperatures are below 25 degree celsius, as skin starts to freeze at this point. 
• Make sure children are dressed warmly- especially fingers and toes. 
• Avoid dressing too warmly as activity in the snow quickly warms up the body and sweat can make a child cold if when they stop moving. 
• Avoid aiming snowballs at cars or people, instead try lining up a few bottles or pin a target to a tree! 
• Be aware of roads and traffic. Icy roads make it harder to stop and icy windshields make it harder to see. 
• Wear sunscreen on exposed skin and eye protection as the sun is reflected off the snow and can cause skin and eye damage even in cold weather.

Its Snow Time | 11 Family Activities for a Flurry of Fun

It’s a winter wonderland.  Or at least it will be!  Our first snowfall has already melted away, but we all know that won’t last too long.

Your kids are all set with their own snowsuits, snow mittens and boots – but are you? Invest in your own snow gear and take advantage of these 11 family snow activities that will encourage learning through play, during the most wonderful time of year.  

1. Go Tobogganing.  There’s nothing more fun than this classic winter activity!  Find a safe hill and head out as a family.  This is a great learning opportunity – make sure your children are aware of their surroundings and know how to stay safe.  Once the safety rules are clear, you can encourage exploration.
 
2.  Build a Snowman.  How can you make this classic activity more fun?  Search for different sticks or other nature-based items to dress up your snowman.  You can even incorporate old clothing or food colouring.  

3.  Colour the Snow.  Create colourful sprays using food colouring and water.  Then let imaginations go wild!  Your children will love spraying different colours all over the snow’s blank canvas, leaving trails and “artwork” everywhere.  Our Forest School children loved this activity – see how much fun they had here.

4.  Make a Snow Angel.  Create your own angels and try exploring different depths of snow.  Laying in the snow will also allow your children to explore a new perspective – encourage them to describe what they see.

5.  Make a Snow Sculpture.  Encourage your children to create their own snow masterpiece.  Use hands, shovels, spoons – or any other tools you can think of!  

6.  Build an Igloo.  Explore different shapes as you build your snow blocks, or consider creating a family igloo project that incorporates ice and colour.  Did you see this igloo last year?  What an amazing family project.

7.  Have a Winter Picnic.  Hot chocolate is the perfect addition to any winter activity, so why not plan a fun outdoor picnic?  Check fire regulations to see if you can incorporate a toasty winter campfire.

8.  Go on a Winter Hike.  Take a walk through the forest and explore the seasonal changes. And don’t forget to keep an eye out for animal tracks.

9.  Set Up a Scavenger Hunt.  In your backyard or during your forest walk, you can create an exciting scavenger hunt to find nature-based items such as pine cones or sticks.  Consider incorporating colours, letters and numbers into your hunt.

10.  Check Out Holiday Lights.  You can walk around your neighbourhood or look for municipal light displays like the Barrie Festival of Trees display at Centennial Park.

11.  Do A Good Deed.  Consider shoveling your neighbour’s driveway as a family.  Whether they are on vacation or have difficulties shoveling it themselves, your neighbour will be incredibly grateful and you will be passing along a valuable lesson.

Enjoy your family fun - let it snow, let it snow, let it snow!

About Discovery Child Care

Barrie Based Discovery Child Care brings nature into the classroom and takes the classroom into nature, offering an environmentally aware foundation of early learning for children, from infants to school-age. We follow an Emergent Curriculum philosophy which means, your child will be provided with hands-on, play-based learning opportunities that will encourage active exploration, autonomy, choice, problem solving and plain old fun! Your child’s individual interests, abilities and needs will be considered when planning our indoor and outdoor programs. For more information, visit http://www.discoverychid.on.ca

Winter Fun at Discovery Child Care Centres

We've certainly had a white snowy winter at the start of 2014, but despite the snow and cold, the kids have loved playing outside!

Our outdoor classroom is a winter wonderland - for gentle sledding, snowman building, and building whatever we imagine.

We are so lucky to have enough space to create an outdoor skating rink. I wouldn't be surprised if we were the only child care centre in Simcoe with its own ice rink - boards and all! (pictures to follow!)

Here is a slideshow of some of the winter activities the children have been enjoying during our day programs, after-school, and PA days for school-aged kids.




Discovery Child Care offers interesting and educational before and after school programs. Call us for a tour. We'd love to meet with you and your child! 705-733-2052