As the days grow shorter and darker we wanted to inspire you with some winter themed activities.
1 – Jingle Sticks
Go for a walk to collect sticks – get the children to decorate them with nature and bells so that they jingle.
2 – Leaf Decorating or Printing
Paint leaves with ready mixed paint and then print them down onto paper – try this on brown craft paper too. You could turn this into festive wrapping paper!
3 – Nature Baubles
Fill our popular perspex baubles with nature collected from a local walk – perhaps paint pine cones white and add glitter to add a festive sparkle.
4 – Card Making
Make the usual Christmas card crafting more fun by using out cut out cards – let the children fill them with their own creations, artwork or collage.
5 – Ice Painting
Leave a tuff tray filled with water outside on an evening when you know it will be freezing. Return in the morning to a magical icy scene in the tray. Either us this for small world play by adding penguins and polar bears, perhaps an igloo. Or, add watercolour paints and allow the children to paint onto the ice – creating a beautiful effect.
6 – Pine Cone Decorating
A simple one – simply paint the tips of pine cones white for a frosted effect or green to make a Christmas tree. You could add little pom poms as decorations or wrap with ribbon and hang from a branch hung from your ceiling – add fairy lights!
7 – Light Up Magical Small Worlds
Adding fairy lights to small world play can create awe and wonder and certainly attracts little ones. Add forest animals and talk about hibernation or include a book for story time.
8 – Festive Hessian Ribbon for Your Displays or Crafts
Decorate your cards and displays with these glitter foam tree stickers.
9 – Snowflakes
Create snowflake artwork with our templates and ready mixed paint. Add glitter to make them sparkle.
10 – Mark Making in Snow
Add instant snow or flour to a tray – add Chrismtas tree pines, pine cones and sticks to encourage children to mark make in the snow!
Can they create little footsteps or write their names?
11 – Festive Bunting
A great class activity – spread out the bunting and get the children to decorate it with our many star, snowflake and foam glitter tree stickers. A lovely one to hang in your classroom or setting for the winter.
12 – Adding a Winter Sparkle to Maths
Add a winter twist to your maths area by adding sprigs of pine tree, glitter, stars and snowflakes ro count. Add some magical fairy lights.
13 – Polar Small World Play
Small worlds are a great way to encourage the imagination and play based learning.
14 – Calming Winter Play Dough
Make homemade dough and add winter themed rollers, cookie cutters and tools, why not add cinnamon sticks, ginger scent and gingerbread cutters, glitter, sliced dried orange and cloves, sprigs of pine tree and sticks from your outdoor area.
15 – Make Nature Confetti
This can be great for finemotor skills and then use all the little bits for crafts or in your mud kitchen, small world scenes! Punch into gold card, glitter card, leaves, white paper to create snow.
16 – Create a Winter Themed Treasure Basket
