Fabulous Outdoor Winter Activities for Preschoolers and Kids

These wonderful outdoor winter activities, perfect for preschoolers and elementary aged kids, are a fabulous way to make use of the snow and ice Mother Nature provides throughout the season. When the weather gets dreary, getting rid of that dreaded cabin fever can be as simple as bundling up and heading outside for a fun and educational play session. The activities below include snow and ice play ideas for art, literacy, math, science, and general fun. Dig in and make the most of what winter has to offer!

Fabulous Winter Activities for Preschoolers and Kids

Snow and Ice Art Projects

These snow and ice art projects all use simple easy-to-find supplies like food coloring, paint, paint brushes, paper, and more. All of these projects use real snow and/or ice. While most of the activities are perfect for outside fun, many can be taken inside, when the temperatures are too low for extended time outdoors.

Snowy Day Tissue Paper Art, by Fireflies and Mudpies

Painting Snow, by Projects with Kids

Painting Icicles, by Stir the Wonder

Melting Snow Process Art, by Mom Explores The Smokies

Ice Ornaments, by Red Ted Art

Colored Ice Shapes Snow Pictures, by Preschool Inspirations

Colored Snow Melting Art, by Housing a Forest

Three Ingredient Snow Paint, Views From a Step Stool

Ice Art with Salt, by Learn-Play-Imagine

Painting Snow sculptures, by Kids’ Craft Room

 

Learning Letters, Words, and Math Concepts with Snow and Ice

These fun learning activities all use real ice and/or snow and most can be done either outdoors or in. The games address a variety of skills including letter and number identification, shape identification, sight words, spelling, measurement, and subtraction. With so many fun ideas, you may want to try a few!

Ice Alphabet Play, by Still Playing School

Snow Sight Word Hunt, by Lemon Lime Adventures

Snowman Snow Measurer, by Play Dr. Mom

Spelling in the Snow, by There’s Just One Mommy

Colorful Snow Shapes, by a Little Pinch of Perfect

Letters in Ice, by Wildflower Ramblings

Snow Shapes with Penguin Printable, by Life Over C’s

Letter Recognition Snow Search, by Parenting Chaos

Subtraction Snowball Crush, by Green Kids’ Crafts

Snow and Ice Science and STEM

Science is perhaps one of the best subjects for winter learning. With the winter activities below, preschoolers and young kids will be able to explore and observe a variety of topics including snowflakes, ice crystals, color mixing, gardening, engineering, animal science, and more! Again, while most of these activities are designed to be done outdoors, many can be taken indoors as well.

The Science of Ice Crystals, by Share it Science

Crush a Bottle With Your Mind, Steam-Powered Family

Frozen Bubbles, by Housing a Forest

Snow Paint Color Mixing Activity, by The Science Kiddo

Winter Gardening with Kids, by Megan Zeni

How Arctic Animals Stay Warm, by I Can Teach My Child

Exploring Animals Tracks in Winter, by KCE Adventures

Snow Volcanoes, by Science Sparks

Building Colored Ice Sculptures in the Snow, by Happy Hooligans

Snow Building Blocks, by Fun-a-Day

Snow and Ice Movement, Play, and Sensory Activities

The games and activities below are expressly designed to get your kids outside and having fun this winter! The activities include a variety of movement games like maze walking and snowshoeing. There is also a variety of play ideas like building snow forts and igloos, and much more. Try one or try them all!

Best Ways to Have Fun with Snowballs, by Preschool Tool Kit

Family Snowshoeing, by Outdoor Families Online

Digging for Colors Snow Sensory Bin, by East TN Family Fun

Snow Ice Cream Recipe, by Housing a Forest

How to Build a Snow Fort, by Mama Smiles

Outdoor Snow Maze, by OT Tool box

Potato Heads in the Snow, by Happy Hooligans

How to Build an Igloo Out of Snow, by Your Modern Family

Spray Bottle Snow Coloring, by Hands on as we Grow

Snow Construction Site, by Nurture Store