Winter is a magical season filled with snow, cozy movie nights, and endless opportunities for family fun. It’s the perfect time to bond with your preschooler by doing activities that spark curiosity and creativity! From outdoor adventures to indoor crafts, there are plenty of ways to keep little hands and minds busy all season long. 

Here are 7 activities that you can do with your family this holiday season: 

  1. Build a Snowy Masterpiece
    • If there’s snow on the ground where you live, it’s time to bundle up and get outside! While snowmen are a classic option, encourage your preschooler to get creative by building snow castles, animals, or even a mini snow village. Bring along sand toys like buckets and molds to shape the snow into fun designs. Building with snow encourages sensory play, hand-eye coordination, and imaginative thinking.
  2. Create a Winter Art Station
    • When the weather outside is too chilly, bring the creativity indoors with a winter-themed art station. Provide supplies like cotton balls (for snow), blue and silver glitter, construction paper, and washable paints. Encourage your child to create snowy landscapes or snowflakes! Art activities support fine motor skills, self-expression, and creative thinking.
  3. Have a Cozy Storytime Adventure
    • Create a reading nook with blankets, pillows, and stuffed animals. Choose winter-themed books like The Snowy Day by Ezra Jack Keats or Bear Snores On by Karma Wilson. Reading together strengthens language skills, builds vocabulary, and encourages a love of storytelling. 
  4. Bake Winter Treats Together
    • Little hands love to help in the kitchen, and winter is the perfect time to bake delicious treats. Choose simple, child-friendly recipes like sugar/gingerbread cookies or hot cocoa mix. Let your preschooler measure, pour, and mix the ingredients. After baking, let your preschooler’s creativity shine by decorating the cookies with icing, sprinkles, and edible glitter. Baking builds math and science skills as children measure ingredients, follow instructions, and observe changes in texture and color.
  5. Go on a Winter Nature Walk
    • A crisp winter walk is a great way to get some fresh air while exploring nature. Bundle up and head to a local park, nature trail, or even your backyard. Encourage your preschooler to look for signs of winter, like animal tracks in the snow, frozen puddles, or pinecones. Nature walks encourage observation skills, curiosity, and physical activity.
  6. Have a Family Game Day
    • If it’s too cold to venture outdoors, stay warm inside with family-friendly games! Classic games like Candy Land, Memory, and Chutes and Ladders are great for preschoolers. For a custom experience, create a homemade obstacle course or a scavenger hunt with winter-themed clues. Playing games teaches turn-taking, patience, and critical thinking.
  7. Have a “Snow Day” Indoors
    • If you can’t get outside or there’s no snow in sight, bring the magic indoors! Create “indoor snow” using sensory materials like kinetic sand, white play dough, or even homemade “fake snow” made from baking soda and water. Sensory play promotes tactile exploration, creativity, and fine motor skills.

Winter is a great time to slow down and spend time with family. These fun and engaging activities will help keep your preschooler entertained while supporting their development and creativity. At The Gardner School, we encourage families to embrace hands-on learning and seasonal fun! Looking for even more ways to inspire growth and learning? Schedule a tour at one of our schools to see how we support preschoolers in discovering their potential, one snowy adventure at a time!