The changing seasons bring many new and exciting opportunities for children to learn more about the world around them by spending time outdoors in nature. Winter is also a wonderful time to try simple arts and crafts to develop key skills in early years development. Read on for our list of early years winter activities!
In this blog we share 7 simple winter activity ideas to try in early years through the 7 areas of the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) framework, giving you a quick and easy guide to explore the wonders of wintertime in your setting.
Weave A Christmas Wreath | Arts and Design
Get creative with our wooden weaving frames and make your own homemade Christmas wreath.
Children can explore colours and patterns by threading coloured ribbons through the frame to create different designs while also building their fine motor skills and improving their concentration.
Try using pom poms or acorns to finish creating unique handmade decorations to hang up in the classroom this winter.
From tracing to sorting, there are plenty of other ways to use these frames to keep children stimulated while encouraging mindfulness.
Build a Den | Physical Development
As the colder days draw near, creating cosy shelters provides a great opportunity to talk about how many animals look for warmth and safe places to shelter over winter. Den building and den play can be set up throughout the year and allows children to work as a team to transform their space by setting up their own hideaway while also practising communication and problem-solving skills.
Complete your indoor or outdoor den space with a campfire and soft seating for children to nestle down and relax on.
Create Clay Faces | Personal Social and Emotional Development
This outdoor nature craft uses natural materials to create expressive self-portraits in a few easy steps.
First, gather small seeds, flowers and rocks for the clay face features.
Next, press a small handful of clay onto the tree bark and flatten the clay into the shape of a face, then use the natural materials you’ve found to create the eyes, ears, nose and smile.
Once finished, peel them away to take home or leave them on the tree to dry outdoors.
Tip: Leaves and moss make fun hairstyles!
Tuff Tray Phonics Practice | Literacy
Whether standard or mini, Tuff Trays are a staple resource in classrooms due to their amazing versatility and provide a useful base for our next activity which can be great for individuals or groups of learners.
Set up a fun winter words station using fake snow and letter pebbles for children to practice phonics and letter recognition as they write in the snow. Children can choose words based on their level, starting with smaller CVC words and then working towards more complex words.
For younger children, pre-writing stones are a fantastic way to improve fine motor skills and learn about the shapes and patterns of letters. Reinforce learning by asking children to draw pictures in the snow that begin with the letters on the stones and asking them to sound out the words.
STEAM Snowflake Symmetry | Maths
Snowflakes are a great example of symmetry in nature. Create your own snowflakes, each with its own geometric pattern in this budget-friendly activity for preschoolers, combining both maths and art.
Use Jumbo Natural Lolly Sticks to set up half a snowflake in just minutes for children to complete. You could also try using coloured sticks or adding glitter for some extra sparkle.
This lolly stick craft explores both symmetry and shapes by prompting children to investigate how to complete patterns and mirror lines of symmetry. Build on this activity further by learning more about the science behind snowflakes.
Go On A Winter Walk | Communication and Language
While some animals may be hibernating, there is plenty of wildlife still to discover this winter. Scurrying squirrels can be found climbing up trees all year round and some smaller birds such as robins visit different places looking for fresh food.
A winter walk provides lots of opportunities for children of all ages to build a connection to nature in a hands-on way. Taking time to go on a winter walk can also be a great way to support communication and language skills while spending time together outdoors. Children will find joy in the smallest things as they discover nature in a hands-on way, from following animal tracks to spotting colourful berries.
Winter Scavenger Hunt | Understanding the World
From icicles to squirrels there are lots of items to spot during the winter months.
See how many seasonal items you can find in your local area and tick them off using our free Winter Scavenger Hunt download. Simply print out and share with the whole class.
Can you find all the items?
Craft Idea: There are plenty of pinecones to find throughout autumn and winter which can be used in a variety of kid’s craft activities. Try painting your pinecones and decorating with playdough balls to create mini Christmas trees for an easy and inexpensive early years winter activities to try this year.
Early Years Winter Activities | Share It!
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