It’s January – the holidays are over, the weather is cold and gray, and your kids are going a bit stir-crazy. While you may be tempted to hand over the tablet or turn on a movie, our preschool in Raleigh has curated a list of three fun, simple winter activities for preschoolers that will help beat the boredom.
DIY Cloud Dough
“Cloud dough” is soft, silky, and easy to mold because it doesn’t stick to your hands, making it a fun sensory activity for preschoolers that’s a change of pace from typical play-dough. Rather than buying it from the store, it’s something you can easily make at home with help from the kids (adding to the activity). You’ll need:
- 2 cups of all purpose flour
- 1/4 cup of vegetable oil
- Oil-based food coloring (optional)
- A large mixing bowl
That’s it! Simply drizzle the oil into the flour while mixing with your hands. You can easily make a larger batch for multiple kids (8 cups of flour and 1 cup of oil) or you can make several small batches and make them different colors.
Alternate recipes include:
- 2 1/4 cups of cornstarch
- 1 cup hair conditioner
- Food coloring
OR
- 2 cups flour
- 1/4 cup of baby oil
Neither of these are “taste safe” so if you have a toddler who still mouths things, I’d recommend the vegetable oil/flour combination.
Painting with Pom Poms
Painting with different mediums can let kids expand their imaginations and create different types of art while providing new sensory experiences. Our “painting with pom poms” activity is a great way to make a fun winter scene (with a snowman, of course). You’ll need:
- Cardstock or construction paper
- White tempera paint
- Clothespins
- Pom poms in different sizes
- Washable markers
All you really need to do is show your kids how to pinch the pom poms with the clothespins to hold them. Then, they can use the large pom pom for the snowman’s bottom, and smaller ones for the middle and top. Small pom poms can also be used to make snowflakes, while the markers can be used to add buttons and features to the snowman (once the paint is dry), as well as fill in the scene with trees, a house, or anything they see fit.
You can also use different colors of paint so your children can make different designs like rainbows out of pom pom dots, animals, or flowers.
Snowflake Hunt
For days when your preschoolers just do not want to sit still, the snowflake scavenger hunt is the perfect indoor activity. You’ll need:
- Construction paper or cardstock in different colors
- Scissors
To make snowflakes out of cardstock or construction paper, you and your children will first cut the paper into a fairly accurate square, rather than rectangle. Then, follow these steps:
- Fold the paper diagonally in half to make a triangle;
- Fold the triangle in half, bringing the pointed corners together;
- Fold the triangle in half again;
- Make small cuts in the folded triangle that go all the way through each layer of folded paper;
- Unfold and admire your snowflake!
Now, make several snowflakes – at least a dozen. Once you have the quantity you want, hide them from your preschooler around your home and have them find them. If you have two children, divide the snowflakes into two colors and equal numbers. The first one to find all the snowflakes “wins.”
Schedule a Tour with Our Preschool in Raleigh Today
Many children benefit from the social interaction and nurturing environment of a preschool setting, and our five-star child care center provides a variety of learning and social activities. To schedule a tour with our Raleigh preschool, call us today at 919-790-6888 for our Spring Forest Road location and 919-785-0303 for our North Hills Drive Center.
