Disclosure
There are a few affiliate links in this post. That means, at no additional cost to you, I will receive a commission if you should make a purchase.My husband and I were fortunate enough to get away somewhere warm for a few days. Needlessly to say, it was a wake up to our systems when we returned to single-digit temperatures.
To top it off we’ve been hit with another snow storm!
Back when I was a teacher, before W was born, whenever there was a snow day I always loved to stay cozy in my PJs all day eating bonbons and watching bad TV. Unfortunately, a winter snow storm appears to provide my toddler with an extra supernatural boost of energy.
So, I’ve been racking my brain (and scouring pinterest) to try to come up with some fun, winter activities for my toddler.
Here are a few toddler winter activities to try when it’s just too cold outside.
12 Toddler Winter Activities to Try When it’s just Too Cold
Inside activities to Keep Warm
This is our first winter in our new home. I am finding out, like many old homes, there are a few drafts. So, until we winterize our home more efficiently, we just have to deal with inconsistent temperatures inside. In order to stay warm in certain parts of our home, I’ve come up with a few activities and games to play that’ll keep us nice and toasty.
- Make use of that pile of single socks missing their partners- make puppets. You can sew on some eyes or just use a fabric marker (or even a sharpie) to add eyes, a nose and mouth. Not only will your toddler have a blast, but it’ll keep your hands warm. You can find some cute ideas for sock puppets over at Handmade Charlotte.
- Now that you have some mittens, it’s time to play with hats. You can read the cute book Caps for Sale and see how many hats you can place on your head. Or, try making your own hats instead. Here’s an adorable Olaf the Snowman free printable hat from Savy Momma.
- When the temperatures drop I often like to walk around with a warm blanket wrapped around me. Get your toddler to do the same by making a superhero cape out of a blanket. You can go ahead and make a superhero cape for yourself too. I won’t judge.
- Gather up all the pillows and blankets you can find and make a warm, cozy fort. I love pretending to be the “sleeping bear” in the fort mainly because it’s a good excuse to lay down.
- Experiment with different ways to get warm through body heat and friction. Demonstrate how to rub your hands together or blow on them to get warm. You can also show just how warm hugs and snuggles can be!
- Bake some delicious baked goods together. There’s nothing that warms me up quite like a homemade cookie fresh out of the oven. Try my mom’s amazing sugar cookie recipe.
Inside activities to Think Warm
Back when I taught Kindergarten I had a fun activity the children always loved to do. Whenever we had a seriously hot day, we would imagine it was winter. We would pretend it was snowing and we were outside building a snowman. Since it’s one of the coldest days of the year, I figure it might be helpful to envision the beautiful, warm weather instead. Here are some activities to help you and your toddler think warm.
- Read some summer-themed books. Pick out a few ocean-themed books, like A Day at the Seashore, Swimmy
or Beach. OR read other books that remind you of warm, summer days, like Blueberries for Sal, Tops & Bottoms or The Berenstain Bears Go to Camp. - Sing some summer-themed songs. A little reggae always makes me think of sunshine or you can sing fun kids songs like Down by the Bay and Mr. Sun.
- Go “swimming” in the bathtub or pretend the shower is a water park. W loves taking a shower and splashing around.
- Pretend you are at the beach and play with some sand. You can even make this really cool kinetic sand from Growing a Jeweled Rose.
- Break out the crayons and start coloring a pretty summer scene.
- Pretend it’s sunny and make some fun sunglasses using different colored plastic wrap. Find a free template for sunglasses over at First Palette.
What activities do you like to do to keep warm when it’s too cold outside? Let me know in the comment section below!
Love the idea of reading summer themed book…so sick of reading about snowmen!
Amanda recently posted…Larry Gets Lost–Michael Mullin & John Skewes
Living in the Los Angeles area, I rarely have that problem but in the summer sometimes it’s too hot. These are great ideas! It’s fun to do summer themed activities in the winter.
Melissa Matters recently posted…Me Time: Why Mommy Needs a Break
I’m sorry you are such a rough winter…hang in there!!
Kristen recently posted…The Day She Called Me Mother
We have some stay inside days coming up so I’ll have to do some of these. Great list!
Tarynn Playle recently posted…A Weekend of ‘Firsts’
http://mothersgurukul.com/melted-crayon-hearts-on-a-no-school-day/
Love these ideas. They are so cute! It has been a rough winter trying to keep my kids occupied 🙂
Marie Novak recently posted…Cold Outside? It’s Always Warm at Great Wolf Lodge!
Truth be told, these are great for ANY day you don’t have plans. I don’t get many snow days here in California, but we’ll be doing some of these activities for sure! Especially the cape and sock puppets!
Jacqui recently posted…What the Fork?
Great list! I like the “sleeping bear” idea! 🙂 One thing that we’ve done that the kids really liked when we’re stuck indoors is to build tents and pretend we’re camping. We put marshmallows on sticks and hold it over the “Lego campfire” that they built.
Ai recently posted…When Things Are Looking Down, Look Up
These are great ideas!! This week has been our warmest in ages (we’ve pretty much been stuck inside since the beginning of January), but of course, two kids are sick and one is potty training, so we haven’t been able to enjoy it very much. Even with the kids being sick, we can do a lot of these ideas.
Lauren recently posted…When a Stranger Came Calling
We like building blanket forts too! When it’s cold we also read books and make hot chocolate and watch a lot of movies. Luckily, our Texas winter doesn’t last for very long.
These are great ideas!!! We have been trapped inside for what seems like forever due to this negative degree weather we are having in NY!!! We need all the winter activities ideas we can get 😉
These are great ideas Tricia! My boys love being outside but -13 is just too cold, lol! I’ll definitely keep these ideas in mind! Thanks for sharing ☺
Rachael Boley recently posted…To The Single Mom Facing Her First Visitation: You’ll Be Okay
Great ideas 🙂 Kinetic sand is on our To Do list too!
Kate Williams recently posted…Spring Blossom Family Fingerprint Tree
Great ideas! We do a lot of sensory play and baking too!
Samantha @ Stir the Wonder recently posted…10+ Space Themed Activities for Early Learning
Love these ideas! My favorite is the tent because I remember how much fun that was when I was a kid!
Hey! SO fun! I focused more on tot activities when I only had two. Now that I have five children my toddlers often don’t get the same attention. I will use one of these ideas this week to “hang out” with my littles! Thank you!
Love all of the ideas! my daughter pretends she is Elsa from frozen by wearing a “cape”. I also love to bake cookies to stay warm and of course to eat!
Ros Emely recently posted…Dominican Stewed Beans/Habichuelas Dominicanas
I was in some dire need for new fun winter activities!! Thanks for the inspiration. I love the sunglasses, that would entertain my little one for awhile!
twitchetts.blogspot.com recently posted…Monthly Mommy Moments
Hi Tricia, Wow what a great comprehensive list full of amazing ideas. I will be sure to use some of these great suggestions!
Nadia recently posted…The Best of Fun With Mama
The temperatures have dropped drastically in our area this past week. Thanks for the ideas! My girls would LOVE to make sock puppets!
Leigh-Ellen recently posted…Five Dollar Tree Favorites for Preschool at Home
Great ideas here!