12 Toddler Winter Activities to Try When it’s just Too Cold

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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 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.

  1. 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.
  2. 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.
  3. 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. 
  4. 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.
  5. 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!
  6. 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.

  1. 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.
  2. 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.
  3. Go “swimming” in the bathtub or pretend the shower is a water park. W loves taking a shower and splashing around.
  4. 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.
  5. Break out the crayons and start coloring a pretty summer scene.
  6. Pretend it’s sunny and make some fun sunglasses using different colored plastic wrap. Find a free template for sunglasses over at First Palette.

12 Toddler Winter Activities to Try When it's just Too Cold!

What activities do you like to do to keep warm when it’s too cold outside? Let me know in the comment section below! 

12 toddler winter activities to try when it's just too cold

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