Thursday, January 25, 2024
We’re so glad you stopped by once again!
We hope you are staying warm and cozy
despite the winter weather
that’s blanketed much of the country this past week!
It’s hard to believe that the month of January will soon come to a close!
While we’re slated for a “heat wave” here in Minneapolis next week,
(highs in the high 40’s!)
we know that there are more snowy days to come yet this winter!
We also know that many of our regular readers are Grands like us
who love spending time with Littles, including precious grandchildren!
In fact, many of you help your Middles (your own grown kids) this time of year
by providing needed childcare for your toddler or preschool Littles
on a regular or an even impromptu basis!
While our older grandchildren are often in school this time of year,
we often find ourselves looking for activities to do with
our toddler and preschool Littles
LOOK NO FURTHER!
Today we are sharing simple, easy and cost effective winter activities
that will keep your young Littles engaged and happy!
We’re sharing some of our favorite winter themed ideas today!
All of these Little approved activities are tried and true!
Each requires only a short explanation beyond the photos shared
and it’s easy to gather the supplies needed - most readily available at home!
So sit back, scroll through and check out
the many ways you can celebrate the winter season indoors!
In fact, we suggest that you bookmark or pin this post
so you’re ready when those unexpected SNOW DAYS arrive
OR
when planning a fun winter day/evening/sleepover with your Littles!
Laura and her hubby returned a few days ago from a long weekend spent
caring for Little L while her parents were at an out of town wedding!
Laura and Little L were able to celebrate winter in style
as there was LOTS of snow on the ground!
Food Faves!
Laura loves to share food experiences with her Little
and often finds inspiration on the internet.
Here are three recent finds that she and Little L recreated!
Snowman Pancakes!
These snowman pancakes were fun to create with Little L during our first morning together this past weekend!
We made round pancakes (different sizes) and then added them to a plate to represent the snowman. We turned a piece of bacon into our snowman’s scarf! Mini chocolate chips were used for its mouth and eyes and mini M&M’s for its nose and buttons. A few mini marshmallows represented the snow on the ground! Finally, we used an orange segment and a strawberry slice to make the snowman’s hat and we broke a pretzel stick in half for its arms! Let your older Littles use their own imaginations to create their own snowman pancakes!
A Grand Tip!
Spread vanilla yogurt on the pancakes
to turn them white!
(We dipped our snowman pancakes in this “snow”
instead of using syrup!)
Snow Cream!
This is such a fun treat to make after a fresh snowfall! This recipe only requires 4 ingredients (plus a few more “extras” to add at the end)!
Collect 8 cups of fresh snow in a big bowl. Cover and leave the snow outside while you gather the other ingredients. When you are ready, add 1 cup milk/cream, ⅓ cup sugar and 1 teaspoon vanilla extract to the 8 cups of clean snow. Mix all the ingredients together. (If needed, add more snow to achieve a creamy consistency.) Put the snow cream in the freezer to set for 15 minutes. Serve when chilled… feel free to top with whipped cream and sprinkles!
Homemade snow cream is the best!
Snowman Donuts!
This was the perfect addition to our morning brunch and Little L enjoyed every minute as we built our snowmen!
We threaded three mini powdered sugar donuts onto a wooden skewer and then added the extra decor - eyes, nose and buttons (mini M&M’s), a scarf (fruit roll up), a mouth (mini chocolate chips), two arms (pretzel sticks) and a hat (orange segment).
Little L wasn't sure she wanted to eat this special snowman!
More Winter Faves!
Young Littles - toddlers and preschoolers - love hands-on activities!
You’ll keep them busy with the following activities!
Shovel the Snow!
This activity was simple to set up and the materials needed - cotton balls, a plastic spoon and two containers - were easy to gather.
At first, Little L sat on the floor and the snow fell from the sky around her! (I actually dropped several cotton balls around Little L as I chanted, “The snow is falling down…” to the tune, The Farmer in the Dell. Then Little L shoveled the snow by scooping up the cotton balls with a spoon and transferring them to a bowl!
Later, Little L had fun transferring the snow (cotton balls) from one container to another but we added an extra challenge by placing the containers further apart! Little L had fun moving from container to container while keeping the snow on her spoon! Eventually, once she figured it out, we moved the containers even further apart!
Snowman Sensory Play!
To prep this activity, we used one of the containers as well as the cotton balls from the last activity.. I put the cotton balls in the container, added a few plastic spoons and a measuring cup. I also drew a snowman face on two separate plastic cups (using permanent markers) and our winter play station was ready for Little L!
Little L had fun filling the snowman cups with cotton balls, dumping them out and transferring them back and forth! Little L is really enjoying imaginative play these days... soon the snowman cups were singing and talking to each other and to her!
Later, we switched the cotton balls out and brought in real snow from outside! “Cold, cold,” Little L said as she blew on the snow trying to warm it up! So cute! Within minutes she was repeating the above activities with snow instead of cotton balls!
A Grand Tip!
When your Little is ready to be done,
fill one of the snowman cups with snow and set it aside.
Check back later with your Little…
What’s happened to the snow?
Paint the Snow!
When Little L was done building snowmen with the real snow, I pulled out some paints and let her have fun painting the snow!
Before she began, I transferred the real snow to a 9x13 glass pan for easy clean up later. I had found these fun paint brush pens at Target and they made the activity a successful one!
Little L was intrigued with the paints and how the colors mixed together in the snow! Look closely… She even built a snowman and painted it!
In addition to the ideas we share here on our blog,
we also post regularly on Instagram,
often highlighting new content!
Below you’ll find some of Laurie’s favorite winter ideas!
Each would be easy to recreate with your own Littles at home!
A Play Dough Snowman!
Too cold for outside play? Your Little can still build a snowman indoors, using play dough or clay. Young Littles can work on naming body parts using beads, foam shapes or sequins for each and, as an added bonus, this activity will develop muscle strength Little hands, too!
Indoor Ice Skating!
When it’s REALLY cold outside and your Littles need to burn off some excess energy, try indoor skating! Use wax paper for skates! Each Little will need two pieces of wax paper, one to put under each shoe or sock. This works on tile or carpet! Be careful though… just like real ice, it’s slippery!
Watch this Instagram video here!
Where Did the Snow Go?
We pulled this idea from an Instagram post we wrote last year…. It’s a fun experiment to do with your Little scientist(s)!
Fill a jar with snow and mark with tape where the top of the snow line is. Have your Little(s) predict how much water there will be when the snow melts. Have them mark their guess with masking tape or washi tape. Then let the jar sit while you wait… how long does it take for the snow to melt? Whose prediction was the closest?
A Grand Tip!
Once the snow has melted,
look at it closely with your Littles!
If you have a magnifying glass, use it to investigate!
Your Littles might be surprised by what they see!
Coffee Filter Snowflakes!
Here are a few screenshots from a recent Instagram/Facebook story! You’ll need coffee filters, washable markers, a pair of scissors and a spray water bottle! Your Littles of all ages will LOVE this project so be sure you have lots of coffee filters on hand!
Move THAT Snow!
More snowball fun for all ages of Littles to enjoy together! Fill a plastic tub with crumbled paper snowballs. I added some cotton balls and Styrofoam balls to provide variety. Criss cross tape over the top of the tub. Littles then use kitchen tongs to lift out the snowballs between the tape and then carry the snowballs to a designated spot. They keep working together until the bin is empty! Watch how your Littles have to rotate their shoulders, elbows and wrists as they reach through the tape to scoop out the snowballs. The bonus? When done, the Littles will want to move the snowballs BACK to the bin!
Watch this Instagram video here!
A Grand Tip!
If you have more bins available,
you can make this activity a race to see
who can empty their bin first!
Finally, we’re linking up a few past posts
filled with MORE ideas you might want to check out!
(Tap the link under each graphic to learn more!)
If you missed this recent post, check it out!
There’s nothing more magical than a walk in the quiet snow with Littles!
In this post, we shared our favorite children’s books, finger plays and songs…
all celebrating the winter season!
A Sticky Snowman and Feed the Snowman are two of the activities
highlighted in this post!
We’ve got ideas for all your Littles - infant through school aged!
This story deserved its own post!
We included a sensory art project and a STEM activity, too!
SNOW! SNOW! SNOW!
There’s nothing like it to inspire winter fun!
We hope our collection of ideas inspire YOU now and in the future!
Next week our attention turns to February
and, more specifically, Valentine’s Day!
We’ve got some special posts planned for you,
beginning with The Mysterious Valentine next Tuesday!
Please consider subscribing to our blog,
so you don’t miss out!
,And you can also find us on
We’ve always got new ideas waiting for you there!
❤️ We are delighted to join these link up parties and blog hops this week:
Aw, these are all fun ideas! We have done many of these activities. Thank you for sharing at The Crazy Little Lovebirds link party #22. Always a pleasure having you join us there. :)
-Stephanie
These are such fun ideas! I love the snow cream idea. Thanks for visiting Happy Hearts & Homes, I hope to see you again this week.
Thank you so much for sharing with us at Talking About It Tuesdays! We've done so many of these same activities and experiments through the years when my boys were little. We homeschooled our boys so I often had to look for fun ways to keep everyone occupied in the winter.
Wow! You can really tell you were, and are, AMAZING teachers!! I bet your grandkids love being with their grandmas, what fun! Although my grandkids are older, I found some great ideas for the youngest one to do with the littles she babysits for - she loves to do crafts with them! Thanks for sharing these great ideas!
Amazing, so much fun ideas for the little ones. You're awesome grandmas Thanks so much for participating and sharing at SSPS 294. See you again next week!