Winter crafts and snow day activities for kids

When it is cold and dark outside, winter crafts are a cozy way to spend an afternoon. Snowflakes, snowmen, mittens and polar animals make wonderful projects, and many use simple supplies like paper, cotton wool and paper plates. This guide has winter crafts for kids of every age, snow day activities for when school closes, and free printable winter coloring pages to use as templates.

Snowflake crafts

1. Paper snowflakes. Fold a square of paper into a triangle three times and cut shapes along the edges. Open it up to reveal a unique snowflake.
2. Popsicle stick snowflakes. Glue three sticks into a star shape and decorate with sequins, glitter glue or buttons.
3. Salt painting snowflakes. Draw a snowflake with white glue, sprinkle with salt, shake off the extra and drop watercolor onto the salt.
4. Coffee filter snowflakes. Fold and cut a coffee filter for a soft, lacy snowflake.
5. Snowflake coloring. Color our winter coloring pages, which include several snowflake designs, in icy blues and silver.

Snowman crafts for kids

• Paper plate snowman. Glue three paper plates in a stack and add a hat, scarf and carrot nose.
• Sock snowman. Fill a white sock with rice, tie it into two balls and add buttons and a fabric scarf.
• Cotton wool snowman. Glue cotton balls inside a snowman outline.
• Toilet roll snowman. Paint a roll white and add a felt scarf and paper hat.
• Melted snowman. Draw a puddle with a hat, carrot nose and two button eyes for a funny picture.

Winter animal crafts

• Paper plate polar bear. Cover a plate with cotton wool and add ears and a nose.
• Penguin from a toilet roll. Paint black and white, add an orange beak and feet.
• Handprint owl. Two handprints make wings; add big eyes.
• Arctic fox mask. Cut a fox face from a paper plate and color it white.
• Animal coloring. Pick winter animals from our animal coloring pages.

Other winter crafts

• Mitten matching. Decorate pairs of paper mittens with matching patterns and hang them on a string.
• Ice sun catchers. Freeze water, leaves and berries in a pie dish with a loop of string, then hang outside.
• Winter tree. Paint a bare tree and use cotton buds dipped in white paint for snow.
• Hot cocoa card. A paper mug with cotton wool "marshmallows".
• Star garland. Color and cut the star pages for a sparkly winter garland.

Snow day activities for kids

When school closes for snow, the day can feel long. Here is how to make it fun.

Outdoors

• Build a snowman or a snow family.
• Make snow angels.
• Go sledding on a safe hill.
• Paint the snow with colored water in spray bottles.
• Look for animal tracks in the snow.
• Build a snow fort.
• Catch snowflakes on dark paper and look at them with a magnifying glass.

Indoors

• Make hot cocoa and read stories.
• Do a snowflake-cutting contest.
• Play board games or the memory game.
• Bake winter cookies.
• Build a blanket fort.
• Watch a winter film.
• Do a coloring marathon with winter and Christmas tree pages.

Winter learning activities

• Snow science. Bring snow inside and measure how long it takes to melt. Does salt make it melt faster?
• Snowflake symmetry. Talk about how snowflakes have six sides and match on both halves.
• Animal adaptations. How do polar bears and penguins stay warm?
• Winter math. Count snowflakes, add mittens and measure snow depth. Our Christmas worksheets have winter-themed counting.
• Winter words. Write a list of winter words and use them in a short story.

Winter crafts by age

Toddlers

Cotton wool snowmen, sticking paper snowflakes and painting with white on dark paper. Keep it simple and sensory.

Preschool

Paper plate snowmen, coffee filter snowflakes, toilet roll penguins and mitten matching.

School age

Paper snowflakes with complex cuts, salt painting, ice sun catchers, snow science experiments and winter stories.

Winter holidays

Winter is full of celebrations, each with its own crafts. See Christmas crafts for kids, New Year's crafts for kids and Valentine's Day crafts.

Cozy indoor winter afternoons

Some winter days are too cold or wet to go out at all. Make them special with a cozy routine: build a blanket fort, light some fairy lights, make hot cocoa and set up a craft tray. Put on gentle music and let children choose between cutting snowflakes, coloring winter pages and making a snowman collage. Finish with a story under a blanket. These calm, simple afternoons are often what children remember most about winter.

Winter crafts with recycled materials

Save the cardboard boxes from holiday deliveries. They make perfect igloos for toy animals, sleds for teddy bears and backgrounds for winter scenes. Bottle tops become snowman buttons, egg cartons become penguins, and old socks turn into snowmen or hand puppets. Recycled crafts cost almost nothing and teach children to see everyday objects in new ways.

Winter crafts for the classroom

In January, when the holidays are over, winter crafts keep classrooms bright. Paper snowflakes on the windows, a class snowman display with a snowman made by every child, and a "winter words" wall with colored pages are easy and inclusive for every family, whatever they celebrate.

Keep a winter craft box ready from December to February with white paper, cotton wool, glue, silver glitter glue, paper plates and printed winter pages. On the first snowy or stormy day, everything is ready, and children can start making snowflakes while the kettle boils for hot cocoa.

Frequently asked questions

What are easy winter crafts for preschoolers?

Paper plate snowmen, cotton wool snowmen, coffee filter snowflakes and toilet roll penguins are easy and use simple supplies.

What can kids do on a snow day?

Outside: build snowmen, make snow angels, go sledding and paint the snow. Inside: bake, read, cut paper snowflakes, play board games and color winter pages.

How do you make paper snowflakes?

Fold a square of paper in half to make a triangle, fold it twice more, then cut small shapes along the edges. Unfold carefully to see your snowflake.