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The winter months can leave parents feeling stuck. When trips to the park, exploration in the garden, and toddling around in the yard are out of the question, due to weather, we have to get creative!
Here are some ways to bring fun (and learning!) inside your house.
Note: If you haven't rotated your toys lately, this is a good place to begin >
Winter activities for toddlers
✂️ Cutting paper
It's fun for a parent to revive the craft of making snowflakes with scissors and paper but for our little ones, we need to start by simply introducing the materials of scissors and paper. Model cutting a strip of paper into smaller strips. Grab some 8.5 x 11 printer paper in wintry colors and child-appropriate scissors and you’re in business.
🖐🏽 Mystery Bags
Fill a small bag with baby-safe items from around the house, and let your little one sensorily explore to see if they can figure out what they’re grasping inside the bag by touch rather than feel. Three mystery bags are included the Monti Kids Level 8 subscription box for toddlers. Learn more about why we suggest mystery bags.
👃 Sensory Exploration with Spices
In a series of small containers, assemble a group of spices. Your little one can smell each one and guess what it is. Alternatively, grind spices together with a mortar and pestle, or practice placing cloves into oranges in different patterns for a homemade air freshener!
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🦊 Make Animal Language Cards
Print out copies of moose, bears, foxes, mice, dogs--any animal that might be associated with the wintertime in your state, to create language “cards” or a game of “Concentration” to play with your little one. We've created a version with winter clothing. You can print and cut the cards below.
☃️ Architect a Snow Globe
Craft homemade snow globes with animals inside them! With a mason jar, glitter, non-toxic glue, and a few small plastic animals, trees, or buildings, you have the perfect wintry scene. Order tiny animals for this project from Amazon. Choose penguins or polar bears to make your glitter jar winter-themed!
❄️ Make Sugar Cube Igloos
On a cardboard, aluminum foil, or parchment paper base, stack sugar cubes in the shape of an igloo or house and bond together with a combination of confectioner’s sugar and water.
🍂 Inspect Nature
Examine leaves, pinecones, acorns, or rocks under a magnifying glass.
🧽 Wash Windows Together
Using a small spray bottle containing non-toxic soap and water and a towel, enjoy this household chore together.
🛀🏿 Winter Bathtime
Take an extra-long midday bubble bath (a good idea for Mommy and Daddy, too!) with a sponge for wiping down the faucet or sides of the tub. See our bath time tips blog post for more ideas!
🌱 Water Indoor Plants Together
Fern trees are an especially great investment for this because they need little light and can take a lot of water. Provide your child with a small container with a spout or a spray bottle.
⛺ Make a Fort
Build a pillow and blanket fort for “sleepovers,” indoor-camping, or a new kind of play space. A new crawler will love this, too!
🌟 Study Astronomy
Paste stars, moons, and suns on the ceiling together, and introduce the night sky without going outside.
💃🏼 Dance!
Pick a favorite album or tune that you can “dance” and wiggle to together.
📚 Read books. Here's help:
Our favorite books for 0-3 year olds and tips for reading with your baby
ABOUT MONTI KIDS: Learn more about how we enable Montessori learning at home with a subscription program that helps you provide the right materials and environment at the right stage for your baby or toddler.
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