Winter Activities for a Nursery

• Explore the wonders of winter in your nursery school. Meredith Heuer/Photodisc/Getty Images

  Winter activities for nursery school children don't have to revolve around holidays and gifts; there are many seasonal themes to learn about, especially surrounding the environment and weather. Children at this age (0 to 4 years old) may not remember any previous winters, so the novelty of winter is an excellent learning opportunity.

Acting Like Animals

• Have children name some of the wild animals they are familiar with, and discuss what these animals do in the winter. Most animals make a warm den and sleep a lot. Let each child choose which animal they would like to pretend to be, and use objects in the room to help build nests and dens. Blankets can be draped over tabletops, or pillows can be arranged in a circle; encourage the children to use their imaginations to think about what a squirrel, robin or fox might want in their winter home.

What We Wear in Winter

• This activity is more useful before the worst winter weather arrives. Bring all the winter clothes that would be necessary for winter in your area; include snow pants, mittens, boots, a scarf and a hat, but also bring items of clothing for summer or spring such as a raincoat, baseball cap or swimming trunks. Choose one child to be the "model" for the group. Hold up each item of clothing and ask the children if we wear this in winter. If they agree that it is appropriate, put the item of clothing on the "model" child. If not, ask when the item would be worn and then place it to the side.

What Happens to Water in Winter?

• Ask the group what happens to the weather in winter, and discuss what happens to things when they get cold. Go on a walk and try touching things like trees, metal poles, buildings and dirt. When you are back inside, show the children two ice cube trays, one with ice and the other with water. Talk about what happens when water gets very cold. Then keep the ice out in the room and put the water away in the freezer. Ask the children to guess how long it will take for the ice to melt into water and the water to freeze into ice. Check on the trays periodically over the next hours.

Cottonball Snowmen

• Prepare different sizes of circles from white construction paper (unless the children are old enough to use scissors) and give three to each child. Give the children crayons to draw a face onto one of their circles. Pour a little glue into a paper bowl and let the children dip the cotton into it and stick the cotton wherever they would like on their circles. Alternatively, this activity can be done with white tissue paper instead of cotton balls.

For the Youngest Children

• Even the youngest children in your nursery will be able to participate to some degree in the activities above, but if the children are not yet three years old, they might also enjoy activities that are a little simpler. Read pictures books about winter like "The Mitten" by Jan Brett, or "When Winter Comes" by Nancy Van Laan. The youngest children also are capable of role playing, so play a game called Snow, Wind, Ice. When you say "snow" the children should be silent and make motions with their hands as if snow is falling. When you say "wind" the children should make whooshing noises and be blown around the room (or just move their hands back and forth) and when you say "ice" the children will pretend the floor is made of ice and will walk very gingerly, pretending not to slip.