Crafting a winter scene forest playdough activity is simple and the perfect activity to brighten chilly days. Also, grab more ideas and a free lapbook for winter fun on my page Winter Season Unit Study.
And if you’re looking for cozy, screen-free activities that spark creativity and calm you won’t need too many supplies to keep your little ones entertained and play learn.
For example, kids press the white playdough onto the surface to form snowbanks, icy patches, or forest clearings.
Besides, winter is full of textures and sensations, crunchy snow, pine needles, smooth stones, and sparkling ice. All of this makes for a winter sensory experience full of hours of fun and learning.
Kids can sprinkle glitter to mimic frost, press evergreen sprigs into white playdough snow and create animal tracks with toy figurines.
A winter forest playdough setup has no rules. Kids can make snowy hills, frozen ponds, wandering foxes, or mystical woodland creatures.
BOOKS ABOUT WINTER FOR LITTLE ONES
Next, make it a full day of learning about the cold and snow through these books I’ve rounded up.
I prefer living books and have added them to the list.
10 Winter Books For Preschool
Here is the precious list of winter books that will have your child investigating, using their imagination, laughing,creating, and making winter memories with you.
Set in a snowy forest, the fun begins when, one by one, animals crawl into Nicki’s lost white mitten to get warm until the bear sneezes, sending the animals flying up and out of the mitten. On each turn of the page, Jan hints at what animal is coming next in her signature borders, inspired by Ukrainian folk art.
Over the snow, the world is hushed and white. But under the snow lies a secret world of squirrels and snow hares, bears and bullfrogs, and many other animals making their winter home under the snow. This beloved nonfiction picture book reveals the tunnels and caves formed beneath the snow but over the ground, where many kinds of animals live through the winter, safe and warm, awake and busy, but hidden beneath
the snow.
One by one, a whole host of different animals and birds find their way out of the cold and into Bear's cave to warm up. But even after the tea has been brewed and the corn has been popped, Bear just snores on!
See what happens when he finally wakes up and finds his cave full of uninvited guests -- all of them having a party without him!
There was a cold lady who swallowed some snow.
I don't know why she swallowed some snow.
Perhaps you know.
The old lady is swallowing everything from snow to a pipe, some coal, a hat, and more! With rollicking, rhyming text and funny illustrations, this lively version will appeal to young readers with every turn of the page. And this time, there's a surprise at the end no reader will be ble to guess!
In 1962, a little boy named Peter put on his snowsuit and stepped out of his house and into the hearts of millions of readers. Universal in its appeal, this story beautifully depicts a child's wonder at a new world, and the hope of capturing and keeping that wonder forever. The quiet fun and sweetness of Peter’s small adventures in the deep, deep snow is perfect for reading together on a cozy winter day.
B-R-R-R-R! AH-CHOO! Sneezy the Snowman is cold, cold, cold. To warm up, he drinks cocoa, sits in a hot tub, stands near a warm fire–and melts! But the children know just what to do to build him up again–and
make him feel “just right”. Hilarity chills the air with playful mixed-media illustrations by Stephen Gilpin as Sneezy attempts to warm himself with some silly results.
"As expansive as the broad sweep of the great owl's wings and as close and comforting as a small hand held on a wintry night . . . The visual images have a sense of depth and seem to invite readers into this special nighttime world."-
A favorite childrens song ("Ten on the Bed") gets a delightfully slippery, slide-y twist! In the land of the midnight sun, all the animals are having fun speeding down the hill on Caribous sled. But as they go faster and faster, Seal, Hare, Walrus, and the others all fall off . . . until just the caribous left, only and lonely. Now, a reindeer
likes flying-but never alone, so . . . all the animals leap onto the sled again! This beloved story is new in board and abridged for a preschool audience, and its ideal for reading, counting, and singing along with, over and over.
As leaves fall from their trees, animals huddle against the cold, and frost creeps across windows, everyone knows--winter is on its way!Join a brother and sister as they explore nature and take a stroll through their twinkling town, greeting all the signs of the coming season. In a series of conversations with everything from the setting sun to curious deer, they say goodbye to autumn and welcome the glorious first snow of winter.
This is a clear and appealing book for early elementary age kids, both at home and in the classroom. Introduce kids to basic science ideas as part of discussions about the seasons and animals.
Have you ever seen a butterfly in the snow? Probably not. Butterflies can't survive cold weather, so when winter comes, many butterflies fly to warmer places. They migrate. Woodchucks don't like cold weather either,
but they don't migrate; they hibernate. Woodchucks sleep in their dens all winter long. How do these and other animals handle the cold and snow of winter?
Then, look at more winter activities.
MORE WINTER ACTIVITIES
- Colorful Winter Bird: Northern Cardinal Lapbook & Unit Study
- Nature Craft: How to Make Easy DIY Bird Feeders
- Winter Craft Ideas How to Make Fun Pinecone Flowers
- Fun Selfie Salt Dough Gingerbread Kids Activity for Long Winter Nights
- How to Make an Adorable Toilet Roll Snowman for Winter Crafts
- Easy DIY Fun Salt Winter Watercolor Art Project for Kids
- Simple and Easy Instant Ice Kids Activity Homeschool Science Experiments
- Winter Craft Ideas for Kids Animals in Winter Fun Snow Slime
- Easy Hands on Snowflake Winter Craft for Kids Who Don’t Have Snow
- Two Fun Candy Cane Hands-on Science Winter Experiments
- 3 Fun Cocoa Winter Hands on Science Activities
- Over And Under The Snow Activities For a Free Literature Unit Study
- DIY Adorable Salt Dough Gingerbread House To Make With Kids
- 10 Toilet Paper Roll Winter Crafts | Make An Adorable Toilet Roll Winter Village
- How To Create Toilet Paper Roll Penguins For A Bowling Game
- Free Roll-A-Gingerbread House Game For Kids Who Love Games
Finally, look at how to make a winter forest playdough tray.
WINTER FOREST PLAYDOUGH TRAY
Supply List
- Wood slices
- White playdough
- Light blue playdough
- Small woodland animal toys
- Pine needles
- Pinecones
- Small sticks and twigs
- Smooth rocks and pebbles
Prep the Tray: Fill each section of a divided tray with a different nature element like pine needles, pinecones, sticks, rocks, and wood slices.
Add Playdough: Roll balls of white and light blue playdough and place them in the center or in their own small section. These colors help create a snowy, wintery scene.
Include Woodland Animals: Arrange small woodland animal figurines in one of the tray sections so kids can easily grab them for storytelling and scene building.
Invite Kids to Play: Set the tray out so children can build their winter forest world.
PLAY IDEAS FOR THE WINTER SCENE TRAY
Kids can stand twigs upright in the playdough to make trees, use pine needles like brush or fallen winter grass, and combine rocks and pinecones to build tiny dens.
One favorite part of this activity is pressing the woodland animals into the dough to create footprints. Kids can explore how different animals leave different tracks.
As they play, they design scenes, move animals between habitats, and build their own winter stories again and again.
BENEFITS
Fine Motor Skills: Rolling dough, pressing sticks, and arranging small objects strengthen hand muscles.
Sensory Exploration: Kids feel different textures like smooth stones, prickly pine needles, bumpy pinecones, and squishy dough, which helps build sensory awareness.
Creativity & Imagination: Open-ended materials encourage storytelling and world-building as kids design their own winter forest.
STEM Concepts: Kids explore balance (standing sticks upright), cause and effect (pressing objects into dough), and spatial awareness.
Nature Connection: Natural elements spark curiosity about real winter forests, animal habitats, and seasonal changes.
