With a chill in the air, it is the perfect time to make hot cocoa crafts for preschoolers to warm them up in a different way. Also, you’ll love the ideas on my page How to Homeschool Preschool.
From paper cups to playdough there are many fun ways to create hot cocoa crafts for preschoolers to enjoy during the winter season.
Also, if you love to celebrate all the little holidays like I do, December 13th is National Cocoa Day.
And these ideas as well as my hot cocoa cloud dough are a great way to celebrate it.
If you learn how to make my taste safe version of hot cocoa cloud dough, you will be very cool with the preschool set indeed.
Cloud dough is a unique textured sensory material, and messy, so plan accordingly.
This cloud dough version is taste safe but you will want to bake your flour beforehand to make it safe as raw flour can contain bacteria such as Salmonella.
Winter Books to Read Aloud to Your Preschooler
Next, these books I’ve rounded up can be used to read aloud to your preschooler or for your older kids to read independently.
13 Snow, Snowman, Animals, and Winter Books
Add one or more of these books to your learning day if you're learning about snow, snowflakes, winter or just for fun.
Immerse Yourself in This Story of Love and Companionship Amidst Deprivation
It is the fall of 1930, and America has plunged into the Great Depression. On a remote dirt road deep in the snowy woods of northern Wisconsin, misfortune forces the impoverished Sparkes family to take desperate measures.
A wayfaring quartet consisting of thirteen-year-old Araminta (nicknamed Minty), her recently unemployed father-a poetry-quoting widower called Pops-and her younger sister, Eglantine (known as Eggs-a dreamer like Pops), and their dog, Buster, are on their way to Minneapolis to live with the curmudgeonly Aunt Amy. When their car breaks down and they are unable to fix it, the homeless four stumble upon a vacant summer cottage by a lake. In desperate straits, they decide to settle in.
How do snow crystals form? What shapes can they take? Are no two snow crystals alike? These questions and more are answered inside this exploration of the science of snow, featuring photos of real snow crystals in all their beautiful diversity. Perfect for reading on winter days, this book by a nature photographer and a snow scientist will inspire wonder and curiosity about the marvels of snow.
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”.
Have you ever built a snowman and discovered the next day that his grin has gotten a little crooked, or his tree-branch arms have moved? And you've wondered . . . what do snowmen do at night? This delightful wintertime tale reveals all!
When the mayor of Mouseville announces the town snowman contest, Clayton and Desmond claim that they will each make the biggest snowman ever. But building a huge snowman alone is hard! They work and work, but their snowmen just aren't big enough. Soon they have an idea. As the day of the contest approaches, Clayton and Desmond join forces to build the biggest snowman ever.
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 exploring the subnivean zone 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.
"Stoeke's second book about that intrepid screwball, Minerva Louise, is a rare find."—The Horn Book, starred review. The other chickens hate snowy mornings. But not Minerva Louise! To her a snowy day—like everything else—is an adventure. But this chilly, chipper hen needs something to keep her warm. What she finds—and how she finds it—will keep young readers cackling.
Our heroes' entry for the snowman contest has magically come to life―and ran away! Can YOU help catch it? Get ready for snow much fun as you travel through a winter wonderland with running, skating, and bouncing through trap after trap to catch the snowman and claim the winning prize. Will the snowman teach our heroes a lesson they'll never forget?
When the geese begin to fly south, the leaves flutter down from the trees and the cold winds begin to blow from the north, the animals of the woods and meadows, big and small, prepare for the long, cold winter ahead when the countryside is hidden under a deep blanket of snow. They gather food and look for warm, snug places in the ground, trees, caves or thickets, where they can find protection against the icy winds.It might have been hard for the birds and animals of the hillside to survive when the Big Snow came if their good friends, who lived in the little stone house, had not remembered to put food out for them.Here, in many beautiful pictures, the Haders show how winter comes to the woodland as the busy animals make their preparations.
The Smithsonian does things right and this Curious About Snow book is a
great introduction for curious kiddos with real images and simple explanations.
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.
SET OF 10 FUN AND FRIGID FIGURES – It’s hard to stay warm at the North Pole, but you can discover its wonders in your home with these frigid friends. This TOOB includes a Harp Seal, Husky, Caribou, Arctic Rabbit, Killer Whale, Walrus, Arctic Fox, Beluga Whale, Igloo, and Polar Bear.
See the world in a whole new way! Acclaimed illustrator Julia Rothman combines art and science in this exciting and educational guide to the structure, function, and personality of the natural world. Explore the anatomy of a jellyfish, the inside of a volcano, monarch butterfly migration, how sunsets work, and much more. Rothman’s whimsical illustrations are paired with interactive activities that encourage curiosity and inspire you to look more closely at the world all around you.
Also, add some of this background information about hot cocoa.
You may want to include your older children.
The History of Hot Cocoa
Hot cocoa likely developed around 500 BC, where the Mayans drank chocolate made from ground-up cocoa seeds that were mixed up with water, cornmeal, and chili peppers.
It was made by pouring it back and forth between two cups to get it thick and foamy. At that time, it was pretty bitter and not what we enjoy today.
The explorer Cortez in the 1500s brought cocoa beans and the tools to make it back to Europe where it became a drink popular with the upper class.
In the 1800s, Coenraad Johannes Van Houten of the Netherlands created the first cocoa powder press.
Using it he was able to separate the greasy cocoa butter from the cacao seeds and create a much more drinkable concoction and also at this time he learned how to create a solid chocolate bar.
Up until the 19th century, hot chocolate was used to treat stomach and liver diseases.
Also, as part of soldier rations and now we can enjoy it any time with lots of marshmallows.
Eventually eating chocolate became much more popular than drinking it.
8 Hot Cocoa Crafts for Preschoolers
- These 3 Fun Cocoa Winter Hands on Science Activities have a science application of course but don’t overlook the fun of deliciously scented slime for play.
- Try Hot Chocolate Playdough Recipe + 3 Ways to Play, it will smell amazing and be a great sensory experience that is great for building small muscles and fine motor skills.
- Such a great basic craft supply, turn wooden craft sticks into this adorable Popsicle Stick Hot Cocoa Mug Craft with your preschooler.
- Inside My Hot Cocoa Mug Craft Idea For Kids is a very unique take on creating a hot cocoa mug art project.
- 3D art is so much fun, just look at this Paper Cup Hot Chocolate Craft for Kids, you can find lots of adorable winter printed cups at Dollar Tree too or let them decorate their own paper cup with stickers or markers.
- Use cocoa in a fresh new way and turn it into a sweet-smelling paint, check out Chocolate Painting with I’m a Hungry Dinosaur.
- This is a simple layered gift idea that little hands can make as a gift to friends and family. –DIY Gift Idea: Hot Cocoa Mix In A Jar, it looks pretty, you put a bow on it, I’m calling it a craft!
- This is a great simple felt craft. Hot Cocoa Art, perfect for using up scraps of felt you may have on hand.
Finally, look at how to make this fun hot cocoa cloud dough.
How to Make Hot Cocoa Cloud Dough
I did not give you exact measurements.
It will depend on the size of your container, and it is easy to make any size batch.
You will need:
- All-purpose flour
- Baking cocoa or hot cocoa mix
- Vegetable or coconut oil
- Marshmallows
You will also need:
- Cups
- Straws
- Measuring cups/spoons
- Peppermints/candy canes
Prepare flour by baking it for 5 minutes in a 350 degree oven and allow to cool.
Combine flour and cocoa mix or baking cocoa until you get the color and amount of base that you want. A whisk works well to incorporate your dry ingredients.
Add in oil just a little at a time.
Add it just until the dough becomes a consistency that when squeezed in your hand holds its shape, kind of like a good snow.
You can also add in vanilla and peppermint.
Or any other scented oils or extracts if you like to make the smell stronger.
Now begin layering in hot cocoa items like straws, marshmallows, sprinkles, candy canes, peppermints, etc.
To encourage fine motor activities like pouring, scooping, pinching, digging, scraping, etc. include measuring cups, spoons, and coffee cups.
Little ones won’t need much prompting to figure out what to do with the bin.
They will be happy to fill cups, pour them out, and offer you some too.
