I have compiled a list of 10 fun winter books for preschool kids that can be used in conjunction with various winter topics. Also, grab more ideas and a free lapbook for winter fun on my page Winter Season Unit Study. And look at my page How to Homeschool Preschool for more ideas.
You can rotate through these during your winter unit, use them for read-alouds, story time, or to link to hands-on activities.
Some are sweet classics from your own childhood, like The Mitten, while others have become classics in more recent years, some cover a more scientific angle, but all entertain and will capture your child’s attention.
I chose these books because:
- They cover a variety of winter angles, everything from snow play to nature/science, the transition of seasons, animals, and sensory.
- They are age-appropriate for preschool and visually rich, mostly picture books and board books.
- They provide hooks for activities (you can do a snow play experience after reading The Snowy Day, or explore “what lives under the snow” after Over and Under the Snow).
They lend themselves to rich vocabulary development and hands-on tie-ins.
WINTER TOPICS TO COVER
There are many topic ideas you can weave into your preschool winter unit. Pick whatever goes with your child’s pace and interest, choose all or just some of the suggested activities.
Seasons & Weather Changes
What is winter? How weather changes: snow vs. ice vs. frost; shorter days / longer nights.
- Vocabulary: winter, snowflake, frost, cold, freeze, thaw, icicle, blizzard, sleet, snowy, flurry.
- Count snowflakes, match shapes of snowflakes, compare cold vs warm day (long/short graph).
- Inexpensive Preschool Winter Activities & Simple Winter Busy Book
- Create a “weather chart” for a week: daily temperature, whether snow/ice/clear.
- Make paper snowflakes; experiment with water freezing in small containers.
- Pretend you’re blowing snowflakes, stomping in “snow,” scooping “ice” sensory tray (with cotton balls + glitter).
Snow, Ice, & Play in the Cold
Snow play (sledding, snowman), footprints in snow, ice skating, snowball.
- Vocabulary: sled, snowman, snowball, snow angel, tracks, footprints, slide, melt, freeze.
- Fun Ice For Kids Inexpensive & Easy Nature Sensory Activity
- After reading The Snowy Day, have a mini snow-play indoors (fake snow with cotton or shaved ice).
- Footprint painting: dip boots in paint, stamp on paper.
- W Is For Winter | Snowman Oobleck Activity
- Ice experiment: freeze water in different-shaped containers; observe melting.
- MakeIce cubes with things frozen inside, this ABC Excavation Sensory Bin doubles as a wonderful way to practice letter recognition.
- Talk about warm vs. cold feelings.
Snowman craft, snowflake collage, painting cold-color scenes (blues, whites, silvers).
Animals & Nature in Winter
Hibernation, migration, animals adapting to winter, and what lives under the snow (roots, insects).
- Vocabulary: hibernate, migrate, adapt, winter coat, burrow, den, tracks, squirrels, deer, owl, bear.
- Read The Big Snow: talk about how geese fly south, raccoons prepare.
- Take a winter nature walk: look for animal tracks or signs of animals preparing for winter.
- “Under the snow” experiment: bury small plastic animals under shredded paper/fake snow, “dig” them out.
- Ask questions like- Why do some animals sleep in winter, some migrate, some stay? What do plants do?
- Match animal pictures to tracks, sort animals by hibernate/migrate/stay.
Winter Clothing & Staying Warm
What to wear when it’s cold, layering, protecting from wind, indoor vs outdoor dress.
Introduce size vocabulary (small hat, big boots), change (put on/take off).
- Vocabulary: coat, jacket, mittens, gloves, hat, scarf, boots, windproof, thermal.
- Dress-up station: have winter clothes and let children layer, talk about why. This is a great time to practice putting on coats, mittens, buttoning buttons, etc…
- Sorting activity: Which items keep you warm? – Sort pictures of summer vs winter clothes.
- Make a “mittens” garland or decorate paper mittens, try this Welcome December Weather By Making an Easy Mitten Wreath With Kids.
- Count mittens/pairs; compare how many layers you might wear (1 vs 2 vs 3).
Winter Traditions
Winter traditions- indoor/outdoor traditions, family time, warm meals, and community.
- Vocabulary: tradition, family, celebrate, together, warm, gather, prepare
- Create a “warm-meal” day: talk about soups, hot cocoa, how we stay warm.
- Make a winter tree like this Winter Tree Art.
- Talk about kindness, sharing warmth (coats, food) with others during cold seasons. Consider putting together homeless bags or gathering socks and blankets to donate.
Sensory & Science Explorations
Ice vs water, snow vs ice, melting, freezing, cold vs warm, how snow is made, sound (snow crunch), texture.
- Chunky paint with white + silver to create snowy texture; salt-painting technique to mimic frost. Check out this Sparkly Winter Process Art for Preschoolers.
- How to Make Hot Cocoa Cloud Dough | 8 Hot Cocoa Crafts for Preschoolers
- Vocabulary: freeze, melt, liquid, solid, crunch, soft, powdery, slush, icicle, frost, condensation.
- Explore the Magic: Easy Northern Lights Crafts for Preschoolers
- Freeze water in ice cube trays, add food coloring, and observe over time.
- Polar Bear Science Activities Preschool | How To Make A Fun Dessert
- Make “snow” in a tray (baking soda + shaving cream) and explore.
- Snowball toss (indoors, soft balls) and talk about shape, size, and snowman building.
- Count how many ice cubes melted, and compare speeds.
Finally, look at this fun list of winter books for preschool kids.
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?
