Welcome in those chilly winter temperatures with an indoor project, an easy mitten wreath that is perfect for preschoolers and kids through lower elementary. Also, look at my page Winter Season Unit Study and Free Lapbook, for more winter fun ideas.
When we think of winter, we think of winter animals, snow, ice, snowflakes, and of course, how we bundle up for the cold weather.
That brings to mind adorable little knitted mittens to cover tiny fingers.
This is a slightly different take on the classic hand print craft.
However, it still makes a lovely keepsake when it is finished, and you can see through the years how much their little hands have grown.
Make this mitten wreath with your preschooler.
As you do, talk about winter weather and all the fun things they can still do while bundled up in hats, coats, mittens, and boots.
But in case just one mitten craft is not enough I have a list of 7 more creative and fun winter hat and mitten crafts.
Also, I have some interesting facts that you might not have known about finger-warming mittens.
4 Marvelous Facts About The Mitten
Grab a copy of The Mitten by Jan Brett to go along with your mitten craft, it is a sweet story that revolves around a mitten of course.
- The earliest mittens found are believed to date back to 1000 A.D. in Latvia, and mittens are still part of Latvian national costume today.
- Mittens are warmer than gloves because your fingers generate more heat when bundled together rather than individually.
- Surprisingly, mittens were very common in medieval Europe. But, since they were difficult to make, they were usually only worn by the wealthy for fashion.
- Sources say that the word ‘mittens’ comes from ‘medietana’, which means “divided in the middle” in Vulgar Latin.
Next, look at some of these books about the winter season that I know you’ll love.
You’re sure to find one for a fun read aloud or just as literature.
29 Winter Books to Read to Kids and For Kids Who Love to Read
Add in a few books to make your winter unit study complete. Add books for all ages.
Day after day, a girl goes to her favorite place in the woods and quietly watches from her tree house as the chipmunks, the doe, the rabbits prepare for the winter.
As the temperature drops, sunset comes earlier and a new season begins.
Hanna was a hippopotamus in the Budapest Zoo. Hanna and the other hippos thrived in the warm springs which flowed from the ground. One winter, however, it was so cold that the river froze.
Part of the acclaimed nature book series that includes Over and Under the Pond, Over and Under the Rainforest, and Up in the Garden and Down in the Dirt, this volume takes readers on a cross country ski trip through the winter woods to discover the secret world of animals living under the snow.
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.
ENCHANTING AND EDUCATIONAL: A charming story and beautifully rendered illustrations invite readers of all ages to explore and learn about the "subnivean zone" (the space between the colder snow and the warmer ground) where many animals live in the winter, opening a fascinating window into the natural world.
A young rabbit wakes up to wonderful news: A snow day! School is canceled, and the day that follows is rich with the magic and delight of the falling snow.
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.
What happens to seeds that don't sprout? Fortunately, they have Miss Maple to look after them.
Every year, she rescues orphan seeds, taking them to her cozy maple tree house. All winter long, she nurtures them and teaches them the ways of seeds and the paths.
Once upon a time, Hazel and Jack were best friends. But that was before he stopped talking to her and disappeared into a forest with a mysterious woman made of ice. Now it's up to Hazel to go in after him. Inspired by Hans Christian Andersen's "The Snow Queen,"
This winning heroine will inspire every child to cheer her on as she ventures through a bitter cold snowstorm in William Steig's classic Brave Irene.
Trapped in a hidden fortress tucked between towering mountains and a frozen sea, Solveig, along with her brother the crown prince, their older sister, and an army of restless warriors, anxiously awaits news of her father's victory at battle.
The poem is indeed about the yearly cycle in the life of a tree. But it is also an intriguing poetic concoction.
The initial letters of each line in each stanza spell out a word that pertains to that tree's life cycle - SEED, GERMINATE, SHOOT, ROOTS, LEAVES, FLOWERS. It's a kids' acrostic.
Everyone knows the Moomins sleep through the winter. But this year, Moomintroll has woken up early.
So while the rest of the family slumber, he decides to visit his favorite summer haunts. But all he finds is this strange white stuff. Even the sun is gone! Moomintroll is angry: whoever Winter is, she has some nerve.
Blessed--or cursed--with an ability to understand animals, the Lass (as she's known to her family) has always been seen as strange.
And when an isbjorn (polar bear) seeks her out, and promises that her family will become rich if only the Lass will accompany him to his castle, she doesn't hesitate. But the bear is not what he seems, nor is his castle, which is made of ice and inhabited by a silent staff of servants
The freezing ecosystem in the far north of the globe is home to many different kinds of animals.
They can be Strong, like a walrus Tough, like a lemming Resilient, like an arctic fox.
But no arctic animal is as iconic as the polar bear.
An inquisitive polar bear named Duane befriends an array of animals as he discovers where he belongs in this charming classic-in-the making
It is the longest night of the year, and the snow lies deep. All through the forest, animals long for dawn's warmth.
Strong and clever creatures boast that only they can bring back the sun. But the wind knows better.
Flora the pig was born for adventure: “If it’s unexplored and needs to get dug up, call me. I’m your pig,” she says.
The day Flora spots a team of sled dogs is the day she sets her heart on becoming a sled pig.
Before she knows it, she’s on board a ship to Antarctica for the most exhilarating—and dangerous—adventure of her life.
A girl is lost in a snowstorm. A wolf cub is lost, too. How will they find their way home?
Crystal and Ivory snowflake take full advantage of this beautiful snowy evening in New York City as they travel to the park, fly through Time Square, journey past the Statue of Liberty, and more before coming in for their final landing of the day.
A classic of American humor, the adventures of a house painter and his brood of high-stepping penguins have delighted children for generations.
Percy the Park Keeper always feeds the animals in the park where he lives.
But one cold winter’s night Percy discovers that his little friends need more than food and he must find a way to help them find a warm place to sleep for the night.
From the author of Ice Dogs comes a riveting adventure about a musher who sets out to prove her impaired vision won't hold her back from competing in a rigorous sled race through the Canadian wilderness. Perfect for fans of Gary Paulsen.
There are more animals to find among the trees, and the kindly figure with his "promises to keep" exudes warmth as he stops to appreciate the quiet delights of winter.
Forest animals, awakened by the birds' warning that there is a stranger in the woods, set out to discover if there is danger and find, instead, a wonderful surprise.
Late one winter night a little girl and her father go owling. The trees stand still as statues and the world is silent as a dream.
Whoo-whoo-whoo, the father calls to the mysterious nighttime bird.
One cold morning a lonely boy wishes for something to do. His animal friends are hibernating, and he has nobody to play with―even all the birds have flown south.
When he meets Jack Frost, the last thing he expects is to make a new friend . . . or to discover how enchanting winter can be!
With the first ice—a skim on a sheep pail so thin it breaks when touched—one family’s winter begins in earnest. Next comes ice like panes of glass. And eventually, skating ice! Take a literary skate over field ice and streambed, through sleeping orchards and beyond.
With accounts from the survivors and period photos, a tale by the author of the Newbery Honor book, The Great Fire tells what is was like to live through the Great Blizzard of 1888 that crippled New York City with its fierce winds and blinding snow.
Grandmother Winter lives all alone with her snow-white flock of geese. All through the spring, summer, and fall, Grandmother Winter tends her geese and gathers their feathers. Why?
To bring snowfall as soft as feathers and bright as a winter moon. To the woodland and all of its creatures, the arrival of winter is a gift.
Lynn Plourde's text snaps and crackles like the leaves of fall as Mother Earth gently gets her daughter ready for bed.
And Greg Couch's extraordinary illustrations take readers from the soft greens of late summer through the fiery oranges of a fall sunset to the peaceful blues of early winter's eve.
Then, look at some more crafts about mittens.
7 Winter Hat and Mitten Crafts
- This type of hands-off art project is fun and especially nice for children who don’t like getting their hands too messy –Marble Painted Mitten Craft.
- These pompoms popping off the Kids Winter Hat Art Project With DIY Pom Poms are just too adorable.
- Turn a basic paper plate into an Easy Paper Plate Winter Hat Craft for Kids, or maybe a bunch of fun and colorful hats strung together to create a swag.
- The Symmetrical Mitten Craft for Preschoolers is a simple art lesson but also one in symmetry.
- This Winter Hat Color Sort is a great fine motor and color sorting activity that is loads of fun. I love inexpensive crafts and activities that are great for development.
- Make a Mitten-Inspired DIY Lacing Card to develop hand-eye coordination and fine motor skills.
- I remember making scratch art years ago as a child, this Make A Colorful Winter Hat Craft With Scratch Art feels so retro but fresh at the same time.
Finally, look at how to make this adorable mitten wreath craft.
Making an Easy Mitten Wreath With Kids
Other than the tracing and cutting out the wreath form this is a very simple craft that even 2 and 3-year-olds can do mostly on their own.
Older children can even cut out the mittens for their younger siblings.
You will need:
- A cute little hand to trace
- 3-4 colors of construction paper
- Markers or crayons
- Small piece of yarn
- White paint
- Paintbrush
- Scissors
- Glue stick
First, trace your child’s hand four or five times on one piece of construction paper.
You will want to trace around the thumb but all around the four fingers as one unit to make it look like a mitten.
Lay the page with traced mittens on top of a couple more sheets of colored construction paper.
And cut out the mittens all at once. This gives your child plenty to work with.
Trace a sturdy piece of cardboard with two circular objects.
Don’t make the wreath form to be wider than 2”- 3” so that the mitten will completely cover it.
Otherwise, they can make 2 or 3 rows of mittens to create a fuller wreath.
Cut out the cardboard wreath form.
Allow your child to paint white all over the wreath on one side, in case it peeks out from behind the mitten.
While you’re waiting for the paint to dry, your child can decorate their mittens with markers, paint, or crayons.
Encourage them to create whatever designs they want all over them or you can just leave them plain.
Once the paint on the wreath form is dry give your child a glue stick and let them add their mittens around the wreath, help only as needed.
If you’d like, for the next step, they can paint on some “snow” with white paint in a paintbrush.
Allow this paint to dry as well.
Flip over the wreath form and hot glue on a loop of yarn or twine for a hanger.
Don’t forget to add your child’s name and date to the back.
I can’t tell you how many times I have forgotten to do this and was not sure where the project came from.
