Cosy winter activities for kids

Safety first

Stay with your child for every activity here. Keep forts low and stable, and never let children climb on them or cover their faces with fabric. Keep heaters, lamps, candles and fairy lights well away from blankets, paper and other fabric. A grown-up should handle scissors and any cutting, as well as small parts such as buttons, which can be a choking hazard for young children. Never look at the sun, and do not use binoculars, mirrors or other lenses to look towards it. Age hints are only a guide, so you know your child best.

1. Blanket-fort reading nook

Age hint: 4 and up, with a grown-up.

Bring: two or three light blankets, sturdy chairs or sofa cushions, cushions for the floor, soft toys and a few picture books.

1. Ask your grown-up to help choose a spot on the floor and keep the fort low, no higher than the seat of a chair.
2. Drape a light blanket over the supports and weigh the edges down with heavy books or cushions. Leave one side wide open.
3. Never climb on the fort or lean on its supports. If anything starts to wobble, stop and rebuild it together.
4. Do not cover anyone's face with fabric, and keep heaters, lamps, fairy lights and candles well away from the blankets.
5. Set out cushions and books, then take turns reading or telling a story from the pictures.

Notice: Which spot in the fort felt like the best seat, and why?

2. Warm-colours collage

Age hint: 3 and up.

Bring: old magazines or coloured paper, a large sheet of card, glue and a grown-up with scissors.

1. Gather red, orange, yellow, pink and gold paper. Tear it into small pieces, or ask your grown-up to cut shapes.
2. Choose a picture to make, such as a sun, a lantern, a mango or a pile of autumn leaves.
3. Spread glue on the card, a little at a time, and press the pieces down so they overlap.
4. Fill the whole card and let it dry flat before you hang it up.

Notice: Which warm colours sit well together, and which one stands out most?

3. Sunny-window shadow tracing

Age hint: 4 and up.

Bring: a few small toys or safe household objects, large sheets of paper, tape and a pencil.

1. Pick a sunny window and tape a sheet of paper where the light falls on a table or the floor. Never look at the sun, not even through glass.
2. Stand a toy on the paper so its shadow lands on the sheet, and trace the edge of the shadow with a pencil.
3. Swap in another object, or return later in the day and trace the same toy again.
4. Colour in the shapes and guess which object made each one.

Notice: How did the shadow change when the sun moved, and which shape was hardest to guess?

4. Sock-puppet story hour

Age hint: 4 and up.

Bring: clean socks, buttons or paper circles for eyes, glue, and a grown-up to attach anything small.

1. Slip a clean sock over a hand and decide who your puppet is. Draw or stick on paper eyes and a mouth, with a grown-up fixing any small parts firmly.
2. Give your puppet a name and one thing it loves.
3. Sit in a cosy spot and let the puppets tell a short story together, taking turns to speak.
4. Finish with a bow, then ask the audience for their favourite moment.

Notice: What made your puppet different from everyone else's?

5. A ‘what I wore’ weather diary page

Age hint: 5 and up.

Bring: a notebook or sheet of paper, coloured pencils and a ruler.

1. Draw a line down the middle of the page. Label one side “sky” and the other “what I wore”.
2. Look out of a window, or step outside with a grown-up, and draw the sky you can see. Never look at the sun.
3. On the other side, draw or write the clothes you chose today.
4. Add the date, and make a new page on another day to compare.

Notice: Did the clothes you chose match the sky, or did they surprise you?

6. Gratitude jar

Age hint: 3 and up.

Bring: a clean plastic tub or tin with no sharp edges (a grown-up checks the rim) and a lid, small paper slips and a pencil or crayon.

1. Cut or tear paper into small slips, with a grown-up helping with any cutting.
2. Each day, think of one thing you liked, such as a game, a friend, a meal or a quiet moment.
3. Draw it or write it on a slip, fold it and drop it in the jar.
4. After a week or two, open the jar and read the slips aloud together.

Notice: Which slip makes you smile most, and who would you like to share it with?

More to do on Rangooo

Find more ideas for grey days in rainy day activities and indoor games, try puppet and shadow play, keep going with gratitude journal prompts, make more easy paper crafts, watch the sky with weather watching activities, browse more stories and activities, or see resources for teachers.

Questions

What age are these cosy activities for?

Most suit ages four to eight with a grown-up nearby. Younger children can enjoy the collage and gratitude jar with help, while older children can lead the shadow tracing and write their own diary page.

Do we need snow or cold weather to try them?

No. Nothing here depends on snow or on any particular temperature. Use the indoor ideas on any cool, grey or quiet day, and the window and outdoor ideas whenever the sun is out.

How do we keep the blanket fort safe?

Keep it low and light, built on the floor with cushions and sturdy supports. Never climb on it, keep faces uncovered, and keep heaters, lamps and candles well away from all fabric.

Who should use the scissors?

A grown-up should cut the paper and fabric for these activities. Children can tear paper, glue, stick and arrange the pieces, which gives the same result without any sharp tools in small hands.