Winter Activities for Toddlers

Outdoor Play

• The cold and storminess of wintertime can make outdoor play daunting. Bundle up on special days to engage in special wintertime activities.

  Areas that receive significant snowfall are ideal for snowmen, snow forts, snowball fights, snow angels and a host of traditional wintertime activities. If hills are nearby, go sledding. Makeshift sleds can be fashioned from cardboard, plastic and just about anything. Decorate snowmen or other snow creatures with clothing that is already owned or purchased from a secondhand store. Start a neighborhood contest to see who can dress the wackiest snowman.

  Toddlers in snow-free areas can get in on the fun, too. Spraypaint grass white for a winter look. Fill a swimming pool with small, white plastic balls and have a snowball fight. Create a snowman from white garbage bags filled with blankets or other soft materials.

Crafts &Cooking

• Take a break from the chilly outdoors with a homemade snack. Young children can mix hot chocolate, stir soup and assist with other simple cooking chores. Bake special wintertime cookies from sugar cookie dough. Decorate with white frosting and provide mini-marshmallows and other edible supplies so that the child can create a winter scene on each cookie. Scones, cakes and other deserts can be decorated with powdered sugar "snow" and other items.

  Craft projects can bring the best of the outdoors inside. Although some winter projects may seem old and boring to adults, today's toddlers are still entertained by making snowflakes from scissors and folded paper. Decorate Styrofoam snowmen that are assembled from three Styrofoam balls with a skewer in the middle. Create artwork from snowflake stamps, stencils and crayons. Decorate picture frames, magnets and other items with white pom-pom snowballs.

  Make a smiling snowman as a holiday gift. Easily-assembled craft-stick snowmen can be given as picture frames or ornaments. Lay six craft sticks vertically on the craft surface. Paint all the sticks a solid white. Lay another stick horizontally across the craft sticks, approximately one-third from the top. Glue it in place. Paint the horizontal stick and the top one-third of the other sticks black to create a hat. Draw a smiley face on the white portion, or assemble a face from craft eyes, craft foam, yarn or a similar material.

Luau

• Cast some sunshine on cold winter days with an indoor luau party. Children will forget the confines of winter with funky decorations, fun activities and delicious food. Invite friends, family and neighbors with toddlers to partake of this quirky activity.

  Use non-stick putty to adhere large sheets of yellow poster board to the walls. Use paint or markers to draw a sun, beach, water, palm trees or other beach items on the board. Use funky floor mats, colorful rugs or beach towels to decorate the floor.

  Incorporate traditional, creative beach activities. Musical hula loops, limbo, hot potato, pin the coconut on the palm tree, beach ball volleyball, coconut bowling, hula dancing, lei tossing and other games work well.

  Serve fruit smoothies, frozen bananas, ham and pineapple skewers, and fruit salad.