How to Teach Your Toddler About Winter in the Snow

There's no need to keep your toddler cooped up indoors when the winter season hits. When there's freshly fallen snow on the ground, it's the perfect time to take your little one out to explore the snow and other elements of winter. If this is your toddler's first real experience with snow, take the opportunity to engage all of his senses in the beauty and exciting experiences that winter brings.

Things You'll Need

  • Snow pants
  • Snow boots
  • Warm coat
  • Hat
  • Gloves or mittens, water-resistant
  • Large bucket
  • Shallow bin
  • Maple syrup

Instructions

    • 1

      Explore the snow with the senses. Bundle your toddler up properly in layers, snow pants, snow boots, a warm coat, hat and gloves and take him out to explore the snow. Let him step in the snow with his snow boots and see if it is powdery soft, or slightly crunchy from ice. Encourage your child to scoop it up, touch it to his skin briefly to feel its coldness and texture. Let him sniff it and ask if it smells like anything. At your discretion, you can let him taste a patch of untouched clean snow, or encourage him to try to catch snowflakes on his tongue.

    • 2

      Take a winter nature walk with your toddler. Hold your little one's hand and take a short nature walk to explore the winter landscape in your area. Point out ice crystals hanging from trees and the door frames of houses. Look for animal tracks in the snow and any animals that might be out and about, especially if you live in a wooded area.

    • 3

      Play in the snow. Show your toddler just how much fun snow can be. Teach him how to make snow angels, snowballs and snowmen. If there's a small hill nearby, take a steerable sled, put a helmet on him and slide down with him securely tucked between your legs for a safe, but fun experience. Another idea is to "paint" the snow by filling squeeze bottles with water dyed with food coloring and squirting it on the white snow.

    • 4

      Bring the snow indoors. Fill a large bucket with snow and dump it into a shallow bin inside for your toddler. Wearing gloves, he can use toy trucks, cups, scoops and other toys for a fun sensory exploration. Show him how snow melts by pouring hot water over some of the snow. You can also take some clean snow, pour warm maple syrup over it to give your little one a snow taffy treat, or make snow cream by adding milk, sugar and vanilla extract to the snow.

    2. Previous:

    Next:

    • Discussing Sex with Your Teenage Son
      Though talking about sex with your children can be awkward, don’t avoid it. Even if your teenager already knows about sex, you still need to start a dialogue about it. The media portrays sex in skewed and damaging ways, which you need to discus
    • What Is the Appropriate Age for Spending the Night at a Friend's House?
      When your child is young, sleepover invitations spark questions of emotional readiness to be away from home and handle uncomfortable situations. When she becomes a teenager, the question becomes her ability to handle complex social pressures and temp
    • Fun Things to Talk About With a 7-Year-Old
      Most 7-year-old children are extremely inquisitive and want to know how things work. Fun conversations often center on their recent accomplishments and personal interests. As a parent, engage your 7-year-old in friendly and informative conversations