Inside: Let your toddler explore a winter-themed sensory bin with pretend snow, arctic animals and more. A great indoor activity and alternative to playing outside in the freezing snow.
It’s the middle of January with freezing temperatures every day. But the kids don’t mind. They’re still looking for fun ways to play outside with snow even though it hasn’t actually snowed yet…
Of course, as a reasonable parent, the last thing you want to do is take them out to play in the bitter cold. So why not bring the fun inside with some easy indoor winter sensory play?
Our winter sensory bin includes a variety of items that serve as pretend snow when the real thing isn’t available. So they can get that fun sensory experience and pretend to build snowballs or even a snowman! All you need is a few supplies to keep the kids entertained and learning.
Related: The Best Winter Activities for Babies
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RELATED: INDOOR ACTIVITIES TO KEEP KIDS BUSY IN WINTER
How to Make a Pretend Snow Sensory Bin
Supplies
- Cotton balls (we used a couple of bags from the dollar store)
- Styrofoam balls (we found ours at Michael’s)
- Cotton blanket/pretend snow
- Blue tissue paper
- Blue gems or marbles (from the dollar store)
- Decorative snow flakes
- Spoons, shovels or clothespins (to scoop up the “snow”)
- A shallow storage bin
- Arctic animals (my kids love these go-to polar bears)
To start, gather all your ingredients and begin filling your bin.
We found most of our pretend snow at the dollar store. We used a variety of material to make for a fun mix of different textures and types of snow the kids would have fun exploring. Cotton balls and crumpled tissue paper for snow balls, glass gems for frozen snow, styrofoam balls for giant snowman-ready snow, iridescent snowflake ornaments for pretty snowflakes and icicles and some cotton blanket for even more variety!
Grab whatever utensils you have around the house like spoons and shovels for scooping up the different types of snow and clothes pins for helping kids practice their fine-motor skills.
Our guys had a great time exploring the bin and sorting through all the different types of snow.
They even invited some arctic animals (you can get a family set or an array of friends) in for a visit :).
Such an easy way to help keep those kids entertained and actively learning!
Next time the kids are begging to go outside in the colder winter days, bring the fun indoors with a wintry mix sensory bin they can’t refuse – it makes for a great boredom buster and ensures everyone stays nice and toasty even in the (pretend) snow!
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Ana, a mom to three rambunctious little boys, has supported hundreds of thousands of women throughout their pregnancy and motherhood journey since 2012 as a blogger and maternal health advocate at MommysBundle.com.
[…] had so much fun exploring snow with our winter sensory bin, that I figured it was only fitting to continue the […]