There is so much to be learned from the world around us — especially when we slow down enough to notice it.
Seasons are not just changes in weather; they are invitations. They shape routines, spark curiosity, and offer natural contexts for observing, wondering, and making sense of the world.
Winter, in particular, invites children to notice contrasts, patterns, animals, emotions, and small everyday details. Through stories, play, conversation, and hands-on exploration, it becomes a rich moment for meaningful learning — without rushing or over-structuring the experience.
Below you’ll find five winter-inspired ideas that can be adapted to different settings and rhythms, allowing children to engage, explore, and express themselves naturally.
1-Roll and Tell
Roll and Tell invites children to engage through movement, observation, and turn-taking. Working in pairs, small groups, or as a whole group, children roll a die and notice the image it lands on, responding by naming, describing, or talking about what they see.
The activity is flexible and easy to adapt: it can be played at a table, on the floor, or projected for shared play. As children take turns, they naturally build connections, listen to one another, and extend ideas at their own pace, allowing the experience to grow from simple recognition to richer expression through play.
Acrostic poems offer children a creative way to explore ideas, words, and imagery connected to the season. Using winter-themed cards as inspiration, choose a word such as snowman or icicle and write each letter vertically to form the structure of the poem.
Children can then add words, phrases, or short thoughts that connect to each letter, expressing what winter feels, looks, or sounds like to them. As the poem takes shape, drawing and decorating with simple materials adds a tactile
When we think about winter, animals often come to mind — how they live, adapt, and move through the season. Exploring the life cycle of a polar bear offers children a meaningful way to observe patterns, sequences, and change in the natural world.
Through hands-on materials such as sequencing mats, a life cycle wheel, and simple cut-and-paste activities, children can explore these ideas at their own pace, connecting stories, images, and real-world knowledge. Pairing this work with visual narratives or films set in Arctic environments helps deepen understanding and invites curiosity, allowing science, storytelling, and inquiry to come together naturally.
4-Winter Bingo
Continuing with the winter theme, bingo offers a simple and familiar way for children to engage through play. Using picture cards and everyday materials like beans or buttons, children take turns observing, listening, and making connections.
As images are revealed one by one, children notice, name, and respond at their own pace, adding a marker to their card when they recognize a match. The focus stays on participation and shared attention, allowing learning to unfold naturally through repetition and play until the game comes to a close.
5-Questions and Answers
Some children naturally enjoy taking on expressive roles, especially when learning feels playful and purposeful. Interview-style activities offer a gentle way to invite curiosity, connection, and conversation.
Using winter-inspired question prompts, children can step into the role of curious reporters, wondering aloud and exploring ideas through dialogue. Simple props like notebooks or toy microphones help set the scene and support imaginative play, without turning the moment into a performance.
Rather than focusing on “right answers,” this activity encourages attentive listening, turn-taking, and meaningful expression — allowing children to practice asking questions, sharing ideas, and responding in ways that feel natural and engaging.
As children place pom poms onto the winter-themed cards, they naturally strengthen fine motor control, coordination, and hand awareness — all through play that feels calm, intentional, and joyful.
Winter doesn’t have to be a “theme” to be taught — it can simply be a moment to be lived and explored.
Whether through play, conversation, observation, or creative expression, these activities are just starting points. They can be revisited, adapted, combined, or simplified depending on the children, the space, and the pace you’re working with.
Learning doesn’t always need something new. Sometimes, it just needs a different lens.
Winter offers that lens — if we let it.
What kinds of winter moments are you noticing this year?
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