What a time of year! We are all stuck inside because of Winter and add in COVID, it’s a total double whammy. If you are a new mama like me with multiple young kids at home, you are probably wondering what you will do to preoccupy these kids!? And without busting out the play dough for the 100th time.
I personally have a 4 year old and 1 year old twins. Finding activities that blend both age groups together is tough. I have rounded up some simple winter craft ideas for young kids (ages 3-5), that you can also incorporate with the very little ones (under 3) if you would like.
Smush Paint with Winter Colors
Have you seen the Smush paint craft?? Well it’s genius! Basically you take a piece of paper, add dots of different color paint to it and put it inside of a large Ziplock bag. Then your little ones can smash the paint together without creating a mess.
First let your older kiddo decide on the winter colors for each child. You can talk about the colors and how they represent winter. For winter think hues of…
- White (snow)
- Light Blue (ice)
- Forest Green (Pine trees)
Then your older kid can have fun dropping blobs of paint onto the paper for the younger kids. Once all of the papers have paint, put them inside of a large plastic bag and have fun smushing!
Winter Wonderland Sensory Bottle
A sensory bottle is literally just an empty 1 liter bottle that you fill with fun waterproof items and water. Then you glue the cap back on so that it never comes off. Kids have fun shaking the bottle! Think of it like a kid proof snow globe. You can put all sorts of things inside the bottle for different seasons. Some ideas for winter include…
- Silver, Gold or Blue glitter
- Snowflake sequins
- Mini Marshmallows
This is a two-parter thats great to do with your toddler while the babies nap, but then everyone can play with the finished product!
Cheerio Bird Feeders
Create string bird feeders out of cheerios for the birds who stay home during the winter. This is a craft that does require a lot of supervision but is a team effort amongst all the kiddos.
First, spread cheerios onto a flat surface where everyone can gather. The ground is an option or a play table. Your older kiddo gets to string the cheerios onto twine or string while the babies get to hand over the cheerios. It will take a bit of practice (and a lot of cheerios will be eaten). But this craft is also meant for kids to learn and work as a team!
Once the string is complete, you and your older kiddo can hang it onto a tree and watch the birds every day!
Supplies needed:
- 1 box of Cheerios
- 3 feet of twine or string
I hope these ideas inspired you to have fun with some Winter crafts! For even more stay-at-home crafting inspo, check out this blog post on 20 Easy Quarantine Crafts. Stay warm and crafty my friends!