45 Winter Activities For Toddlers
Looking for winter activities for toddlers? Read our 45 ideas for cold weather activities for a toddler, to keep them active and entertained through the winter months.

These include outdoor winter activities for toddlers, snow day activities for toddlers, winter craft activities for toddlers, indoor toddler winter activities and low effort winter toddler activities (for those days when you are more tired than them!)
Outdoor Winter Activities For Toddlers
Even though it’s cold, it’s still a good idea to get outside with your toddler. The fresh air will be soothing and it will help burn some energy. Just wrap up warm and try one of these ideas.

Winter Safari: Make a list of animals you might see in the winter, then go for a walk and look out for what you can find. Extra points for dogs in jumpers!
Outdoor Scavenger Hunt: Devise a list of a certain number of easy items for toddlers to find, then go on a walk to find them. These can be physical items – a blade of grass, a twig, a stone – or things for them to point out e.g. a road sign, an animal.
Winter Nature Walk: Go for a walk and explore the winter landscape. Collect pinecones, twigs, and leaves, or spot animal tracks in the snow.
Winter Hide and Seek: Play a winter version of hide and seek, where your toddler hides behind snowbanks, trees, or other outdoor objects.
Winter Scooter Ride: Scooter rides are fun whatever the weather!
Puddle Jumping: On a winter day with melting snow, let your toddler jump in puddles and splash around while staying bundled up in waterproof gear.
Animal Watching: Spend time observing birds, squirrels, and other animals that might be active in the winter. Bring a simple pair of binoculars for your toddler to look through.
Winter Picnic: Bundle up and bring a blanket outside. Enjoy some warm snacks and drinks together while enjoying the winter air.
Ice Skating: If your toddler is ready, consider taking them to a child-friendly ice rink. Some rinks offer special times for little ones to skate with assistance.
Snow Day Activities For Toddlers

Snow day? It’s snow problem! Wrap your toddler up warm and take part in one of these fun toddler activities.
Snowball Fight: Use soft snowballs or make your own using rolled-up socks or foam balls if there’s no snow. A gentle snowball fight is a fun way for toddlers to stay active.
Building a Snowman: Help your toddler roll snowballs and stack them to build a snowman. Add buttons, a scarf, and a carrot nose for a fun finishing touch.
Snow Painting: Fill spray bottles with coloured water and let your toddler spray it onto the snow to create vibrant designs.
Footprints in the Snow: Walk around in the snow and let your toddler observe and compare the different footprints they make. You can even make a game out of who can make the biggest or smallest prints.
Winter Sensory Play: Fill a small container with snow and let your toddler explore it with their hands. Add small toys like plastic animals to make it more engaging.
Snow Angels: Lay on the snow and move your arms and legs to create a snow angel. Show your toddler how to do it, and let them try too!
Sledging: Use a large flat sled or toboggan to sit with your toddler and glide down a gentle slope together for some fun and excitement.
Building a Snow Fort: Work together to build a small fort or igloo with snow. Toddlers can help pile snow and collect snowballs to decorate the fort.
Winter Craft Activities for Toddlers

Here’s a list of fun and simple winter craft activities for toddlers.
These activities are simple, hands-on, and great for toddlers to explore their creativity and develop fine motor skills while celebrating the winter season.
Paper Plate Snowman: Use paper plates to make a snowman face. Decorate with googly eyes, buttons, and a construction paper scarf.
Snowflake Art: Use white paper or coffee filters, safety scissors, and crayons or markers to create snowflakes. Fold into quarters. Toddlers can cut simple shapes with supervision.
Cotton Ball Snowmen: Glue cotton balls onto a piece of paper to make a snowman shape. Toddlers can add buttons, a carrot nose, and draw the face with crayons or markers.
Snowy Sensory Bin: Fill a bin with fake snow or cotton balls and hide small winter-themed toys inside for your toddler to discover.
Pinecone Christmas Tree: Collect pinecones and let toddlers paint them green, then decorate with glitter, buttons, or small pom-poms to create mini Christmas trees.
Winter Sensory Bottles: Fill clear plastic bottles with fake snow (or cotton balls), glitter, and sequins. Seal the bottle securely for a fun sensory activity.
Salt Dough Ornaments: Mix flour, salt, and water to make salt dough. Roll it out and let toddlers use cookie cutters to create winter shapes like snowflakes, stars, and trees. Paint them once they’re dry.
Frozen Paints: Freeze some washable paint in ice cube trays with popsicle sticks as handles. Toddlers can use the frozen paints on paper to create beautiful winter art.
Winter Collage: Provide different textured materials (like tissue paper, fabric, and buttons) and let your toddler glue them onto a piece of paper to create a winter scene.
Snowman Playdough: Make white playdough with your toddler and shape it into snowmen. Add small accessories like beads, buttons, or fabric for scarves and hats.
Cardboard Tube Snowmen: Use empty toilet paper rolls, paint them white, and turn them into snowmen with paper hats, scarves, and buttons.
Potato Printing: Chop a potato in half, cover it in paint and use it to ‘print’ onto a piece of paper. If you use seasonal colours, you can turn it into wrapping paper.
Make A Cardboard Camera: If you have leftover boxes, make a cardboard camera then walk round the house taking ‘photos’ of winter scenes.
Make Christmas Decorations: Follow these instructions to make Christmas decorations.
Indoor Toddler Winter Activities

Stuck indoors with your toddler? No problem – these are all simple activity ideas that will keep everyone engaged and burn some energy.
Den Building
How to Play: Gather blankets, pillows, all the soft furnishings you can find – and challenge them to build a den in the living room. If they are too young, you can assemble the den and let them play.
Dinner In The Den
How to Play: Once they’ve made the den, give a special treat of dinner (or a snack) in the den. Serves as a fun reward for playing.
Simon Says
How to Play: One person gives commands starting with “Simon says,” and the others must follow. If the command doesn’t start with “Simon says,” and someone follows it, they’re out. It’s a game that is great for improving listening skills and following directions.
Indoor Obstacle Course
How to Play: Use household items like pillows, chairs, and blankets to set up a course. Kids need to crawl under tables, jump over cushions, and more. It’s good exercise Promotes physical activity, coordination, and creative thinking.
Musical Freeze Dance
How to Play: Play music and have everyone dance. When the music stops, everyone must freeze. Anyone caught moving is out. This is fun exercise, and a good way to practice listening and develop motor skills.
Pillow Fight
How to Play: Two players (or more) can gently hit each other with pillows. Set safe boundaries and rules to avoid injuries. This gets rid of energy and develops coordination.
Scavenger Hunt
How to Play: Create a list of items for kids to find around the house (e.g., something red, something soft). The first one to find all items wins. This encourages exploration and critical thinking.
Indoor Bowling
How to Play: Set up empty bottles as pins and use a soft ball to knock them over. Keep score for added fun.. Also great for hand-eye coordination and teamwork.
Twister
How to Play: Players place their hands and feet on coloured circles on a mat. A spinner calls out which colour and body part to use. It’s great for physical coordination and flexibility.
Guess the Sound
How to Play: Blindfold one child and make different sounds with objects (e.g., shaking a jar of coins, tapping a spoon on a table). The blindfolded child guesses the sound. It improves listening and sensory recognition.
Low Effort Indoor Winter Activities For Toddlers

The following are all activities for toddlers that are low effort for parents e.g. you can sit back and play music while they dance along.
Hide and Seek
How to Play: One person is the “seeker” and counts while the others hide. The seeker then tries to find the hidden players. This encourages physical activity and problem-solving.
Musical Chairs
How to Play: Place chairs in a circle, one less than the number of players. Play music while the kids walk around the chairs. When the music stops, they must find a seat. This is a fun, energy-burning game that improves listening skills.
Treasure Hunt
How to Play: Hide objects around the house and give kids clues to find them. You can create a theme, such as pirates or detectives. This is fun, and enhances problem-solving skills and creativity.
Movie Afternoon
How to Play: Set up a ‘cinema’ in your home, meaning you can all snuggle up on the sofa and watch a film together. Cinema snacks are optional!
Once You’ve Read Our Winter Activities For Toddlers
Read the best things for toddlers in London / a colourful toddler room tour / Little Live Pets review / how to make a Lego storage stool / Follow me on Pinterest.