Snowflake Crafts For 2 and 3 Year Olds

January is a long month; I was going to write for preschool teachers, but it’s long for everyone. Luckily the children are eager to get back into a routine and if you are at home with a preschooler these snowflake crafts are perfect for that time between when kids wake up from their naps and when you have to start throwing dinner together. That time can be magical or a mess, it’s all about planning. Scroll through this list of snowflake crafts, check out the books after the crafts and choose a few to do next week.  If you are a teacher snowflake crafts are great because so many of these are wide open, they may be in the shape of snowflakes, but your students have plenty of opportunities to focus on the process. I mean every snowflake is unique, right?

Cork Painted Snowflakes 

Colorful Paper Towel Snowflakes from Toddler Approved

 

Cotton Ball Snowflake 

Coffee Filter Snowflakes from Red Ted Art

 

Highlighter Snowflakes

Snowflake Resist Art from Fun At Home With Kids

Q-Tip Painted Snowflakes 

Easy Snowflakes from Hands On As We Grow

Marshmallow Snowflakes 

 

Do you have a favorite snowflake craft? Tell me about it or link it in comments, let’s keep this list growing!

 

Winter Books For Little Kids

 

Book lists contain affiliate links.

 

The Mitten by Jan Brett is such a sweet book about a mitten that somehow keeps stretching as more and more animals crawl inside. That is until the bear sneezes! The illustrations are busy in a beautiful way that will have your children finding new things every time you read this book. The amazing thing about this book is how it appeals to such a range of ages. My classroom of 2 and 3-year-olds read this book the same week my son told me his had. He was 8! It’s a lovely book and one of my very favorite winter books to read.

Snowmen at Night by Caralyn and Mark Buehner I love this book and actually looked for 2 hours in our playroom and storage room convinced I owned it but misplaced it. I don’t. I finally sat down to read it to my daughter at her school last week. She liked the snowmen but wasn’t as into it as I suspect she will be next winter. The story is adorable but a little sophisticated for a 19-month-old. My son has read it and loved it because it taps into a child’s imagination perfectly. The author imagines the world where snowmen come to life and party at night when we are sleeping, which is why they always look a little different in the morning. I remember my son looking at me and asking “not really right?” when we read it a few years ago. I love the whimsical illustrations with fun points of view that make the reader feel like they are in on a real secret. Great book for preschoolers, I was a little over-eager reading it with my daughter, but it’s so good I couldn’t wait to. { Edited for 2013 My daughter did appreciate this and the Christmas themed book in the same series much more this year than last!}

 

 

 

Holly’s Red Boots by Francesca Chessa was a delight to read. Holly wants to go outside in the snow but can’t find her boots, and we follow along as she looks for them.It’s a cute story, and the pictures are scrumptious. My son loved that the dinosaur was wearing her boots and wanted to read that page over and over. I also loved that when she does go outside her mom has her baby sibling in a baby carrier. Fun book!

 

 

Un-Brella by Scott Franson is such a cool book. There is not a single line of text in the book, and it’s not missing a thing! The illustrations are so vivid, so layered and told the story perfectly. A little girl has a magical umbrella that brings the sun on a snowy day and snow when her yard is green and sunny. My two-year-old was beside himself laughing and saying “no” to the little girl wearing her swimsuit in the snow. Grab this book and enjoy!

 

Snow! Snow! Snow!by Lee Harper captures the excitement of a snow day spent sledding and defying gravity for those precious few moments as you zoom down the hill. My son gave the book a thumbs up, but my daughter wasn’t as into it although when the three dogs in the book landed with a thump, both kids were giggling. Edited to add:  This morning my daughter ran to this book and smiled the whole way through loving it! Funny how 8 am reading gets a different response than 5 pm after a long day.

Here Comes Jack Frost by Kazuno Kohara is another fantastic book that will have you aching for snow. A little boy is lonely after his friends have all gone into hibernation for the winter when Jack Frost shows up. They frolic and play exploring all the fun that winter has to offer friends but when the first signs of spring arrive Jack is gone. The illustrations are perfectly simple and will suck you into a wintery world that you won’t want to leave. My kids love this book, and after one reading at the library, we bought our own copy.

The Biggest Snowman Ever by Steven Kroll is a cute winter book that holds a fantastic message inside. The book tells the story of a snowman making contest in Mouseville, two little mice work so hard by themselves, but it’s just not enough until they join forces. Competition is not a bad thing but sometimes cooperation is even better, I really like this book.

Snowbots by Aaron Reynolds is funky, fun, and full of really awesome rhymes. The robot reality is a sweet one, and my kids totally dug this book. We were picking favorite robots in the first few pages and loving the book more and more as we read it. The story is a familiar one but with the substitution of robots instead of humans basic snow day things get more interesting. My son loved the snowball fight, and my daughter was all over the pink robot. I loved how they had cereal with gasoline and an oil bath. A huge hit with all of us.

Snowman in Paradise by Michael Roberts is genius. There I said it. I very rarely think that of books. I like the majority of books I read and think there are so many good ones to share, but I don’t want to return this one to the library, I want to keep it! The book is about a snowman from Manhattan who is glum after Christmas and wants to go on a vacation too. A magical bluebird grants his wish, and he flies first class to a tropical island, with the only rule being he needs to come back in time for Christmas next year. This book is written like the traditional “Night Before Christmas, first,” and although I thought the copy would be too long for my first, I was so wrong. The rhymes are unique, my favorite being :

In May after splashing with buckets of paint, He threw down his brush, saying, “Gauguin I ain’t.”

Even if some references are more for the adults reading it than the children listening, both parties will close the book smiling and wanting to start all over again. Grab it and see why I love it so much!

 

White Snow, Bright Snow by Alvin Tresselt is a total throwback to another time and it’s awesome. I love books that haven’t been updated because they offer readers a chance to go back in time and get a glimpse of the past. The story is about a town expecting a snowstorm and how it’s different residents prepare and deal with it. The animals, adults, and kids all go about it very differently. The character that stood out for me was the policeman’s wife who doted on her husband and cared for his cold with a mustard plaster. I told you it was a total throwback! I didn’t know they still used mustard plasters in the 40s but that’s why these books are such treasures for kids and parents alike.

 

 

Snow Party by Harriet Ziefert is a magical book that celebrates the biggest holiday for snow people, the winter solstice. I wish I had had access to this book when I was teaching because it’s a perfect way to read a story about celebrations without focusing on one tradition, or leaving out another. The illustrations are beautiful and the idea of snow people eating and dancing in the middle of the night is delicious!