This activity functions as an art, pretend play, and STEM activity all in one. Whether you live in a place that snows or not, children have undoubtedly encountered stories about snowmen through film, television, or storybooks. If you are lucky, you might even had access to a beautiful snowy day, where you and children have been able to build a snowman. We always encourage you to play outside first and foremost, but this activity is a great quiet time activity to continue snowman themed play indoors.
Here, we will make our own snowman “blocks” out of marshmallows, and then engage in open-ended play with our creations.
Set up Time: 10 minutes
Directions
To make snowman blocks:
- Gather together marshmallows, Q-tips, food coloring and some small dishes for the food coloring (we used tiny cups).
- Add just a few drops of food coloring to each cup, as this activity takes very little.
- Invite children to make snowman blocks, by making different faces and buttons on the marshmallows. An adult did the marshmallows in the photo, but let children explore.
- Gather together construction materials, toothpicks and q-tips, and any other materials that might represent snow, such as cotton balls or cotton pads.
- Invite children to construct snowmen and engage in pretend play.
Note: We made a tripod at the bottom with Q-tips to help the snowmen stand-up. You can show children how to do this and then invite them to try on their own.
Materials
- Marshmallows
- Q-tips
- Toothpicks
- Cotton balls or cotton pads
- Food coloring
- Small cups or dishes
Learning Through Play
Cognitive: Problem Solving – Try to find the right balance between independence and assistance when children try to figure out how to stack the snowmen, make them stick together, or get them to stand up on the tripod.
Social-Emotional: Self-Regulation – This is a perfect activity for quiet time. Add these materials to a special box or tray that children can access when they need a calming or quiet activity.
School Readiness: Patterns – This is a great way to invite children to assemble a snowman by following a basic pattern. Does the head go on the bottom? In the middle? At the top? Why or why not?
See this activity in the Rayz Kidz app, along with the other fun art activities. Rayz Kidz is your trusted source for play-based activities featuring over 100 themes and 500+ hands-on activities and clear descriptions of the beautiful learning that is happening through play.
