January – March · Ideas to Try at Home
Winter Home Learning Activities
Learn · Play · Grow
Cold days are perfect for slowing down and learning together indoors. These four activities build on colors, counting, shapes, and language — all with things you likely already have at home.
Snow or Ice Color Hunt
Fill a few small cups or an ice cube tray with water, add a few drops of food coloring to each, and freeze overnight. Let your child use the colored ice in a bin of water or snow, and watch together as the cubes melt and the colors blend.
What They're Learning: Color recognition and early color-mixing, a first look at how matter changes from solid to liquid, new vocabulary like “melt,” “freeze,” and “mix,” and fine motor control as little hands pick up and move the ice.
Counting Mittens
Dump a basket of clean laundry — mittens, socks, or gloves — onto the floor and have your child help find matching pairs. Count each pair out loud together as you find it and stack the finished pairs into a pile.
What They're Learning: One-to-one correspondence and counting, matching and sorting by size or pattern, and the everyday life skill of helping with a household task.
Shape Snowflakes
Cut a few simple shapes — a circle, a triangle, a square — out of paper and let your child arrange or glue them into a “snowflake” on a page. Name each shape together as you use it.
What They're Learning: Shape recognition and vocabulary, fine motor skills through cutting, arranging, or gluing, and early creativity as they decide where each piece goes.
Story & Snuggle Time
Set aside a few quiet minutes each night to read a favorite book together. Pause to ask simple questions — “What do you see?” “What happens next?” — and let your child point to pictures or turn the pages.
What They're Learning: Listening comprehension and early literacy skills, vocabulary growth, and the emotional security that comes from a predictable, connected bedtime routine.