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ARTICLE

4 Winter Reads and Creative Crafts for the Classroom

When the weather outside is frightful, easy and fun winter crafts supplemented by a supporting story make for a delightful classroom activity.

By Scholastic Editors
December 4, 2023

Reading and crafting are a great way to support literacy in your classroom. These four winter-inspired books and crafts will not only warm up your students’ hands, hearts, and minds, but they’ll also help them remain engaged in the classroom, no matter how cold and blustery it is outside.

1. Pug's Snow Day and the Super-Soft Snowball Craft

Young readers will delight in the graphic novel, Pug's Snow Day: A Branches Book (Diary of a Pug #2). Bub the pug does not like the snow — it's slippery, freezing cold, and wet! Read to your students and find out if Bub is able to get past his fear of snow. With this Super-Soft Snowball Craft, students make a snowball and visualize the snow that Bub, and his human Bella, encounter on a frosty winter day.

What you need:

  • White yarn
  • Scissors

What you do:

  • Instruct students to hold up one hand with their fingers slightly spread apart, and then ask them to wrap one long piece of yarn around their fingers 40 times. (You may need to help students keep their thumbs out of the way.)
  • Ask students to carefully slide their hands out of the roll. Then, help them tie a small piece of yarn horizontally around the center of the roll to create loops on each side. (It should look like a butterfly.)
  • Students can now cut open all of the loop holes on each side.
  • Have them spread the yarn apart and fluff it out to create an even snowball look all around!

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2. The Biggest Snowman Ever and the Snowman Ornament Craft

In The Biggest Ever: The Biggest Snowman Everby Steven Kroll, Clayton and Desmond realize that great things happen when they work as a team. With this Snowman Ornament Craft, inspire your students to work together and try their hand at making the biggest snowman ornament ever!

What you need:

  • White paper cut out in circles (3 different sizes) 
  • Black paper
  • Colorful markers
  • Black markers
  • Glue
  • Googly eyes
  • 8-inch strip of ribbon
  • 5 craft sticks

What you do:

  • Ask students to glue 3 craft sticks vertically using a strong-hold glue. Lay the sticks on a flat surface and allow the glue to dry.
  • Glue the white paper cut out in circles onto the sticks. The largest circle should be on the bottom and the smallest on top. 
  • Cut a top hat with black paper and glue it on the top of the snowman.
  • Glue 2 craft sticks horizontally on each side to create the arms of the snowman. 
  • Glue the ribbon to create a scarf right below the head of the snowman. 
  • Glue 2 googly eyes just below the brim of the hat. 
  • Once the glue has dried, encourage students to use markers to decorate their snowman. This could be its nose, smile, and winter accessories. 

Paperback Book

The Biggest Ever: The Biggest Snowman Ever

Grades Pre-K - 1
$4.46$5.95
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3. The Winter Wish and the Winter Wishes Mobile

In The Wish Tree, by Kyo Maclear, Charles goes on an adventure in the woods to find the wish tree. Along the way, Charles encounters heartwarming experiences and friends that help him realize that wishes come true in the most unexpected of ways. Create a Winter Wishes Mobile so that your students can share their own winter wishes with the class.

What you need:

  • White printer paper
  • Scissors
  • Glue
  • Glitter (white or silver)
  • Yarn or ribbon
  • Black markers
  • Sturdy branches or wooden rods

What you do:

  • Pass around 2 to 3 sheets of white printer paper to each student. Show them how to carefully fold and cut a snowflake.
  • Encourage students to write their own winter wishes in the center of their snowflakes using black marker. Add white or silver glitter to the edges for an extra shine.
  • Once the snowflakes are dry, collect and fasten them to colorful yarn or ribbon. Then, tie them to the branch or rod at different lengths so the snowflakes hang like falling snow.

Paperback Book

The Wish Tree

Grades Pre-K - 1
$4.46$5.95
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4. A Flower in the Snow and Recycled Egg Carton Flowers

In A Flower in the Snow, by Tracey Corderoy, young readers learn that every flower fades — even one that magically springs up from below the icy tundra. But with these Recycled Egg Carton Flowers, your students won’t have to go far to find flowers that blossom and hold their vibrant color all winter long. Read to find out if Luna and Bear will get their sunshine flower while your students create their very own! 

What you need: 

  • Egg carton
  • Scissors
  • Craft paint
  • Paintbrushes
  • Paper clip, skewer, or pencil
  • Pipe cleaner

What you do:

  • Instruct students to cut up an egg carton, separating the cups from the pyramid-shaped center pieces.
  • To create petals, encourage students to trim the edges of the egg carton cups and cut notches from the edge of the cup into the center.
  • Ask students to repeat this process for the flower centers or they replace it with the pyramid-shaped pieces.
  • Students can now paint both parts of the flower, front and back. Let dry completely.
  • Using a paper clip, pencil, or skewer, help students poke 2 holes in the center of each piece of the flower. Next, thread the pipe cleaner through the holes to attach the flower center to the petals. Pull the pipe cleaner taut and twist to secure.

Paperback Book

A Flower in the Snow

Grades K - 1
$5.96$7.95
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Whether students create a snowball that will never melt or a mobile that shares their greatest winter wishes, there’s always a clever and crafty way to engage students this winter season! 

Looking for more winter book inspiration? Check out our favorite snow stories below. You can find all books and activities at The Teacher Store

Board Book

Snowballs

Grades Pre-K
$5.96$7.95
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 The author of "Red Leaf, Yellow Leaf" invites readers to pull on their mittens, head outside, grab some snow, and start rolling-but they'd better hurry, before the sun comes out!

Paperback Book

Sneezy the Snowman

Grades Pre-K - K
$4.46$5.95
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A snowman who finds it dreadfully cold keeps doing things that cause him to melt, while the children who rebuild him each time offer clothing to keep him warm.

Paperback Book

Clifford the Big Red Dog: Clifford's Snow Day

Grades Pre-K - K
$4.49$5.99
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It's a winter wonderland on Birdwell Island! After a big snowstorm, Clifford and Emily Elizabeth get their first snow day. The best friends have a blast playing Snow Rescue Squad and helping Fire Chief Franklin take care of snow duties across town. 

But Clifford catches a cold from his busy day outside! The big red dog can't stop sneezing and sniffling. Can his friends on Birdwell Island help him feel better?

Paperback Book

The Biggest Ever: The Biggest Snowman Ever

Grades Pre-K - 1
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The Mayor of Mouseville announces a contest, awarding a prize to whomever builds the biggest snowman. Clayton and Desmond race against the clock to compete for the prize, only to discover that by working together, they can build the biggest snowman ever!

Paperback Book

Over and Under the Snow

Grades Pre-K - 1
$6.71$8.95
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Over the snow, the world is hushed and white. But under the snow exists a secret kingdom of squirrels and snow hares, bears and bullfrogs, and many other animals that live through the winter safe and warm, awake and busy, under the snow. 

Paperback Book

The Wish Tree

Grades Pre-K - 1
$4.46$5.95
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Charles wants to find a wish tree. His brother and sister don't believe there is such a thing, but his trusty companion Boggan is ready to join Charles on a journey to find out. And along the way, they discover that wishes can come true in the most unexpected ways.

Paperback Book

Winter Is Here!

Grades Pre-K - 1
$3.71$4.95
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This picture book features simple rhymes about common winter activities enjoyed by a group of young friends.

Paperback Book

Tracks in the Snow

Grades Pre-K - 1
$6.71$8.95
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A little girl follows tracks outside her window after a fresh snowfall, only to realize that the tracks in the snow are her own from the day before, and that they lead her home. This small, sweet picture book is as cozy as a cup of hot chocolate.

Paperback Book

There was a Cold Lady Who Swallowed Some Snow

Grades Pre-K - 2
$5.21$6.95
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This bundled-up gal isn't playing in the snow; she's slurping it up as fast as she can. Raccoons, reindeer, and bears look on with stunned amazement as she gobbles up even stranger items like a pipe, a scarf, two lumps of coal, and even the branches of a tree. What could she possibly be up to?

Paperback Book

A Flower in the Snow

Grades K - 1
$5.96$7.95
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In an icy kingdom far away lived the very best of friends: Luna and Bear. When a beautiful flower pops up in the snow, Luna is delighted! But soon the flower fades, and with it, Luna's smile. Bear sets off on an adventure to find another sunshine flower...but will Bear ever find what he is looking for?

Organized into color-coded levels, these short, compelling stories will have both emergent and more advanced readers entertained and engaged as they explore new stories with their favorite characters.

Paperback Book

Ten Ways to Hear Snow

Grades K - 2
$5.21$6.95
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A snowy walk to her grandparent's home for Arab American Lina is filled with quiet wonder.

$2.99$3.99
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Everyone's favorite cool cat is now featured in leveled readers written for successful independent reading!

Paperback Book

How to Catch...: How to Catch a Snowman

Grades K - 2
$3.71$4.95
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Our heroes' entry for the snowman contest has magically come to life―and ran away! Can YOU help catch it?

Paperback Book

Little Critter: Snowball Soup

Grades K - 2
$4.46$5.95
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What does a snowman like to eat? Snowball soup, of course! Join Little Critter®, Little Sister, and Dog as they make their new friend a tasty treat.

Paperback Book

The Night Before the Snow Day

Grades K - 2
$3.00$4.00
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It's nighttime and snow is falling hard. Will the town be snowed in? Will there be a snow day? Odds are looking good in this book for the kids who dream of snowball fights, sledding, and the possibility that it may snow again tomorrow!

Snowflakes are in the air, and winter is here at last! Poppleton makes a new friend, sculpts a bust of Cherry Sue, and gets a wintry birthday surprise in these three witty, beautifully illustrated stories.

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It's a snow day, and Bella is thrilled. Trouble is, Bub does not like the snow. What's even worse, there's a new kid next door, and he has a scary, monster-sized pet. Can Bub get past his fear of the snow and make a new friend at the same time?

Paperback Book

No

Grades 1 - 2
$5.21$6.95
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It's winter and little bear doesn't want to go to sleep. He'd rather play, and he's sure he won't get cold outside, no matter how long the winter is, how deep the snow might get, or how hard the storm might blow. Until, that is, little bear finds himself all alone in a snowstorm. Claudia Rueda's classic picture-book illustrations, with their simple, strong lines, shapes, and colors, show a very determined little bear and his mother in a striking, increasingly snowy landscape.

Paperback Book

Do Frogs Drink Hot Chocolate?

Grades 1 - 3
$3.71$4.95
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Simple text and silly illustrations encourage younger students to consider how animals adapt to cold weather, stressing the importance of teamwork.

Paperback Book

Animal Stories: Lost in the Snow

Grades 2 - 3
$3.71$4.95
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Fluff is the smallest and weakest of the farm kittens, but she surprises everyone with her strength and spirit, and soon she and her brothers and sisters are ready for new homes. But nobody seems to want Fluff, and after a heartbreaking encounter with a little girl called Ella, she gives up on her dream of a loving home and flees the farm out into the big scary world.

Paperback Book

Mr. Wolf's Class: #5: Snow Day

Grades 2 - 5
$7.49$9.99
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It's snowing, and there's excitement in the air because the school day might end early. Students and teachers alike are looking forward to seeing what happens! Meanwhile, Abdi is distracted and worried because his brother is having surgery. He's supposed to go home with Henry, but they miss the bus and end up having an unexpected adventure with Mr. Wolf!

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