When the weather outside is frightful, easy and fun winter crafts supplemented by a supporting story make for a delightful classroom activity.
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.
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.
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In The Biggest Ever: The Biggest Snowman Ever, by 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!
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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.
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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!
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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.
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!
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.
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?
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!
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.
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.
This picture book features simple rhymes about common winter activities enjoyed by a group of young friends.
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.
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?
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.
A snowy walk to her grandparent's home for Arab American Lina is filled with quiet wonder.
Everyone's favorite cool cat is now featured in leveled readers written for successful independent reading!
Our heroes' entry for the snowman contest has magically come to life―and ran away! Can YOU help catch it?
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.
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.
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?
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.
Simple text and silly illustrations encourage younger students to consider how animals adapt to cold weather, stressing the importance of teamwork.
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.
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!