Age
⚙ 2 years and up
Time and Place
⚙ Any time of day
⚙ Any time there is snow on the ground
⚙ Outdoors
Materials
⚙ Snow
⚙ Smartphone or digital camera
Optional Materials
⚙ Materials for optional features (e.g., carrot, scarf, hat, branches, buttons)
Safety
⚙ Supervise children at all times
⚙ Dress children appropriately for weather (e.g., hats, mittens, coat)
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Instructions
Play-based Context
Encourage children to make a snowball using their hands to shape the snow. Place one snowball on top of another. To make a bigger snowman, you can roll the snowball around in the snow, so that the snowball gets bigger and bigger. Encourage children to notice the shapes (e.g., circles, triangles) and the solids (e.g., spheres) used in the snowman.
Optional: decorate the snowman using any materials on hand. Remember to take pictures to document the building process.
Questions You May Ask
⚙ What does the snow [look, smell, feel] like?
⚙ What pictures can you take to show how to build a snowman?
⚙ How can you build a snowman?
⚙ How can you make your snowman [taller, wider, more stable]?
⚙ What can you use to decorate your snowman?
⚙ What different shapes or solids does your snowman have?
Related Children's Books
⚙ The Snowman by Raymond Briggs
⚙ The Biggest Snowman Ever by Steven Kroll
⚙ Snowballs by Lois Ehlert
On the first snowfall of the year, the preschoolers bundled up in warm clothes and went out to play in the yard. They looked for the best snow to fill up a wheelbarrow and also used a shovel to line their slide with snow. Together, the children and the educator made a snowman and named it George.
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