Snowball Water Play Winter Activity

Where we live it’s highly unlikely we’ll ever have a real snow day, but that doesn’t mean we can’t have a little thematic fun with snowflakes and snowballs.  Whether you live in a warmer climate like us or just want a fun indoor winter activity for your little ones, this snowy water play is great for toddlers and preschoolers.

To set up the activity I added water to a large plastic bin. Next to it I placed a bowl of ice cubes. Add even more fun by using snowflake shaped ice cubes made from this silicone mold. I also set up an activity tray with white pom poms, packing peanuts, foam snowflakes, snowflake buttons, and snowflake confetti. I wanted a mixture of items that would sink and float.

Tinker loves water play activities, so she jumped right into playtime. After adding each of the ice cubes one by one, she decided to grab handfuls of all the materials and toss them into the air like falling snow. It was adorable!

After the materials were added to the water bin she spent time seeing if she could get any of the floating items to sink.

She was surprised to see that some of the pom poms would slowly sink after absorbing enough water but not all of them. (I think it was because we had two different brands of pom poms. One absorbed the water while the other did not.)

Soon she discovered that she could squeeze the water out of the pom poms and watch it drip back into the bin. This was great fine motor practice!

We also noticed that the packing peanuts that we used were dissolving. I didn’t realize this would happen and at first I was a bit grossed out by the texture. But, ever the little scientist, Tinker thought it was very cool. She simply told me, “Oh, that’s just the snow melting, mommy. Snow does that.” Well, of course!

And perhaps her favorite part of this bin was the ability to create her own “snowstorms.” Every once in a while she’d yell out, “There’s a STORM coming!” before stirring up the water and watching the materials swirl around.

Tinker has already asked what we’ll be putting in the water bin next, so I’m sure we’ll be sharing another water play idea soon.

Until then enjoy reading some of this snow books to go along with your playtime. Our snow book list includes fiction and nonfiction book suggestions and a free printable with the book list and a free writing activity sheet.