Activities to do with your Preschooler in the Cooler Weather

Felt Pumpkins Cutout Project

Now that the weather is getting more brisk, we aren't spending as much time outside, which got me thinking about what creative things I can do with my toddler inside the house. This first idea came from my mom. It is the felt pumpkin cutouts project. Using a few selected pieces of felt, cut out (freeform) the shape of "five little pumpkins." Along with that, cut out some triangles for eyes, shapes for mouths, and a bunch of stems. Let your toddler be creative in designing his very own pumpkin faces.

We sing the song "5 Little Pumpkins" to go along with this activity (see below)! Charlie just loves it and it keeps him quite busy as he rearranges all of the faces and sings along. I use my microfiber couch as a makeshift felt board, which seems to work out very well until I have time to make a real one! This activity can be altered for any holiday or season by just cutting out a turkey with some colorful felt feathers for Thanksgiving or a giant felt Christmas tree for Christmas with some felt ball ornaments and so on.

"5 Little Pumpkins"
5 little pumpkins sitting on a gate
The first one says, 'oh, my it's getting late!'
The second one says, 'there's witches in the air!'
The third one says, 'well, I don't care!'
The fourth one says, 'let's run and run and run!'
The fifth one says, 'I just want to have some fun!'

Whoosh, went the wind and OUT went the lights and the 5 little pumpkins rolled out of sight!

Idea number two was born one day when we were taking a walk outside. It was a bit chilly and I was ready to go in but Charlie wanted to play in this shallow dirt on the sidewalk with his finger and a stick. I was wondering how I could re make a similar situation inside. So, I got out my big cooking mat and a scoop of flour. I let him touch it and draw designs in it at first. I asked him what it felt like and we did a mini lesson there! Then, we got out our Thomas trains and covered them in "snow!" My goodness, he loved this!!! It kept us busy for about an hour! Yes, it was a big mess afterward but we even got to give the trains a bath afterward, which I think he also enjoyed. **Note: vacuuming required.

This last one, is one of my favorites! An art teacher at heart, I reached for my cut up cardboard in the recycling bin and some paint that I had around the house and let my artist in training go for it! The cardboard is sturdy and is different than your everyday paper, which makes it a a nice new experience for your little one!

I hope some of these ideas are helpful to you on those not-so sunny, warm days. I am sure they will bring a big sunny smile to you and your little one as you spend some quality time together having fun!


BE INSPIRED!