Hello winter! It is so fun to think about the 10 best winter books for preschoolers for the winter season. When I worked as a preschool teacher, one of our favorite activities was gathering around for circle time and reading children’s books about winter animals and winter activities. Combining fun activities and songs with winter wonderland books and preschoolers – the best! Here are a few of my favorite books for winter and preschoolers.
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Ten Sparkly Snowflakes
This sweet countdown interactive book helps preschoolers count down from 10 as they follow the woodland creatures through the forest. I love reading this one aloud while posting ten snowflakes with numbers printed on them and taking them down one at a time to reinforce number concepts, simple for your preschool lesson plans!
Pete the Cat and the Snow Daze
What preschooler doesn’t love Pete the Cat? He is one of our early reading favorites for young children around here. In this book with rhyming text, Pete the Cat is so excited about the first snow day from school but once it stretches into a big snow, he realizes there can be such a thing as too many snowy days!
If you need some Pete the Cat coloring sheets, you can grab some here.
When I read Pete the Cat stories, I always make sure to wear my t-shirt. Young preschoolers get a kick out of it, any time of year!
Snowmen at Night
Snowmen at Night is the classic story of snowmen who come to life at night while we are sleeping. It is the perfect story to capture a preschooler’s imagination with its simple text and lovely story line.
This is also the time to pull out the Floof! Have you ever heard of this stuff? My kids love it. Feels just like soft powdery snow but without freezing your hands and cleans up so easily. I love it and so do the children! It’s a great way to explore textures during the cold winter months.
Winter is Here
Winter is Here by Kevin Henkes is a classic book about wild animals and the world quieting down for the winter season. The language is poetic and the pictures are beautiful. I think this one would be perfect for winter activities with a watercolor project. Add this one to your book basket!
Just a Snowman (Little Critter)
Just a Snowman is such a classic choice of winter picture books from the Little Critter series. Little Critter just wants to make a snowman during the days of winter, but everyone else in his family has something else to do. I think most young children can relate to the difficulty of being patient!
This book would be perfect for a design your own snowman project. Cut out three varying sized circles, set out markers, crayons, buttons, glue, yarn, ribbon and let the children decorate their perfect snowman. You could even add in sampling some hot cocoa!
Winter in the Forest
Our little one loves these lift the flap books. This nonfiction book about forest and arctic animals in the winter would be perfect for one one one or small group reading.
Try pairing this book with an early spelling activity. Post simple cards with animal names and see if young preschoolers can work together to spell the animals’ names with ABC blocks or letter tiles.
The Snowy Day
The Snowy Day by Ezra Jack Keats is a classic Caldecott Medal Award winner that every library collection should include. It follows a boy during a quiet snowy day in the winter weather on his walk. The watercolor style with the poetic language makes for a beautiful, peaceful story. Perhaps it would be perfect right before naptime!
There Was a Cold Lady Who Swallowed Some Snow!
What preschooler doesn’t love these silly rhyming books? They are the perfect read aloud to practice rhyming words. I usually read them straight through the first time and then read it aloud one more time, letting the children fill in the final rhyming word. So fun!
These are also great stories for practicing sequencing and testing the kids’ memories. Read the book several times and see if the children can recall the sequence of items swallowed by the cold lady! Add this one to your book list.
Sneezy the Snowman
This story follows Sneezy the Snowman as he attempts to warm himself and begins to melt! Children join in to help save Sneezy and come to the rescue!
How to Catch a Snowman
I love this series of How to Catch a … books. This one follows a snowman who escapes and attempts to outsmart his pursuers. If your students are needing some activity, it would be fun to try some snowball throwing. Set up a disposable tablecloth on the wall, put some targets on the cloth, and let the kids take turns throwing those snowballs on the wall.
I hope you have enjoyed this post on the best winter books for preschoolers. If you want some suggestions on my favorite Christmas books for kids, hop over here!
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