We are like snowflakes, all different in our own beautiful way.” -Unknown
The book I selected for this month’s snowflake theme was Ten Sparkly Snowflakes by Tiger Tales. It’s a fun story where woodland animals count down the snowflakes as they prepare to play games in the snow. The counting starts at 10 and counts backwards to 1.
One of the things I liked about the book was the inclusion of a numeracy component. Many of my students have difficulty counting backwards. I used the snowflake calming stickers as counters for each page. The texture of the snowflakes added a tactile element to our story experience.
If you’d like to check out the story before purchasing your own copy, here is a read-aloud of Ten Sparkly Snowflakes
Skill Focus
- Book knowledge (i.e., title, author, page turning, image walking)
- Explore the texture on the cover
- Use of low vision tools while reading the book
- Develop hand and eye coordination
- Soliciting assistance appropriately
- Fine motor
- Communication
- Positional concepts
- Choice making
- Nature concepts
Activity 1 – Wooden Snowflake Ornaments
This craft came as a surprise donation, so I decided to create our monthly theme around it. During the summer, I posted my Amazon Wishlist. This was one of the items on it. An amazing donor sent this to me in early December. I had already decided on the crafts for the month, so I adjusted my January theme to focus on snowflakes.
Painting has become a favorite activity for many of my students. They find painting more successful than coloring and will choose painting every time. This activity is really simple to set up. The student chooses the snowflake they want to paint. With assistance, we put painter’s tape in a loop on the back to hold it in place while they paint. After they finish painting, they help me clean the paintbrush or paint sponge.
Materials Needed
- Wooden Snowflake Ornaments
- Jute string from the snowflake kit (for hanging)
- Paintbrushes (adapted ones or paint sponges were used)
- White or blue tempera paint
- FolkArt Glitterific Pop Acrylic Craft Paint
- Mini Storage Containers with Lids (for easy paint use/storage)
- Plastic Needles for Kids (for stringing the jute through the snowflake)
- Painter’s tape
- Cardboard or another movable surface
Tips
- I mixed the white paint and the glitter paint to create the white for the snowflake. Adjust the paint according to your choice.
- After trying the white paint, I noticed the paint was faint, no matter how many layers my students put on. I gave them the option of blue paint as well after this discovery.
- I taped the snowflake down to construction paper or used cardstock. This forced the students to use both hands, one to stabilize their work and the other to do the actual painting. Parchment paper also works great!
- If doing this activity with more than one student, use the tape or the painting surface for the student’s name or initials.
Activity 2 – Snowflake Wind Chimes
Windchimes are not a craft I had ever considered trying with my students. I thought my students would enjoy making them, as well as hearing them chime. The holes to thread the ribbon, as well as the metallic string that comes in the kit through the snowflake or the wind chime tube are too small for any of the kid needles I have or could find online. As a result, I used a needle threader. I would put the threader through the hole and have my student help me thread it. They would then gently pull the threader back through the hole.
Materials Needed
- Wind Chime Kit (set of 12)
- Washable Glitter Glue
- Mini Storage Containers with Lids (for easy glue use storage)
- Paintbrushes (adapted ones or paint sponges were used)
- Painter’s tape
- Cardboard or another movable surface
- Needle Threaders Tool Set
Tips
- You can either “paint” the glue on the natural wood or paint it first with a paint color of your choice and then paint it using the glitter glue.
- I taped the snowflake down to construction paper or used cardstock. This forced the students to use both hands, one to stabilize their work and the other to do the actual painting. Parchment paper also works great!
- If doing this activity with more than one student, use the tape or the painting surface for the student’s name or initials.
Activity 3 – Color Page
In this activity, I wanted to revisit coloring skills. Several of my students have coloring as a goal (i.e. working left to right, top to bottom, staying in the general area, in the lines, etc.). I looked online for coloring sheets. My search was for “toddler color pages with bare trees.” I like to do the search for toddler color images as these pages tend to be less cluttered, and I can spend less time adapting them for my students. I selected two images for my students to choose from.
Several of my students have goals to use both hands in a cooperative manner to complete an activity. They had to use one hand to hold the bottom of the page while they colored. Once the page was colored, the students worked on peeling the stickers. They are given the choice of having 3, 4, or 5 snowflakes on their page. The snowflake stickers help their image appear as if snow is falling.
Materials Needed
- Non-cluttered winter scene color sheets
- Colors (adapted or regular)
- Christmas Stickers Roll Silver foil Snowflake Stickers
Tips
- Use a clipboard to help the student stabilize the paper if needed. My students enjoy pressing down on the metal clip for me to insert the paper.
Extension Activities:
- In The Playroom has a blog post Pipe Cleaner Icicles Fine Motor Activity that is fun and a great fine motor activity.
- Darcy and Brian have a blog post Coffee Filter Snowflake Craft that my teachers in the lower grades love to do with all their students.
- Special Achievers has a blog post CVI-Friendly Snowflake Activities that has a freebie of a snowflake. She has a newsletter you can join to get activities as well as a CVI group that for a small membership fee, you can get monthly free materials to make or save for a later time.
- 24 Hour Family has a blog post Snowflakes Playdough Mats that my OT’s love to use with my students. Easy to adapt for students who have low vision or are blind.
- Here’s an idea for a Snowflake Suncatcher.
Practice tracing with these Snowflake Tracing Sheets.
More winter ideas
