Take a walk through winter with this sensory activity for kids. There are so many things to enjoy about the winter season, from hot chocolate to freshly fallen snow. This Winter Sensory Walk lets children explore these things in a whole new way. It’s easy to create and can be use at home or in the classroom.
Sensory activities are always a great learning opportunity for children. This winter sensory path is unique in that instead of using their hands, children use their feet. This is a great way to explore new and different senses as children feel the winter materials with their feet.
I have been teaching kindergarten for several years and these sensory walks are always popular and memorable for my students. They are also a great way to have children be mindful and communicate what they feel as they walk through each bin. It’s fun to watch their facial expressions as they step into each bin from freezing cold to warm and squishy.
If you’re looking for more sensory ideas, check out 20 Best Sensory Tray Ideas to create for children to explore various mixtures of materials with their hands.
If you like the idea of sensory paths that children walk through barefoot, check out a Christmas Sensory Walk and Going on a Bear Hunt Sensory Walk where children explore this popular story in a whole new way.
Winter Sensory Walk Set Up
The sensory walk is easy to set up. I have described the materials that I used for my walk, but you can easily trade out any of the bin contents for other materials that you have on hand. Simply make sure that the materials are safe to walk on.
To create your winter sensory walk you will need:
- Evergreen Leaves/Pine Needles
- Snow
- Ice
- Food Coloring
- Marshmallows
- Mittens/Scarves
- Bins
- Warm/Cold Water
I have found that at least five bins create a great sensory walk. The more bins you use, the better the walk will be, but I’ve found that at least five always works well.
Sometimes the bins can be a bit slippery as children walk through. Setting the bins along a wall or row of chairs can help prevent a fall. Also, make sure that an adult supervises and ideally holds a hand as children step through each bin.
For this sensory walk, I suggest placing the bins in the order outlined on the set up page. Since some of the bins include water, you’ll want to be strategic about the order to help materials being mixed too much. The set up page is available to download for free at the end of this post.
I placed the blue water before the hot chocolate bin so that when a bit of blue water is transferred into the next bin, the color will not be affected as much. I also set the mittens at the end to help absorb some of the water from the previous bins.
Another unique aspect of this walk is that children need to take their socks, and shoes off to walk through. Children could use their hands, but the best experience is with bare feet.
Winter Sensory Walk Bin 1
The first bin is filled with evergreen leaves, or pine needles. Use what you have on hand. Place as many as you have into the bin.
This is a fun bin to start with because children will likely describe it as pokey and rough. Sensory walks are a great way for children to notice the different textures and feel of different materials.
Winter Sensory Walk Bin 2
The second bin is filled with snow! We have lots of snow during the winter where I live so this is an easy bin for me to fill. If you don’t have snow available, this bin can be filled with anything like ice shavings to cotton balls.
Winter Sensory Walk Bin 3
The third bin contains cold water and even ice cubes! I started with a lot more ice cubes than shown in the picture, but they do melt fast. Add water to your bin along with blue food coloring. You don’t have to add the food coloring, however, it makes the water stand out and look more interesting.
Once your cold water is ready, add a bunch of ice cubes. Children will notice a difference between the snow and cold water in terms of feel and temperature. Encourage them to describe what they feel and any differences. (I.e. They stood on the snow etc.)
Sensory Path Bin 4
The fourth bin is always a favorite. It is filled with hot chocolate, however, it’s not actually hot chocolate!
Start by filling the bin with warm water. Next add food coloring to create a brown color. I didn’t have brown so I added red, yellow and drops of blue until I had a color close to brown. Next, add marshmallows!
Kids always have a lot of fun walking through the ‘hot chocolate’. Real hot chocolate would become very sticky and messy very quickly. You can choose if you want to tell kids it’s just water, or actually hot chocolate.
Winter Activity for Kids Bin 5
The final bin is soft and squishy on bare feet. The more mittens and scarves you can add, the better. I chose to place this bin at the end to help soak up some of the water, but it can also go second or third in the order if you don’t want the mittens soaking wet.
Since the mittens are going to get wet, you may have to replace them, or ring them out, as children walk through the bin. You can also choose to place this bin earlier in the walk.
In the past I have also added an extra bin and placed a towel inside before the mitten bin. This way children stepped into the bin with the towel and absorbed much of the water before stepping into the bin with the mittens.
Winter Sensory Walk Extension Ideas
There are many ways you can create this sensory walk. Try to keep set up simple because when you use materials you already have on hand you realize how easy it is to create sensory walks on a regular basis.
Another idea is to add a few more bins to create a sensory walk circle. Place the bins around in a circle so that the walk doesn’t have a specific end. You can add a few more winter themed materials such as:
- Icicles
- Tinfoil (Glittering, shiny frost)
- Faux fur
- Epson salt (Road or sidewalk salt or crunchy snow)
- Powdery fake snow
- Water with peppermint or evergreen oils (Great for scent senses)
- Twinkling blue lights (Frosty evenings)
- Fog machine (Cold breath on a winter day)
However you create your winter sensory walk, I’m sure your children will love it as much as mine always do. It’s a great way to celebrate, embrace and experience winter!
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