These January activities for toddlers include themes such as snow and ice, as well as penguins and arctic animals. Perfect for 2 and 3 year olds for the month of January.
January is a wonderful month to celebrate! For toddlers, it’s the perfect time to discuss Winter, snow and ice and arctic animals.
Among holidays such as Martin Luther King Jr. Day, and even Penguin Awareness Day (January 20th), it is a time of year where we can continue to talk about the Winter and themes like hibernation, Winter weather, animals that live in cold habitats, Winter sports and more.
These January activities for toddlers are great for preschool or learning and fun at home.
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January Activities for Toddlers
Toddlers are so busy learning and exploring! This is an age where children have discovered their independence as well as their own learning style. Some children like to sit back to watch and observe, and might be averse to messy play, whereas, others might love to dive right into to play and activities making them 100% their own.
These January activities for toddlers include something for everyone, from messy play to simple arts and crafts, most involving snow and ice, or penguins and arctic animals.
Snow and Ice Activities
- Edible Fake Snow Winter Sensory Bin
- Pin the Carrot on the Snowman Printable Game
- Snowman Winter Sensory Bag for Babies and Toddlers
- Ice and Snow Winter Sensory Bag for Toddlers
- Simple Snowflake Craft: Painting Salt with Watercolors
- Snowball Sight Words on a Sticky Table
- Simple Fine Motor Snowball Counting
- 3 Ingredient Snow Paint
- Roll a Snowman Playdough Mat for Kids
Penguin and Aminal Activities
- Penguin Sensory Bin with Frozen Water Beads
- Salt and Ice Experiment for Kids: Save the Frozen Penguins!
- Arctic Small World Play
- Winter Farm Fake Snow Sensory Bin
- Egg Carton Penguin Craft
- Polar Bear Egg Carton Craft
Why are Hands-On Activities so Beneficial to Kids?
Activities for toddlers are best when hands-on, experiential learning is encouraged! When children touch, smell, hear, and engage all the senses, they can remember information much better.
Tell me and I forget,
teach me and I remember,
involve me and I learn.
-Benjamin Franklin
What can I expect developmentally from my kids?
At this age (1-3), toddlers are:
- developing language skills
- recognizing and understanding emotions
- developing motor skills like running and jumping
- tuning fine motor skills like pincer grasp, cutting, and holding a pencil
- beginning to engage in pretend and imaginative play
- sorting and classifying colors and shapes
- and so much more!
How fun is it to be able to encourage and foster all of this through play?!
Plan your month of activities with this free printable calendar
If you’re like me and still like to put pen to paper, print out this free January calendar and jot down some activities for a couple of the days of the week. Staying organized can make this a fun, stress-free way to have a month of activities with your toddler or preschooler at home!
Related Resources
In addition to the January activities for toddlers above, here are some related resources such as free printables and books to read for the month of January.