Read winter and snow-themed books such as "The Mitten" by Jan Brett, "Let It Snow" by Maryanne Cocca-Leffler and "Winter is for Snowflakes" by Michelle Knudsen. Fill a water table with instant snow and let preschoolers use scoops, cups and other tools to play in the snow. Make a batch of salt dough and invite preschoolers to make snowmen, polar bears or snow angles from the dough. Have preschoolers make snowmen out of paper plates, shredded paper glued on construction paper or marshmallows glued to card stock. Help students cut snowflakes out of paper to hang around the room. Use blankets to make a snow fort in the classroom and curl up inside to read snow-themed books.
Learn about what animals do in winter by reading "Animals in Winter" by Henrietta Bancroft, "A Bed for the Winter" by Karen Wallace and "Animal Babies in Polar Lands" by Jennifer Schofield. Host a winter animal party and invite preschoolers to bring a favorite stuffed animal to school. Sort the animals by those that love the cold, those that hibernate during winter, those that stay instead a shelter and those that fly south. Have preschoolers paint pictures of animals that like cold weather, such as penguins, polar bears, seals, moose and Arctic foxes to hang around the room during the month of December.
Read one or two versions of "The Gingerbread Man" to preschoolers. Hand out paper gingerbread outlines and invite preschoolers to use puffy paints, sequins, stickers, buttons and other craft items to decorate the gingerbread men. Mix a batch of gingerbread-scented play dough and place it at an art table with winter-themed cookie cutters. Invite preschoolers to dress in costumes and act out the story. Have preschoolers help make a batch of gingerbread cookies. After the cookies are done, have an adult remove them from the oven and leave a note saying the cookies have run away, then let preschoolers lead you on a race to find the gingerbread men.
Teach the children about Hanukkah, Kwanzaa and Christmas. Read books about each holiday then ask preschoolers to decorate cutouts of a Hanukkah menorah, Hanukkah dreidel, Kwanzaa kinara, Kwanzaa candle, Christmas tree and Christmas stocking using paints, markers, glitter and stickers. Sing songs such as "Hanukkah is Here," "I'm a Little Dreidel," "Kwanzaa is Here" by Greta Pedesen and "We Wish You a Merry Christmas." Take pictures of preschoolers and paste them inside a holiday card along with their hand prints. Wrap cards in festive paper for preschoolers to give to their parents.