Scavenger hunts are so much fun! We already had a fall scavenger hunt unit! Now we’re ready for a winter scavenger hunt unit! It has many activities and resources that can be used for any winter unit, but we have scavenger hunt variations.
Here, you’ll find links to free winter scavenger hunt printables used to prepare hands-on activities and a new Montessori-inspired winter scavenger hunt pack for our free newsletter subscribers’ resource library! This unit has resources for preschool through early elementary.
Disclosure: This post contains some affiliate links (at no cost to you).
Montessori Shelves with Winter Scavenger Hunt Themed Activities
Montessori Shelves with Winter Scavenger Hunt Themed Activities
You’ll find Montessori-inspired winter scavenger hunt themed numbers, letters, and and more (part of my subscriber freebie pack, so just sign up for my email to get the link and password … or check the bottom of your latest newsletter if you’re already a subscriber) Note: The Montessori-inspired winter scavenger hunt pack isn’t designed as a complete winter scavenger hunt unit but as supplemental materials. I design the packs using realistic images that I’ve often looked for when preparing a unit study (such as font cards and phonogram cards featuring the letter and phonogram related to the theme and math cards with realistic images that fit the theme and can be adapted for math activities at a variety of levels.)
You could mix your winter scavenger hunt themed activities among your shelves according to curriculum area. Or you could have a special winter scavenger hunt themed area something like the one pictured. My shelves at the beginning of our unit have a mixture of skill levels. Many of the activities can be adapted for a variety of levels. If you’re a homeschooler, just choose the activities that work for your child’s interests and ability levels. If you don’t have room for all the activities you’d like to do, simply rotate them.
Montessori Shelves with Winter Scavenger Hunt Themed Activities and Claude Monet Art Print
Notice the framed art print The Magpie (1868-1869) by Claude Monet. It’s a free download from Wikimedia Commons.
For our monthly featured art print, I purchased a Li’l DAVINCI art frame that opens in the front for easily changing a free art masterpiece printable or vintage illustration to fit with the month’s theme. The frame can be switched from horizontal to vertical without changing the hanger, which is perfect!
If you’re wondering about the rugs and rug box I use, both the rugs and wooden rug holder are from Montessori Services. I love the Montessori Services rugs and rug holder! I used to use an umbrella stand something like these. I loved that for 1-3 rugs, but I needed something different when I had more grandchildren and some projects that needed more than one rug.
Favorite Shelves, Trays, Baskets, and More for Montessori Homeschoolers
I often get asked about the trays, baskets, etc., that I use, so I published a post with many of the items. You can find lots of helpful resources here. They’re not all essential, so don’t feel you need to have everything. Just choose what’s best for your budget and your unique family’s needs. You’ll find more ideas in the Living Montessori Now Amazon shop
Books for a Winter Unit
Even though I have books on shelves, I’m now keeping many of my themed books in a forward-facing display after placing a plant where the themed book basket was before.
For toddlers and preschoolers, about ¾ of the books I use are typically Montessori friendly (focusing on reality without smiling or talking animals or smiling or talking vehicles).
Books for a Winter Unit
Top Shelf of Themed Shelves:
- The Shortest Day: Celebrating the Winter Solstice has lots of science and history information about the Winter Solstice. Recommended for ages 6-9.
- Goodbye Autumn, Hello Winter is a Montessori-friendly book from a series that I love. It’s recommended for ages 3-6 and tells the story of a brother and sister who walk through their town and welcome the signs of winter. When you near the end of winter, don’t miss Goodbye Winter, Hello Spring!
- The Little Kids First Big Book of Weather. I have many of the National Geographic Kids Little Kids First Big Books after my grandson fell in love with the series and asked me to get all the books on the back of one of their books! I love the books for their gorgeous photographs and easy-to-understand information. I use books from the series for almost every unit.
Top Shelf of Forward -Facing Display:
- Another of the wonderful Montessori-friendly books we used is The Story of Snow: The Science of Winter’s Wonder. It has an understandable explanation of snow crystals along with stunning photographs of actual snow crystals.
- I often include Gail Gibbons’ books in my unit studies. It’s Snowing!, like Gail Gibbons’ other books, is gives a lot of information in an easily understood way.
2nd Shelf:
- Snow Is Falling is from another easily-understood science series I often use. It’s recommended for ages 4-8.
- Wilson “Snowflake” Bentley was the first known photographer of snowflakes, and the book Snowflake Bentley won the 1999 Caldecott Medal.
- What Can You See in Winter? It’s a simple emergent reader with photographs of a variety of things traditionally seen in winter, such as “You can see snow. You can see snowballs.” Each page has one photograph and one sentence. It’s recommended for ages 4-6, but especially like it for toddlers, young preschoolers, and readers who will benefit from an emergent reader.
3rd Shelf:
- Winter Wonderland is a Montessori-friendly National Geographic book with gorgeous photographs. It’s recommended for ages 4-8, although I like it best for ages 3-5 or 3-6.
- Winter is Here is recommended for ages 4-8, but I prefer it for ages 2-5. It’s a sweet, Montessori-friendly book that gives a gentle, rhythmic introduction to winter.
- Animals in Winter (Let’s-Read-and-Find-Out-Science) is an easy-to-understand Montessori-friendly book recommended for ages 4-8.
4th Shelf:
- Tracks in the Snow is a simple, sweet book about a little girl following the tracks outside her window. It’s recommended for ages 2-6, although I especially like it for older toddlers and young preschoolers.
- Over and Under the Snow. The book is a realistic story with a bit of the science of hibernation. It’s a great way to start a discussion about why certain animals aren’t seen in winter in various parts of the world.
- Ten Ways to Hear Snow is a lovely book!
Bottom Shelf
- Reading The Snowy Day by Ezra Jack Keats is one of my favorite ways to reinforce the concept of winter. This classic multicultural story won the Caldecott medal in 1963. It’s a wonderful book for children ages 2-5. I enjoyed using it when I owned a Montessori school in the 1980s and with my now-adult kids. I still have the copy from when my kids were little. Now my grandkids are enjoying it!
- Owl Moon is a gorgeous Montessori-friendly book that won the Caldecott Medal in 1988. It’s recommended for ages 3-7.
- Snowmen at Work (My 6-year-old grandson, Caleb, absolutely loves this entire series.)
On the other side of the room, I also have a book basket with The Snowy Nap, The Mitten, and a number of our other favorite books from winter units.
You can see many winter books books here: Winter Books for Kids (including books as they’re published)
The Shortest Day Book with Winter Solstice Scavenger Hunt
The Shortest Day Book with Winter Solstice Scavenger Hunt
The Shortest Day: Celebrating the Winter Solstice has lots of science and history information about the Winter Solstice. Recommended for ages 6-9.
Free Printable: Winter Solstice Scavenger Hunt from Librarian in the House
I love these clipboards with storage for outdoor scavenger hunts! (Great for a holiday lights scavenger hunt, too!)
Some other great options for outdoor winter scavenger hunts:
- Free Printable: Get Outdoors: Winter Scavenger Hunt Printables from Jolly Festive
- Free Printables: 3 Winter Indoor Scavenger Hunts from Jolly Festive
- Free Printable: Winter Scavenger Hunt (for climates with snow) from The Printables Fairy
- Free Printable: Outdoor Winter Scavenger Hunt (for climates with snow) from Homeschool Share
- Free Printable: Winter Scavenger Hunt (for climates with snow) from The Science Women
- Free Printables: Winter Scavenger Hunts (a variety of free printables) from TPT
Goodbye Autumn Hello Winter Book and Through the Winter Window Scavenger Hunt
Goodbye Autumn Hello Winter Book and Through the Winter Window Scavenger Hunt
Goodbye Autumn, Hello Winter is a Montessori-friendly book from a series that I love. It’s recommended for ages 3-6 and tells the story of a brother and sister who walk through their town and welcome the signs of winter. When you near the end of winter, don’t miss Goodbye Winter, Hello Spring!
Free Printables: 3 Winter Indoor Scavenger Hunts (including Through the Winter Window I Can See…) from Jolly Festive
Winter Words Pages from Little Kids First Big Book of Weather with Winter Activities 3-Part Cards
Winter Words Pages from Little Kids First Big Book of Weather with Winter Activities 3-Part Cards
On The book on a wooden cookbook holder is The Little Kids First Big Book of Weather. I have many of the National Geographic Kids Little Kids First Big Books after my grandson fell in love with the series and asked me to get all the books on the back of one of their books! I love the books for their gorgeous photographs and easy-to-understand information. I use books from the series for almost every unit.
Free Printable: Winter Activity 3-Part Cards by Guinevere Morse at TPT
3-part cards are easy to use in a scavenger hunt. Simply hide the part of the card that’s appropriate for a child’s level (such as the word label for children who can read or the picture for toddlers and preschoolers who don’t read yet)
Salt or Sand Writing Tray for a Winter Scavenger Hunt Theme
Salt or Sand Writing Tray for a Winter Scavenger Hunt Theme
Free Printable /w/ for winter font cards (part of my subscriber freebie pack from our previous winter unit, so just sign up for my free newsletter to get the link and password … or check the bottom of your latest newsletter if you’re already a subscriber). They come in print, D’Nealian, and cursive.
Free Printable /s/ in snow phonogram cards (part of my subscriber freebie pack, so just sign up for my free newsletter to get the link and password … or check the bottom of your latest newsletter if you’re already a subscriber). They come in print, D’Nealian, and cursive.
You’ll see a variety of simple letter writing trays in my previous unit study posts. I often used the wooden tray from the Melissa & Doug Lace and Trace Shapes. You can use whatever tray or container work best for you, though.
I typically now use this lovely spelling/alphabet tray from FamilyTreeWW on Etsy. I like it for writing more than one letter or spelling words. (Note: That sand tray is currently unavailable, but you’ll find lots of other options for Montessori sand trays on Etsy.) I found some colored sand in 12 colors on Amazon that I started to use instead of salt or colored salt. I love it because it’s so soft and feels great!
If you would like help with introducing phonetic sounds, introducing objects with sounds, or beginning phonics in general, check out my DIY Beginning Montessori Phonics with Preschoolers.
I have a post and video on how to introduce words starting with phonograms, even with very young children.
Finding Buried oa Coins in the “Snow”
Finding Counterfeit oa Coin (quoad) in the “Snow”
Free Printable /oa/ in coat phonogram cards (part of my subscriber freebie pack, so just sign up for my free newsletter to get the link and password … or check the bottom of your latest newsletter if you’re already a subscriber). They come in print, D’Nealian, and cursive.
Free Printable: Oa Buried Treasure Coins from MontessoriSoul
I used our double sandpaper letters for oa along with the buried treasure coin words (and two nonsense words) with the oa phonogram. We’ve already covered all the phonograms, so this was a fun review focusing on spelling.
I buried the coins in our sensory bin covered by SnoWonder instant snow, which my grandkids love!
I said that there were “real” oa coins and two “counterfeit” coins. My 6-year-old grandson, Caleb, had fun finding the counterfeit coins along with the “real” coins.
Matching Winter Hat Alphabet Letters in Print and Cursive
Free Printable: Winter hat alphabet cards (part of my subscriber freebies, so just sign up for my free newsletter to get the link and password … or check the bottom of your latest newsletter if you’re already a subscriber).
The alphabet cards in print and cursive are easily adaptable, depending on the child’s level. They can be used for a variety of activities, such as matching letters with sandpaper letters, matching print to cursive letters, or movable alphabet word building.
Finding and Counting Snowflakes Math Activity
Finding and Counting Snowflakes Math Activity
Free Printable: Snowflake number cards 1-30 or however many you choose to use (part of my subscriber freebie pack, so just sign up for my email to get the link and password … or check the bottom of your latest newsletter if you’re already a subscriber).
Free Printable: The large number cards I used are no longer available, but you’ll find free Montessori number cards on TPT by Owl Key Curriculum or The Learning Ark Montessori.
You could scatter acrylic snowflakes (or another kind) around the room. The child (or children if playing cooperatively) could find as many snowflakes as possible and then identify the number using golden beads and the symbol cards. If you have more than one child playing, each child could change the number when adding another snowflake to the layout. If the children are able, they can exchange 10 for a 10 card when playing the game.
There are so many different activities you can prepare using the math cards! This is just one example. You’ll find many ideas in our previous units.
Winter Clothes Game with Color Sorting and Practical Life Activity
Winter Clothes Game with Color Sorting and Practical Life Activity
My grandkids have always been drawn to this lovely clothesline activity. Mine is from England, and it’s expensive to ship from there. Now you’ll also find some Montessori clotheslines on Etsy. Of course, you can also make a DIY clothesline pretty easily.
Free Printable: Winter Clothing Color Matching Activity from Teaching 2 and 3 Year Olds
There are a number of ways you could play this as a scavenger hunt.
- All the clothing could be hidden in the room with the child finding the clothing, sorting it by color, then hanging up the matching colors to “dry.”
- Younger children could find the clothing, sort it by color, and then hang up one item of each color to “dry.”
- As a simple practical life activity, you could just hide one color of clothing with the child finding the clothing and hanging up each item separately to “dry.”
Some other fun options for winter clothing activities:
- Free Printable: Beginning Sounds with Winter Clothing by Just Ask Judy at TPT
- Free Printable: Winter Dress Up Busy Bag from Teaching Mama
- Free Printable: Winter Paper Dolls from Kiddy Charts
Winter Metal Inset Designs on Another Shelf
Winter Metal Inset Designs
I love the plastic insets from Alison’s Montessori for home use, but they seem to be discontinued. Alison’s Montessori does have the traditional metal insets, of course. And I found some inexpensive wooden insets on Etsy that look like a great option for home use. There are also DIY insets you can make for home use. We’re having fun with the Winter Themed Montessori Metal Inset Design Cards by MindfulMontessoriMe on Etsy. They aren’t free, but they’re a great extension to work with the metal insets! These aren’t exactly a scavenger hunt except that the child has the find the shape that’s needed to make the design.
Free Montessori-Inspired St. Nicholas and Santa Claus Pack
Montessori-Inspired Winter Scavenger Hunt Pack for DIY Cards and Counters, Number or Letter Matching, Number or Letter Basket, Bead Bar Work, Hands-on Math Operations, Number or Letter Salt/Sand Writing Tray, Letter Tracing, DIY Movable Alphabet, and Creative Writing (subscriber freebie, so just sign up for my email to get the link and password – or check your inbox if you’re already a subscriber).
More Winter Resources
- Free Winter Printables and Montessori-Inspired Winter Activities
- Montessori-Inspired Snowman Color Activities Using Free Printables
- Montessori-Inspired Snowman Letter Activities Using Free Printables
- Montessori-Inspired Winter Activities
- Montessori-Inspired Winter Playdough Activities
- Montessori-Inspired Winter Math Activities
- 25+ Snow-Themed Sensory Tubs
- Free Mitten Printables and Montessori-Inspired Mitten Activities
- Free Winter Songs and Rhymes for Circle Time
- Simple Snowman Sensory Bin {A Fun Way to Work on Essential Skills for Toddlers and Preschoolers
- Free Snowman Printables and Montessori-Inspired Snowman Activities
- Montessori-Inspired Winter Themes and Activities
- Teaching Toddlers about Winter with the Montessori 3-Period Lesson and Activities
- Free Snowflake Printables and Montessori-Inspired Snowflake Activities
- The Snowy Day Eggshell Crushing and Pin Poking Activity
- Montessori-Inspired Winter Activities with Spielgaben {Free Printables}
- Free Winter Playdough Math Pack (Montessori-Inspired Instant Download)
- Montessori-Inspired Playdough Math Activities for Winter {Free Printables}
- Simple Winter Practical Life Activities
- How to Prepare a Simple Winter Playdough Tray with Super-Soft Playdough
- Free Winter Sports Printables and Montessori-Inspired Winter Sports Activities
- Free Winter Sports Cutting Strips (Montessori-Inspired Instant Download)
- Free Winter Sports Do-a-Dot Printable (Montessori-Inspired Instant Download)
- Montessori Winter Activities Printables for Preschool Through Elementary from Every Star Is Different
- Free Winter Songs and Educational Videos
- Free Winter Do-a-Dot Phonics Printable (Montessori-Inspired Instant Download)
- Free Winter Cutting Strips (Montessori-Inspired Instant Download)
- The Best Winter Books for Kids
- Free Guided Frozen and Winter Meditations for Kids {Mindfulness Resources}
- Free Snowperson Printables and Montessori-Inspired Snowperson Activities
- Free Snowman Do-a-Dot Phonics Printable (Montessori-Inspired Instant Download)
- Free Snowperson Cutting Strips (Montessori-Inspired Instant Download)
- I Have, Who Has? Winter Art Appreciation Game Pack in Print or Cursive
- Free Snowy Day Printables and Montessori-Inspired Snowy Day Activities
- Free Sled Do-a-dot Phonics Printable (Montessori-Inspired Instant Download)
- Favorite Books for a Snowy Day Theme
- Free Snowy Day Cutting Strips (Montessori-Inspired Instant Download)
- Winter Art Appreciation – Meditation and Puzzles
- Free Evergreen Tree Printables and Montessori-Inspired Evergreen Tree Activities
- Free Evergreen Tree Songs and Educational Videos
- Free Christmas Tree Songs and Educational Videos
- Free Ice Skating Printables and Montessori-Inspired Ice Skating Activities
- Favorite Books for an Ice Skating Theme
- Kids’ Winter Activities Pinterest Board
If you’d like ideas for calendar-based themes throughout December and January, see my December Themed Activities for Kids. and my January Themed Activities for Kids.
Have fun this winter!
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