We’ve had plenty of snow here the last couple days, and it sounds like it isn’t going anywhere soon! One of my son’s favorite winter activities used to be snowman building! Do you wanna build a snowman? If so, be prepared for some cool and snowy fun. At the same time, did you know you can also enjoy some educational fun in the process? Take a look below at 7 educational lessons learned building a snowman. Who knew building a snowman could teach so kids much?
1. Geometry.
When you build a snowman, take note of all of the shapes involved. You will have round snowballs for the body, square coal for the eyes, a triangle nose, and more. Point out all of the various shapes you see when you build your family snowman.
2. Symmetry.
When you build a snowman, you will see how important it is for the shapes you use to be symmetrical. It will be hard to stack the snowballs if they are not somewhat even. Uneven snowballs won’t balance as well, so take this opportunity to talk about symmetry and what it is.
3. Weather and Climate.
The weather has to be just right to build a snowman. It should be about 30 degrees or below, and you will need a good 4-5 inches of snow. Use this opportunity to talk about weather conditions, forecasts, and reading a thermometer.
4. Teamwork.
When building a snowman, you will need to work as a team. This means planning your snowman together, assigning jobs to each person, and completing the project. Working as a team is a great lesson to learn as a family and there is no better time to practice than when building!
5. Fine/Gross Motor Skills.
Your children will get excellent fine and gross motor skill practice when building a snowman. Whether they are rolling snowballs, packing snow, placing embellishments on it, or dancing around it, they will be strengthening their fine and gross motor skills.
6. Colors.
When building your snowman, talk about all of the various colors you are using. You will have snow, a hat, eyes, nose, mouth, scarf, etc. all to identify. This is a great way to talk about colors and how they play into our daily activities.
7. Hard/Soft
Hold a handful of fluffy snow and talk about how soft it is. Now take that same handful and pack it into a snowball. Feel how the snow is now hard. This is a great time to talk about density and how the feeling of the snow changes on how tightly it is packed.
So what are you waiting for? Build a snowman and see all of the educational experiences that are waiting for you!
