Ski Hill (Preschool & Kindergarten)
Bring in a large piece of plywood or particle board. Paint one side white for snow, and find something in your class to (safely) lean it against so that it sits at roughly a 30-45 degree angle. This will be your ski hill. If you’d like, you can cut a couple ski jumps from cardboard pieces, paint them white, and tape these onto your hill, or make little flags by taping a rectangle piece of colored paper to the end of a straw and then sticking a clump of play dough at the bottom to create a flag that kids can move around and affix to their hill in various places.

Finally, glue or tape some popsicle sticks to the feet of play people for skis, and have kids play with the figures by pretending they are skiing down the hill.

Ski Racers
Bring in a few pairs of skis, some ski boots, ski goggles, and winter dress-up clothes such as caps or mittens. Set up one or two fans so that they are blowing in the direction of your dramatic play area. Have kids dress up in the items and face in the direction of the fans, pretending they are professional skiers racing down the hill.

Snowy Landscapes (Sensory/Dramatic Play)
Preschool & Kindergarten
On a day when there’s snow outside, bring in a few rocks of assorted sizes, and clip a dozen or so foot-long evergreen bush or pine tree branches. Also get a shallow tray and fill it with water, and set out some play people or play animals at the table. Finally, bring in a large tub of snow from outside.

Pour the snow onto the table, and have kids mold it around the items. Bury the tray with water under snow and it becomes a cool lake. Poke the evergreen branches into the snow for some trees, and find places for the rocks. You’ll end up with wet floors, but the kids will have a great time. Helpful tip: Be sure to wait until the last minute to retrieve the snow, so it doesn’t all melt before your kids get to it.

Ski Mountain (Preschool Preschool & Kindergarten)
Drape a large white sheet over a chair, table, or shelf. Tape the edges of the sheet to the floor, pulling the edges out slightly so that it sits at an incline like the hillside of a mountain. Next get some popsicle craft sticks and some play people, and tape or glue one stick to each foot of your play people to make skis. Have kids play with their pretend skiers by sliding them down the mountain.

Cuddle Up by the Fire (Preschool & Kindergarten)
Bring in several fireplace logs and stack them up like a fire in your dramatic play area. Add orange & yellow tissue paper for a pretend fire if you’d like. Next get a couple large blankets, and some coats, mittens, scarves, stocking caps, or other winter dress up items. Set the scene by telling children to pretend they were stranded by a winter snowstorm and ended up in a small cabin with only a fireplace to keep them warm. Let their imagination take the story from there!

Indoor sledding (Preschool & Kindergarten)
Bring a sled or two into the classroom, and set them in your dramatic play area. Have kids get in and use their imagination to create wild sledding adventures. Add some ski goggles, stocking caps, and other winter dress-up items for added fun.