7 Arctic Animals Preschool Activities

Hands-on winter learning your preschoolers will love!

Arctic animals are magical to preschoolers — fluffy polar bears, waddling penguins, and playful seals spark instant curiosity. This winter theme is perfect for early science, sensory play, movement, and storytelling.

Here are 7 simple Arctic animals activities that work beautifully for circle time, centers, or small groups.

1. Polar Bear Paw Prints

Paint each child’s hand with white paint and stamp it onto blue or black paper to create “polar bear paw prints.” Once dry, add claws and pads with a black marker to finish the look.
You can extend the activity by showing children real polar bear paw photos and comparing the size of their hands to the giant paws of a bear. Kids love the visual!

Learning Focus: fine motor, art, animal features
 Winter coloring pages

2. Penguin Number Waddle

Place number cards around the room and invite children to “waddle like penguins” to find each number you call out. They can also follow a numbered path or match dot cards to numerals for more challenge.
This activity burns energy while reinforcing early math skills, making it perfect for indoor winter days when movement is needed.

Learning Focus: number recognition, gross motor, listening skills
Math worksheets hub

3. Arctic Sensory Bin

Fill a bin with pretend “snow” (cotton balls, shredded paper, or rice) and add Arctic animals, scoops, and cups. Children can create little snowy caves, sort animals by size, or pretend to feed them.
Sensory bins naturally encourage language development—listen for phrases like “He’s hiding!” or “She’s swimming!” as children play.

Learning Focus: sensory exploration, imaginative play, language development

6. Snowflake Letter Match

Scatter letter cards and “snowflakes” (paper circles). Children match uppercase to lowercase or letters to beginning-sound images.
Learning Focus: early literacy
Literacy Worksheets

5. Frozen Animal Rescue

Freeze small Arctic animal toys in ice cubes or a shallow tray. Give children warm water, salt, paintbrushes, or droppers to slowly melt the ice and “rescue” the animals.
This becomes an instant favorite — children feel like little scientists discovering how ice melts, and the slow process builds patience and fine motor control.

Learning Focus: cause and effect, patience, fine motor
Fine motor worksheets hub

6. Arctic Animal Sorting

Sort animals by land, water, or “both,” or use pictures to sort by size, color, or number of legs. Kids love grouping animals when the cards show cute, simple illustrations.
Add discussion questions like, “How does this animal stay warm?” or “Where does it sleep?” to build early science vocabulary and reasoning skills.

Learning Focus: classification, vocabulary building, thinking skills

7. Arctic Story Stones

Create simple story stones using pictures of polar bears, penguins, whales, seals, Arctic foxes, and snowy landscapes. Children pick a stone and add a sentence to a group story during circle time.
Even shy children feel comfortable contributing because the stones give them something concrete to talk about — and the stories quickly become silly and memorable!

Learning Focus: language, storytelling, sequencing, imagination

Arctic animals are a wonderful way to bring winter learning to life. With just a few simple materials, you can spark curiosity about habitats, weather, movement, and animal behaviors — all while building real preschool skills.

Try one or two of these activities this week and let your little learners explore the icy, exciting world of the Arctic!