what can a toddler play with in the snow?

December 11, 2009 3:32 PM

Toys for the snow, besides sleds and snowball makers?

Do you have any suggestions for toys that a kid could use to play in the snow, besides sleds or snowball scoops?

I'm trying to think of something to get my 3-year old nephew, now that he lives in a cold and snowy climate with his parents. They all get cabin fever in the winter, and he's a little too young to enjoy making snowmen and forts, but there's much fun to be had with the crazy white stuff that falls from the sky when it's cold out.

Are there any seasonal outdoor toys (for the yard) that would be fun for a preschool aged kid?

posted by raztaj to sports, hobbies, & recreation (10 answers total)

A bucket and a cup. He will have fun for hours!
posted by Cat Pie Hurts at 3:36 PM on December 11, 2009

Cat Pie Hurts - hell, at 29 years old, I'd have fun with a bucket and cup for hours in the snow! But I should have clarified... I'm looking to get him something. For Christmas I guess. Or "winter holiday" in my family, because I think we're beginning to celebrate it for the first time this year.
posted by raztaj at 3:41 PM on December 11, 2009

I think I went on a sled at 3, but an adult had to pull me around in it or ride downhill. This was in Russia, so be warned. Still, that is a perfect winter-Festivus-gifting-season consumable!

A good one will last for years.
posted by yoz420 at 3:49 PM on December 11, 2009

Snow paints! (You could also make your own in spray bottles).
posted by misha at 4:27 PM on December 11, 2009

A super snowsuit? I know it sounds boring, my mom got my daughter one at that age and it made it so much nicer for her to just go out and play in the snow. Some really nice waterproof ski gloves are also a really great thing.

A snow fort mold might make him happy.

Maybe you could make him a snow man kit. A second hand hat, scarf, and mittens. Two pieces of charcoal for the eyes, a carrot (real or fake) for the nose, large buttons for the front, and a piece of red ribbon for the mouth. Or if you're lazy you could just get him this one.

Any toys that are fun at the beach can be fun in the snow: buckets, sand molds, shovels. My kids just play with their regular toys in the snow. You could just get him a big truck and put a note in it telling him that it has four wheel drive and snow tires.
posted by TooFewShoes at 4:36 PM on December 11, 2009 [1 favorite]

Any toys that are fun at the beach can be fun in the snow: buckets, sand molds, shovels.

This is what I was gonna say. Snow castles are winter's sand castles.
posted by inigo2 at 5:07 PM on December 11, 2009

at 3 yrs, a *great* snow hill is a picnic table with snow shovelled on it.

Going in a different (smaller) direction, how about a Wilson Bently poster and a microscope.

http://snowflakebentley.com/index.htm

Anyone know if a pocketscope would work?

http://pocketscope.com
posted by at at 6:00 PM on December 11, 2009

I know these seem not like a toy, but you'd be surprised how much being able to walk on top of the snow changes your feelings about being out in the snow.
posted by jessamyn at 7:18 PM on December 11, 2009 [1 favorite]

Both of my boys who are now 8 and 5 loved a shovel that I have. It's a lightweight folding snow shovel for keeping in the trunk of the car for emergencies. They have moved a lot of snow with it! So I'll second: anything he'd like at the beach.
posted by not that girl at 8:25 PM on December 11, 2009

My son is three and I send him out with a shovel. He buries his toys and then digs them up. This keeps him busy for hours. It's easy to find shovels for kids that size (anywhere you find regular shovels) and there are a lot of good ones if you just google. Giving my son a shovel has given me an extra hour to myself everyday.
posted by Lullen at 10:06 PM on December 11, 2009