Discover educational activities, crafts, and printables to go along with the book, “The Snowy Day,” by Ezra Jack Keats!
When my kids were small, they really enjoyed reading The Snowy Day by Ezra Jack Keats. Typically, when I find books that we love and I know that they will be read over and over again, I like to find educational activities to go along with the book. That was definitely the case with The Snowy Day!
About The Snowy Day:
The Snowy Day by Ezra Jack Keats is about a young boy named Peter, who wakes up to a winter wonderland. Wearing a bright red snowsuit, he makes footprints and trails through the snow. He makes a snowman, snow angels and slides down a hill.
After a long day in the snow, Peter comes home with a snowball stashed in his pocket. Before going to bed, he is sad to discover the snowball has melted. That night peter dreams that the sun melts away all of the snow. But, much to his relief, he wakes to another winter wonderland of fresh, newly fallen snow.
This is a fun story that lends itself to many creative, hands-on “go-along” activities! While many new activities, crafts, and printables to go along with The Snowy Day have been created since the days when my children were young, here are a few activities that they really enjoyed!
The Snowy Day Snowflake Craft:
First, we made coffee filter snowflakes. This was a super easy craft that requires/reinforces fine motor skills (cutting and folding). The craft could also be used to talk about symmetry.
Materials Needed for The Snowy Day Snowflake Craft:
- * Construction paper
- * Coffee filters
- * Scissors
- * Glue
The Snowflake Craft Instructions:
- 1. Use the watercolors to paint the filters. Allow the filters to dry.
- 2. Once completely dry, fold the filter in half. Continue folding the filter at least two more times.
- 3. Cut shapes into the folded filter.
- 4. Open the filter to reveal the snowflake which should loosely resemble those in the book. Adhere the snowflakes to the construction paper and enjoy!
The Snowy Day Sequencing Cards:
We also used some sequencing cards based on the story. This is a wonderful activity to help work on memory and recall.
(I originally found the cards here: https://curry.virginia.edu/go/wil/classroom_instruction.htm. However, the page is no longer active. The “sequencing cards” link above goes to Pinterest, where I was able to find an image of the file that can be downloaded and printed.)
First, we read the story together and then closed the book. Next,I gave them the cards to put in sequential order. I was impressed with my boys trying to put the cards in order from memory. However, we eventually had to refer back to the book for some hints!
Other Snowy Day Activities we Enjoyed:
While they enjoyed the snowflake craft and the sequencing cards, I think my kid’s most favorite activity based on The Snowy Day was a toss up between making these super yummy edible snowflakes OR acting out the story and pretending to be Peter.
Watch The Snowy Day video:
Check out The Snowy Day video featuring the voices of Regina King and Lawrence Fishburne. It’s FREE with an Amazon Prime membership.
Don’t have Amazon Prime? You can still watch The Snowy Day video for FREE by signing up for a 30-day FREE trial!
Even More Snowy Day Activities:
Visit my Snowy Day Pinterest board for even more activities, crafts, and printables to go along with “The Snowy Day.”
This post was originally published on February 7, 2010.
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You are welcome Keva!
You are welcome Keva!
Hey, there! I’m planning on presenting this book this Thursday for the Read for the Record (www.readfortherecord.org), and I’ve been trying SO hard to find extension activities that weren’t just the same old snowman coloring sheet or something. I LOVE your snowflake picture. I am certainly planning on doing this. Thanks so much for sharing this!
The coffee filter and edible snowflakes are great!
Hey, there! I’m planning on presenting this book this Thursday for the Read for the Record (www.readfortherecord.org), and I’ve been trying SO hard to find extension activities that weren’t just the same old snowman coloring sheet or something. I LOVE your snowflake picture. I am certainly planning on doing this. Thanks so much for sharing this!
The Snowy Day is a favorite at our house. The kids have it memorized. My younger one just calls the book, “Peter.” Have you been to this site where they read it online:
http://www.rif.org/linked/flash/stories/preschoolers/oms_lib_invis.aspx?whichBook=theSnowyDay
The kids loved it.
So, I’m thinking do snow in July when it’s hot……