One of our favorite themes is winter! We definitely don’t get snow where we live, but pretend snow can be just as fun. And activities and books about the animals that live in the cold is a great way to introduce nonfiction learning too. My preschoolers can tell you so many facts about penguins right now. It’s impressive! We are working on a class book about our penguin facts. They can’t get enough, so we will turn our focus to polar bears soon. Arctic animals are so interesting especially when it never really gets cold where we are! Our polar bear color sorting snowballs activity is a great addition to any winter theme!

Polar Bear Color Sorting Snowballs

This free printable set of polar bear color sorting snowballs includes 8 different polar bear cards. Each card has a polar bear with a fun colored scarf.

Download and print the file from the pink button below. Cut the polar bear cards apart on the gray dotted lines. Laminate the cards for added durability. I always seem to have at least one kiddo who likes to fold my printable activity cards, so laminating is a must for me. You can also use those plastic sheet protectors if laminating is not an option for you.

When setting up this activity, don’t forget to introduce how to play. I like to give examples of how the to play. I also like to give examples how not to play. Not only do little kids need to see how activities are supposed to be played. You can do a quick check to see who doesn’t quite understand when showing non-examples.

To prep this activity, place the polar bear cards on the table. Add pom poms to a bowl or on the table. Add the same colored pom poms as the colors on the polar bears’ scarves to the activity. Include your favorite kid-friendly squeezers to use to pick up the pom poms with too.

Spread the polar bear cards out on the table. Now it’s time for the snowballs!

To play, pick one pom pom up with the kid-friendly squeezers. Place the pom pom on the polar bear card with the matching scarf. Pick another pom pom and place it on the correct polar bear card. Continue to sort the colored pom poms, or snowballs, until they are all sorted.

Another fun way to play is to add dice to the math activity. Roll a die, and add that many matching snowballs to the polar bear card. Keep rolling until the snowballs are all sorted!

No matter which way you play, lots of learning is taking place. I am a huge fan of adding fine motor skills to our activities and adding the kid-friendly squeezers is such an encouraging way to strengthen those muscles!

Loving winter learning too? You will want to check out these other fun busy bag activities below!