10 Hibernating Animal Activities for Preschoolers

Turn a hibernation read-aloud into an afternoon of pretend play, crafts and discovery. These preschool activities use simple household materials, and you can pick just one or two to match your child’s interest.

At a Glance

Best for: Preschool and kindergarten, with adult help
Skills practiced: Observation, sorting, storytelling and fine motor skills
What’s included: 10 activity ideas plus linked crafts
Materials: Blankets, boxes, paper, crayons and toy animals

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What You’ll Need
1. Build a Pretend Den
2. Read a Winter Animal Story
3. Match Animals and Shelters
4. Make a Paper Animal Scene
5. Sort Pretend Animal Food
6. Create a Woodland Exploration Tray
7. Tell a Three-Part Story
8. Host a Toy-Animal Show and Tell
9. Go on a Shelter-Spotting Walk
10. Make a Homemade Puzzle
More Ways to Play
Tips for Keeping It Fun
More Ideas for Curious Kids

What You’ll Need

Gather a few stuffed animals, a cardboard box, scrap paper and crayons. Add child-safe scissors and glue for crafts. Use larger toys for children who still mouth objects, and supervise cutting and small materials.

1. Build a Pretend Den

Make a cozy space with a box or blanket and invite your child to settle a toy animal inside. Ask, “What would make this a sheltered place?” Leave plenty of room to get in and out.

2. Read a Winter Animal Story

Choose a book from our hibernation book collection. Pause to notice the setting, then retell one scene with toys. Use a nonfiction book alongside a playful animal story to separate facts from make-believe.

3. Match Animals and Shelters

Draw animal and shelter cards using examples from your nonfiction book. Lay out two pairs first, then add more. Ask your child to explain each match rather than racing to finish.

4. Make a Paper Animal Scene

Fold a piece of paper into a simple cave shape and draw a resting bear inside. Or try this moving baby hedgehog craft from Kids Craft Room as a related animal craft.

5. Sort Pretend Animal Food

Use drawings of nuts, berries and insects for a sorting game. Group them by type or color, then check a book together before deciding which foods belong with a particular animal.

6. Create a Woodland Exploration Tray

Arrange large fabric leaves, paper logs and toy animals in a shallow tray. Invite your child to build a sheltered spot and describe it. Swap tiny loose pieces for bigger materials when needed.

7. Tell a Three-Part Story

Divide a page into beginning, middle and end. Your child can draw an animal preparing a home, resting, and emerging again. Let them dictate a sentence for each picture.

8. Host a Toy-Animal Show and Tell

Ask your child to introduce a stuffed animal and invent its winter story. Then look in a factual book to see whether that animal really hibernates. It is fine if the toy’s story is entirely imaginary.

9. Go on a Shelter-Spotting Walk

Look for sheltered spaces such as dense bushes or fallen logs from a distance. Draw what you notice when you get home. Watch without moving logs, reaching into holes or disturbing an animal’s home.

10. Make a Homemade Puzzle

Draw a large animal picture on cardstock, then cut it into a few broad pieces. Have your child rebuild it and describe the picture. Increase the number of pieces only when they want a challenge.

More Ways to Play

Try bear cupcakes from Mama’s Buzz or a no-sew bear costume from Crayons & Spice to extend the pretend-play theme.

Tips for Keeping It Fun

Start with the activity your child chooses and stop while they are still enjoying it. Repeat a favorite on another day with a new story or animal. Ask “What makes you think that?” and explore the answer together instead of turning play into a quiz.