Winter offers an ideal opportunity to introduce young children to the concept of hibernation. Kids are naturally inquisitive and often wonder what animals do during the colder months. Because my own children ask endless questions, we’ve explored a variety of activities to help them understand hibernation. The kids enjoyed themselves, and we gained plenty of knowledge along the way.
To begin, we discussed what hibernation means and identified which animals hibernate. I created a small emergent reader book for them to read, offering two versions. The first version is quite simple and lists animals that hibernate. The second version describes where each animal hibernates.
Here are the printable emergent reader books.
Version 1: Hibernation Emergent Reader
Version 2: Hibernation Emergent Reader 2
Here are the instructions:
- Print the page on card stock (if possible). Print the book on one page so there is a front and a back side.
- Cut across the horizontal center of the page.
- Fold the two pieces in half. Slide one into the other.
- Staple along the side.
Next, we built a cave using blankets and placed all our stuffed animal bears inside!
We also had a great time pretending to hibernate ourselves! It was so much fun! You could even sing this bear song while you play.
Or sing this fun hibernation song!
After that, we created an alphabet craft for the letter H.
Making this bear hibernating in a snow-covered cave was straightforward. I prepared all the cut pieces in advance and let the kids glue them together. I also drew the face and claws on the bear.
Then we found some snowflake cut-outs and added them to their craft.
Finally, we discussed how animals stay warm during winter. We talked about polar bears and how they have a layer of fat, called blubber, to keep them warm. We conducted an experiment I discovered on a friend’s blog, known as the blubber experiment.
We filled two bowls with ice and a little water. Then I placed soft butter into one plastic baggie to represent blubber. I had my sons put one hand into an empty plastic baggie and the other into the baggie with butter. Then they placed their hands in the cold water. They quickly realized that without blubber, you get very cold! The butter (or blubber!) kept our hands from getting too chilly.
We also completed a hibernation animal sort, and I’m sharing the printable with you!
The instructions for the sort are simple. After printing, cut out the cards, and have your child sort them into animals that hibernate and animals that do not hibernate.
If you need a reliable resource on which animals hibernate, check out this site.
Download the free printable sort here —> Hibernation Sort
Additional Hibernation Activity Ideas
This post features a cute bear hibernating in a cave craft and more fun activities!
Love this sleeping bear craft! So adorable!
Here is an interesting engineering project using marshmallows for dens!
This is a fun math activity using bears and caves.
And this hibernation sensory bag is pretty neat, too!
Also, if you’re looking for more hands-on science activities for winter, be sure to check out these neat activities!
