If that idea excites you, great! If it makes you nervous… I see you. But rest assured, winter learning does NOT require perfection, Pinterest setups, or abandoning academics. It simply asks us to honor the season and how our children’s brains & bodies function within it.

So grab a warm drink, take a deep breath, and let’s explore how winter can support rich learning across all core content areas—without being confined to books or desks.

Social Studies (SS): Winter Traditions, Geography, and Human Adaptation

Winter is a powerful lens for exploring how people live, adapt, and celebrate across the world.

Winter Celebration Around the World

Explore holidays and seasonal traditions such as:

• Hanukkah

• Kwanzaa

• Lunar New Year

• Winter Solstice celebrations

• Indigenous winter traditions

Suggested Resource: PBS Learning Media has a massive collection of social studies videos, interactive lessons, and classroom-ready resources across history, civics, geography, and culture. Similarly, iCivics Education has resources built around game-based learning for younger learners to explore community, government, and geography. So, regardless of the age of your learner(s), there is something for everyone!

Instead of long readings, try:

• Mapping celebrations on a world map

• Creating a "Winter Traditions Passport" with stamps or symbols

• Exploring music, food, clothing, and symbols tied to each culture

How People Adapt to the Winter

Compare how different regions handle winter:

• • Housing styles (igloos, insulated homes, yurts)

  • Clothing and materials used for warmth

  • Transportation in snowy or icy climates

Local History & Community

Research how your own region historically handled winter:

• Farming and food storage

• Transportation challenges

• Community gathering spaces

If field trips are not possible for your family during the winter season, virtual museum tours, historical photographs, or interviews with older family members can bring history to life. Studies Weekly is a printable weekly periodical that includes hands-on projects and activities that are great for a structured seasonal study approach, or if you simply enjoy reading age-appropriate current events as a family, Newsela has just what you need. If you want to be more adventurous, Freedom Homeschooling offers a listing of free History and social studies curricula.

Sensory Adaptations

• • Use fabric samples, mittens, scarves, or boots for tactile exploration

  • Offer visual supports, photos, and simplified summaries

  • Allow listening, watching, or building instead of writing

Language Art: Reading, Writing, and Storytelling

Winter naturally supports storytelling, imagination, and expressive language—especially for learners who struggle with traditional writing.

Winter Stories & Read-Alouds

Choose winter-themed books and folktales, but keep engagement flexible:

• Act out stories with props or figures

• Build story scenes with blocks or loose parts

• Use storyboards or comic strips instead of written summaries

Suggested Resources for Ideas & Inspiration: Storyline Online offers high-quality read-alouds that model expressive storytelling and inspire reenactments or retells.  Similarly, Epic! provides a rich digital library of audiobooks and seasonal collections for shared family exploration, while Unite for Literacy features free picture books with audio narration, making it an accessible, flexible option for inclusive storytelling experiences.

Suggested Resources for Planning & Tools: Book Creator supports digital storytelling with text, images, and audio, while Canva is great for creating storyboards, visual writing and creative layouts. Then, if you want to be more adventurous, you can try your hand at NaNoWriMo Young Writers Program, which takes writing to another level! It provides creative writing prompts and planning tools that emphasize imagination over mechanics. While you are thinking about creating fun, don't negate those learners who struggle with fine motor--Google Docs (Voice-to-Text) is a great option.  Dictation and collaborative writing tools that reduce fine-motor demand may be just what those learners need to allow their creative side to shine. Oral thinkers and students with written-expression challenges will thank you for this one!

Winter Poetry & Language Play

Explore winter vocabulary using:

• Sensory word cards (cold, crackle, hush, glow)

• Magnetic poetry

• Collaborative poems where each family member adds a line

Suggested Resources for Language Play: ReadWriteThink provides poetry frames, word banks, and creative language activities, while Poetry Foundation offers accessible poems and audio recordings that families can explore together. 

Sensory Adaptations

• Provide multiple ways to respond (draw, speak, type, build)

• Use textured paper, large-grip tools, or typing

• Keep sessions short and cozy

Suggested Resources for Support and Adaptation: Understood and Reading Rockets both offer practical, evidence-based reading and writing strategies for diverse learners.  It is ideas for anyone who just wants to learn a bit more about the learning habits and behaviors of their child as a learner.

Suggested Resources for Math Support and Daily Connection: Desmos, NOAA, and Time and Date are great resources if your child is interested in exploring the wonder of numbers, weather, or time.  But if you have a budding chef or baker or if your child is simply fascinated with figuring out the mystery behind ratios and quantities, America's Test Kitchen Kids, King Arthur Baking, or NRICH may be better for your learner. If your child is a "gamer" or simply loves to be challenged, be sure to check out our Free STEM Resource page, your one-stop hub for engaging, brain-boosting fun! 

Science: Observation, Experimentation, and Winter Phenomena

Winter science is rich, tangible, and often mesmerizing.

Weather & Earth Science

• • Study snow, ice, frost, and clouds

  • Track storms and weather patterns

  • Explore states of matter through freezing and melting

Animal & Plant Adaptations

• • Hibernation vs. migration

  • Evergreen vs. deciduous plants

  • Food chains in winter

Use videos, models, and outdoor observations where possible.

Hands-On Experiments

• • Ice melting experiments (salt, sugar, temperature)

  • Insulation tests using different materials

  • Crystal or snowflake simulations

Provide visual step-by-step instructions and allow breaks between steps.  Science Buddies, NASA for Students, and Geographics for Kids offer a rich collection of science experiments organized by topic, grade, and level of difficulty so you can easily determine the “fit” for your learner.

Sensory Adaptations

• Use tactile models and visuals

• Incorporate scent (pine, cinnamon)

• Allow observation without forced participation

For children with visual impairments, provide tactile models of leaves and trees. Use scents like pine or cinnamon to help create a sensory connection to the lesson.

Art & Music: Expressing Creativity through the Season

Winter's quieter beauty invites creativity that is reflective, sensory-rich, and deeply regulating.  Art and music during the winter months offer powerful ways for children to express emotion, explore texture and sound, and stay creatively engaged, even when outdoor time is limited.

Winter-Inspired & Mixed Media Creation (Real or Imagined)

• Create winter-inspired artwork using white, blue, and silver tones.  Make it sensory-friendly by using thicker paper, larger brushes, or sponge painters. For children who struggle with fine motor control, offer adapted grips or allow finger painting with gloves. 

• Invite children to create winter collages. Encourage choice of materials and design, exploring the different perspectives of winter: cozy, bright, cold, quiet, and festive. Tate Kids has lots of artist-inspired art challenges for all ages. Be sure to check it out!

• Create a playlist that reflects different moods: quiet snowfall, strong winds, holiday traditions, or calm evenings. For sound sensitivities, keep volumes low, shorten sessions, or use headphones.  Classics for Kids and Chrome Music Lab are playful tools that allow for experimenting with rhythm, melody, and sound in short, low-pressure sessions.

Suggested Resources for Winter Art Ideas & Adaptations: The Artful Parent and Deep Space Sparkle both offer practical, visual art lessons with the flexibility to accommodate all diverse, sensory learners.

Embrace the Season with Joy

Incorporating all the core content areas through autumn-themed learning can be a joyful and enriching experience for your homeschool. By making sensory adaptations and embracing a variety of approaches, you can ensure that your child—no matter their learning needs—can connect with and enjoy the beauty of the season. With a little creativity and intentional planning, autumn can become a time of growth, discovery, and celebration in your homeschool. 

Looking for a Place to Start?

To support your winter planning, we’ve created a set of curated Winter Resource Lists for each core content area. These downloadable PDFs include clickable links and brief descriptions to help you explore flexible, engaging learning ideas that align with the activities shared in this article. These lists are not intended to be exhaustive or prescriptive. Instead, they are designed to serve as a starting point—a way to reduce overwhelm, spark ideas, and help you find resources that fit your learner, your family, and this season.

Choose one or two resources that resonate, follow your child’s interests, and allow learning to unfold naturally.

Are you looking for more community to support your homeschool journey? Consider joining our Facebook group. Be encouraged and equipped with resources in a community with other like-minded homeschoolers on the same journey as you!