December play ideas – winter stories

Find a comfy place, snuggle up together and read a story. This could be the perfect way to end a busy day, or provide a few moments of quiet at the start of the day.  

Be brave little penguin by Giles Andreae and Guy Parker-Rees 

Pip Pip the penguin wants to swim in the sea with his friends. The only problem is he’s scared of water! This story shows Pip Pip enjoying playing in the snow and ice, but just too frightened to go into the sea.  

It’s a lovely story, with rhyming text that your child will enjoy, and if your child is a bit older it might also start a conversation about feeling afraid.  

Winter is here by Kevin Henkes 

This simple book describes winter snow. You could look outside and see if you can spot any of the signs of winter that you see in the story.  

It might be that you haven’t seen any snow yet this year, and this book provides a chance to chat about what might be coming. Or if you have seen snow and ice you could talk about how it felt, and if your child liked it or not!  

Dear Santa by Rod Campbell 

This is a festive version of the classic Dear Zoo, read together and get your child to lift the flaps and see what they can find.  

Chat about the gifts Santa sends, and maybe talk about giving and receiving presents – they might not always be quite what you were expecting!

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