Tag Archives: math practice

12 Snowman Stories for Children and Snowman Enthusiasts

Hello everyone!

Katie Merkel

For those of you who wanna build a snowman, check out these twelve amazing snowman story books and the lists of themed activities. I love to combine literature with other subjects, so expand the snowman fun with the suggested crafts, math activities and games, and snowman recipes.

In addition to being cute art projects, the snowman crafts make adorable decorations or gifts for relatives and teachers. And if you really want to make the snowman magic come to life, check out the snowman sensory and fine motor activities and the delicious snowman snacks.

I often pair up my picture book recommendations with the activities that best suit them, but since all of the books are about snowmen, this month’s themed projects naturally go with whichever book or books you choose to use.

I hope you and your young snowman lovers have fun experiencing snowmen on multiple academic, sensory, and culinary levels! And if you’re looking for Christmas specific books, crafts, and sensory activities, check out my Christmas books blog post.

Making a Friend

Making a Friend by Tammi Sauer, illustrated by Alison Friend is about how Beaver, who can make anything with his hands but struggles with knowing how to connect to other animals, makes a friend while making a snowman.

If Picasso Painted a Snowman

If Picasso Painted a Snowman by Amy Newbold, illustrated by Greg Newbold introduces kids to different artists and their styles by showing how they would draw or paint a snowman.

Sneezy the Snowman

Sneezy the Snowman by Maureen Wright, illustrated by Stephen Gilpin is about a snowman who is cold and keeps melting as a result of trying to get warm. Thankfully, some kids rebuild him after each failed attempt.

Snowmen at Night

Snowmen at Night by Caralyn Buehner, illustrated by Mark Buehner offers an imaginative explanation for why snowmen look messy the day after they are built. Obviously, it’s because of all the fun things that snowmen do at night!

The Most Perfect Snowman

The Most Perfect Snowman by Chris Britt is about a snowman who is outcast by the other snowmen because he was not given a nose or clothing. Children give him what he is missing and declare him to be the perfect snowman. However, it’s not until he gives his treasured gifts to someone who needs them more that he truly becomes the perfect snowman.

Snow Dude

Snow Dude by Daniel Kirk is the snowman version of “The Gingerbread Man.”

Snowzilla by Janet Lawler, illustrated by Amanda Haley is about a little girl who builds a ginormous snowman with her family and how she finds a solution to the town’s polarized reaction to her having such a large snowman in her yard.

The Snowman and the Snowdog

The Snowman and the Snowdog based on characters created by Raymond Briggs is about a boy whose dog died shortly after they moved to a new house. On Christmas Eve, the boy finds a photo of another boy standing beside an amazing snowman, and he decides to build his own snowman and a snowdog. The three of them spend Christmas Eve flying around the world and competing in the Snowman’s Annual Downhill Race at the North Pole.

The Smiley Snowman

The Smiley Snowman by M. Christina Butler, illustrated by Tina Macnaughton is about three friends who build a smiling snowman. The next day, the snowman looks sad, and the friends try to make him feel better.

Tinyrannosaurus and the  Bigfootosaurus

Tinyrannosaurus and the Bigfootosaurus! by Nick Ward is about a young T-rex and his friends building a Bigfootosaurus out of snow and then accidentally mistaking a real (and not amused) Bigfootosaurus for their snowman.

Martin MacGregor's Snowman

Martin MacGregor’s Snowman by Lisa Broadie Cook, illustrated by Adam McCauley is about a boy who desperately wants to build a snowman. In his impatience for it to snow, he tries different, creative ways of making a snowman (like dumping flour on his younger sister and gluing cotton balls to his dog) that get him in trouble.

A Really Good Snowman

A Really Good Snowman by Daniel J. Mahoney is about an older brother who wants a little time away from his younger sister and her constant desire to “help” him. But when she demonstrates that she is not yet old enough to compete in the snowman building competition by herself, he sacrifices his chance of winning to help her build a snowman.

Crafts

  1. Cotton Ball Snowman (Preschool through Elementary)
  2. Egg Carton Snowman (Elementary)
  3. Marshmallow Snowman (Preschool through 2nd grade)
  4. Melted Snowman (Elementary)
  5. Puffy Snowman Painting (Pre-K through Elementary)
  6. Snowchildren (Preschool through Kindergarten)
  7. Snow Globe Snowman (Preschool through Elementary depending on amount of adult prep)
  8. Snowman Christmas Card (Preschool through Elementary depending on amount of adult prep)
  9. Snowman Paper Plate Masks (Preschool through 2nd grade depending on amount of adult prep)
  10. Snowman Puppets (Pre-K through Elementary)
  11. Snowman Suncatcher (Preschool through Elementary)
  12. Toilet Paper Roll Snowman (Elementary)

Math

  1. Christmas Pattern Blocks (Preschool through Kindergarten – There are two snowman patterns.)
  2. Counting Snowballs (Pre-K through 1st grade)
  3. Five Little Snowmen Felt Story And Math Activity (Preschool through Kindergarten)
  4. It’s Snowing Angles! (Elementary)
  5. Snowman Addition Fun (Pre-K through 1st grade)
  6. Snowman Counting File Folder Game (Pre-K through 1st grade)
  7. Snowman Fractions (Elementary)
  8. Snowman Math Activities (Elementary – The Last Snowman Standing Game was my favorite of the activities.)
  9. Snowman Place Value Worksheets (Pre-K through 2nd grade)
  10. Snowman 20 Frames Math Game (Kindergarten through 2nd grade)
  11. Temperature Snowman Melting Sequencing Cards (Pre-K through 2nd grade)
  12. Winter Math Activities With Printable Snowflake Number Circles (Preschool through Kindergarten)

Sensory and Fine Motor Activities

  1. DIY Fake Snow for Sensory Play (Preschool through Pre-K)
  2. Magnetic Snowman (Preschool through Pre-K)
  3. Make A Snowman Fine Motor Activity (Preschool through Pre-K)
  4. Snowman Activity Tray (Preschool through Pre-K)
  5. Snowman Sensory Bottle (Preschool through Pre-K)

Snacks

  1. Banana Snowmen
  2. Chocolate Pretzel Snowman
  3. Deconstructed Snowman Popcorn
  4. Marshmallow Snowman
  5. Snowman Brownie Bites
  6. Snowman Dessert Dip
  7. Snowman Oreo Cookie Balls
  8. Snowman Pudding

Happy reading!

Katie

P.S.

For more themed book recommendations and activities, visit my post library.

Math Stories

Katie Merkel

Disclosure

This blog post contains Amazon affiliate links. This means that as an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. There is no additional cost for you, and it helps me to keep creating awesome content!

Hello everyone!

Math can be a terrifying subject for some students. I liked it well enough, until Geometry (twitch, twitch). For those students who do not have a pleasant association with math, try some of these fun stories as a less threatening experience with the subject. And for those students who adore math, give them a read that combines story and mathematics.

I found so many amazing math books that I divided my recommendations into two groups: Math Stories and Math Practice. The books in the Math Stories section are stories where math plays a crucial role in the plot. The books in the Math Practice section are books that present problems in fun ways for students to solve.

After reading some of the books, engage your young readers in some of the fun math activities I’ve included at the end of this post.

Math Stories

Goodnight, Numbers by Danica McKellar, illustrated by Alicia Padrón shows numbers one through ten in everyday life. Suggestions for how to get the most educational value out of the book are listed on the last page.

Goodnight Numbers

Ten Magic Butterflies by Danica McKellar, illustrated by Jennifer Bricking shows different combinations that equal ten. Suggestions for how to get the most educational value out of the book are listed on the last page.

Ten Magic Butterflies

Math Fables: Lessons That Count by Greg Tang, illustrated by Heather Cahoon contains ten rhyming fables that each focus on a number: one through ten. Each fable shows different combinations that equal the featured number.

Math Fables: Lessons That Count

Give Me Half! by Stuart J. Murphy, illustrated by G. Brian Karas shows fractions, specifically halves.

Give Me Half!

Twinderella: A Fractioned Fairy Tale by Corey Rosen Schwartz, illustrated by Deborah Marcero shows fractions, specifically halves.

Twinderella: A Fractioned Fairy Tale

Full House: An Invitation to Fractions by Dayle Ann Dodds, illustrated by Abby Carter shows fractions, specifically sixths.

Full House: An Invitation to Fractions

Zero the Hero by Joan Holub, illustrated by Tom Lichtenheld shows properties of the number zero.

Zero the Hero

One Riddle, One Answer by Lauren Thompson, illustrated by Linda S. Wingerter shows properties of the number one.

One Riddle, One Answer
Math Mouse Series

Mouse Math Series illustrated by Deborah Melmon

The Mouse Math Series is geared towards preschool through second grade students. There are more books in the series. I only listed the ones that I thought best combined math and story.

Sir Cumference Series

Sir Cumference Series by Cindy Neuschwander, illustrated by Wayne Geehan

The Sir Cumference Series is geared towards elementary students, but this way of presenting math concepts could also help middle or high school students who need to have the information presented in a different way.

Math Practice

The Bedtime Math Series gives mini scenarios and then asks three questions per scenario. The questions are for different ability levels. These books can be used with children in preschool through late elementary.

Animal Math Series

Animal Math Series published by Gareth Stevens Publishing

The Animal Math Series combines science and math by presenting fun facts about animals and using those animals to teach math concepts. The large print and short sentences makes this a perfect series for beginning readers. There are more books in the series. I only listed ones that included multiple math questions.

Activities

  1. “20 Exciting Math Games for Kids to Skyrocket New Math Skills On-The-Go” by Marcus Guido (This article lists online and in-person math games for 1st-8th graders.)
  2. “30 Active Math Games and Activities for Kids Who Love to Move” by Jill Staake (This article lists movement math activities and games that are perfect for elementary students.)
  3. “15 Math Games in 15 Minutes or Less” by Natalie Lorenzi (The math games in this article are appropriate, or can be adapted, for Pre-K through 8th graders. The games are sorted by the length of time it takes to play each game: 5, 10, or 15 minutes.)
  4. SplashLearn (This website offers free online math games for K-5th graders. Parents and teachers can create free accounts that allow them to monitor their child’s or students’ progress.)

Happy reading!

Katie

P.S.

For more themed book recommendations and activities, visit my post library.