Fun and Engaging January Activities for Your Daycare Kids

 January can be cool, chilly, and sometimes rainy — but it’s also prime time for creative preschool and daycare activities that build skills and spark joy. Whether you’re inside due to snow or looking for sensory ideas to keep little hands busy, here are tons of fun ideas, plus links to real activities from our blog Funky Frugal Mommy to help you plan your month!

🎨 1. Winter and Sensory Crafts

Cold weather is perfect for hands-on artistic play.

• DIY Perfume Craft – Let the kids make their own “perfume” with flowers, fruit smells, and a bit of sparkle. It’s a great sensory project that gets them smelling, mixing, and creating! ➤ Check out this step-by-step idea from Funky Frugal Mommy: *Kid’s Craft: Make Your Own “Perfume”! *Kid’s Craft: Make Your Own Perfume at Funky Frugal Mommy
• Sensory Tray Experiences – Set up themed sensory trays with materials like cotton balls, rice, water scoops, or manipulatives. Great for exploring textures and encouraging fine motor discovery! ➤ Funky Frugal Mommy has a variety of sensory tray ideas you can adapt for January themes: Sensory Tray Ideas For All Ages 
• Food Science & Sensory Play – Bring food into learning! Cooking experiences like mixing cookie dough or exploring pasta textures give kids a multi-sensory adventure. ➤ Try Food Sensory & Science Activities from Funky Frugal Mommy for inspiration. 

🧠 2. Indoor Learning Through Play

When it’s too cold to play outside all day, turn your indoor space into a classroom full of learning:

• Obstacle Course Fun – Use cushions, tunnels, and soft toys to create an indoor movement course that builds gross motor skills.  
• Fine Motor & Sorting Games – Activities like color sorting, shape hunts, and bottle cap play help develop coordination and cognitive skills.  
• Storytime + Tea or Hot Cocoa Hour – Cozy up with blankets and books, and make it special with a toddler-friendly warm drink and snuggle time.  

🍪 3. Seasonal & Theme Ideas

January offers plenty of themes you can explore:

• Snowflake Crafts & Winter Animals – Paper snowflakes, penguin crafts, and arctic animal pretend play brighten up cold days.  
• January Sensory Bins – Create winter “snow” bins using cotton balls or fake snow along with animal figures or small scoops.  
• Cooking & Food Play – Turn National Oatmeal Month and Soup Month into fun cooking or sensory stations with warm foods or measurement tasks.  

🧪 4. Imagination and Role Play

• Pretend Tea Party or Restaurant – Set up play dishes and let kids take turns serving and eating together.
• Dress Up & Puppet Shows – Encourage storytelling by letting children make up characters and act out short scenes.

These activities are especially great for encouraging language and social skills, and they can be adapted for any space.

😊 5. Movement & Music

Even indoors, kids can burn energy:

• Dance Party Freeze Game – Play music and let the children dance; pause the music and they must “freeze”!  
• Animal Walks – Pretend to waddle like penguins or leap like frogs.

Movement games like these support coordination and bring energy into the day — especially needed during shorter winter days.

🧩 Bonus Toy & Game Inspiration

While not specific to January, fun games and affordable supplies help keep kids engaged all year:

• Affordable Craft Materials — Cardboard, popsicle sticks, toilet paper rolls, and tissue paper make great bases for DIY activities all month long. ➤ See 5 Affordable Craft Materials for Family Fun for ideas you can bring into your daycare stash. 

🌟 Final Tip

Mix up your schedule with creative time, movement time, and sensory stations each week. That balance keeps kids excited and supports learning in different ways — even when it’s too cold to run around outside!