These winter I spy pages are made for snow days, cold afternoons and January classrooms. Each page is a crowded picture of wintry artwork with a checklist underneath: find each item, circle it and write how many there are. There are three themed packs and not one of them uses holiday pictures, so they work all season long. Every PDF has an easy, a medium and a hard page plus an answer key. Each winter I spy page asks children to find and count snowy pictures.
Quick answer: pick a pack below, print the PDF and hand out pencils. Page 1 is easy, page 2 is medium, page 3 is hard, and the last three pages show every answer circled. Keep a pack in a folder for the next snow day.
Winter I spy printables (PDF)
Each pack is a six-page PDF: three puzzles followed by three answer pages. Click a picture to open the PDF; the preview shows the medium page.
Which level should you print?
The three levels change the size of the pictures, how crowded the page is and how many things there are to find. The numbers below come from the pages in these packs.
| Level | Pictures on the page | Things to find | How many of each | Good for |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Easy | about 44 | 4 kinds | 2 to 5 | Ages 4 to 5, first counting |
| Medium | about 78 | 6 kinds | 3 to 7 | Ages 6 to 8 |
| Hard | about 118 | 6 kinds | 4 to 9 | Ages 8 and up, snow-day boredom busters |
How to use a winter I spy worksheet at home or in class
- Pick a pack. Snow day is outdoors, cozy home is indoors and arctic animals is about wildlife.
- Print one set per child. Add an easy page for the youngest helper.
- Read the checklist aloud. Say each name together, for example “penguins” or “mittens”.
- Circle, count and write. Children circle each match and put the total in the box.
- Check with the answer page. Every target is circled and the total is printed.
Winter activities that go well with these pages
| Situation | Pack to print | Why it works |
|---|---|---|
| Indoor recess on a cold day | Snow day, medium | The pictures match what children see outside the window. |
| Snow day at home | Cozy home, easy or medium | A calm activity that pairs with hot chocolate. |
| Science unit on polar regions | Arctic animals, hard | Children name animals before they count them. |
| Waiting at an appointment | Any easy page on a clipboard | A single sheet and a pencil are all you need. |
Science and language links
The arctic animals pack is a quick way to start a conversation about polar habitats. After a child finishes a page, ask which animals on the page live near the north pole, which live near the south pole and which could live in either place. The snow day pack leads to vocabulary: mittens, scarves, sleds and skis. Children can write a sentence with each word they found.
Winter find and count warm-ups for class
- Estimate first. Ask children to guess how many snowflakes there will be, then count and compare.
- Add the totals. Find the total for two items, or for all six on a medium page.
- Make a tally chart. Draw one row per item and mark each count with tally lines.
- Swap and check. Pairs swap pages and use the answer page to check each other’s counts.
Choosing a level for mixed ages
Siblings home on a snow day rarely share an age. Print all three levels of one winter I spy pack so they can all work on the same theme and compare totals at the end.
| Child | Level | Tip |
|---|---|---|
| Preschooler | Easy | Say each name together and let them point before they circle. |
| Early reader | Medium | Let them read the checklist words and write the counts on their own. |
| Older child | Hard | Ask for the total of all six items, then check with the answer page. |
Every pack here has the same layout, so children who finish one can move straight to the next with no new instructions.
Snow day tips for parents
- Print a few packs ahead of the forecast so a snow day never catches you without an activity.
- Print the answer pages on a second copy and keep them aside so that children can check at the end.
- Let children choose the pack. A child who picks the theme usually stays with the page longer.
- Use a thin book or clipboard as a hard surface if they would rather work on the floor or the couch.
How these pages are made
Each page is generated by a program: it chooses the targets for the checklist, fixes how many of each there will be, then scatters those pictures among many others so that nothing overlaps. The answer page is drawn from the same data, so the circles and totals always match the puzzle.
The pictures are Noto Emoji artwork from Google, used under the Apache License 2.0; the project is on GitHub. A credit line is printed at the bottom of every page.
Use the winter I spy pages on snow days or during the winter break.
Frequently asked questions
6 quick answers
Are these winter I spy printables free?
Yes. Print as many copies as you like for your own children or class, with no account or sign-up.
What age are the pages for?
Easy pages suit roughly ages 4 to 5, medium pages ages 6 to 8 and hard pages older children and adults.
Do the worksheets include answers?
Yes. The last three pages of every PDF are the answer key, with each item circled and the total printed beside the picture.
Are there any Christmas pictures in these packs?
No. These winter pages use snow, cozy home and arctic animal pictures, so they work for classrooms in January and February too.
Can I print them in black and white?
Yes. The pictures turn gray but stay clear, so choose the grayscale option to save ink.
Where are the Christmas I spy pages?
They are on our separate Christmas I spy page, with three festive packs.
More winter and puzzle printables
- Christmas I spy with three festive packs.
- Winter worksheets with a word search and activities.
- I spy printables in six everyday themes.
- Spot the difference printables with answer pages.
- Printable mazes in square and round shapes.
- Dot to dot printables.
- Every puzzle and brain teaser on PrintSheetLab.
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