30+ Fun Groundhog Day Activities for Preschoolers

Ah, Groundhog Day: the most consistent, yet most forgettable, holiday to happen on the same day every year. You shouldn’t cast Groundhog Day aside, though, because kids really seem to get a kick out of it! Having some printable Groundhog Day activities for preschoolers can keep them busy for a little while, too.

If you’re a preschool teacher, the groundhog- and shadow-theme activities below are great ideas for your class. If you’re a mom looking for ways to kill time on February 2nd, you might actually enjoy some of this – especially all of the food ideas!

Jump to your preferred activity type:

• Books
• Printables
• Food ideas
• Crafts
• Educational activities

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Preschool-Level Groundhog Day Books

I’ve researched several books that read well at a preschool level. They all have excellent illustrations and fun stories that toddlers would enjoy as well!

Groundhog Day Printables

The following are included in my free printable bundle:

• Free Groundhog Day word search (preschool level)
• Coloring page
• Connect-the-dots coloring page (numbered 1 to 20)
• Shadow matching game

Now, I think the shadow-matching game is the coolest part. You can play the game two ways:

• Print one color set and one shadow set, and have your child match the groundhog to his shadow, or
• Print two color sets and flip them over to play the classic matching game.

I recommend printing on cardstock, or at least laminating the cards after you’ve cut them out. I love this laminator!

Groundhog Cookie Recipes

Molasses Groundhog Cookies

Ashley over at Wishes and Dishes has a great recipe for some tasty molasses cookies that happen to be cut into adorable little groundhogs. Because OF COURSE there’s a groundhog-shaped cookie cutter, right?

Assembled Groundhog Face Cookies

Fork and Beans creator Cara came up with a brilliant way to make Pinterest-worthy groundhog faces with pre-made cookies! Rolling and cutting dough is one of my LEAST favorite baking activities, so this is perfect. Just use some melted chocolate to hold all the parts together!

Pop-Up Groundhog Cookies

Back to Organic has come up with an… interesting Groundhog Day cookie recipe, to say the least. They’re kinda cute and full of all the good stuff – fudge rounds, no-bake cookie mix, and tootsie rolls. It doesn’t get much sweeter than that!

Groundhog Day Cupcake Recipes

Reese’s Head Groundhog Cupcakes

Angie at Bakerella topped some chocolate cupcakes with a clever combination of candies to look like the cutest groundhog you’ve ever seen. It’s made of a Reese’s cup, M&Ms, AND Hershey drops. Perfection.

Almond Joy Groundhog Cupcakes

This Food.com recipe has Almond Joy groundhogs popping up out of their delicious frosting dens. Even if you don’t like almonds, you get a delicious cupcake! Just share the candy bar with someone else.

Sprinkle Fur Groundhog Cupcakes

Craft Create Cook has a simple little cupcake where the whole top is the groundhog’s face, complete with chocolate sprinkle fur, Reese’s pieces ears (mm, I’m digging all these Reese’s recipes), and Whopper cheeks.

Other Groundhog-Themed Foods

Groundhog Day Pancakes

Start February 2nd off right with some groundhog pancakes! Joys of Boys creator Kara’s Groundhog Day pancakes idea just adds a little extra fun to celebrate the quirky holiday!

Groundhog Day Pudding

Kim at Best Ideas for Kids came up with a great idea for jazzing up a Nutter Butter to look like a groundhog that can burrow into a cup of chocolate pudding. Green coconut grass makes this perfect.

Preschool Groundhog Day Crafts

Groundhog Paper Bag Puppet Craft

The groundhog lends itself well to becoming a paper bag puppet, and Kids Activities Blog writer Melissa has it all lined out for you here.

Groundhog Face Paper Plate Craft

Tara at Homeschool Preschool came up with a super-simple, preschool-friendly paper plate groundhog face craft. Also, I’d never heard of dot markers before I saw this. They are basically bingo daubers for kids, and now I am obsessed.

Pop-Up Groundhog Paper Plate Craft

Kids Soup has a slightly more advanced paper plate craft template, but I like it because it actually allows your kiddo to play around with the groundhog’s shadow on the plate itself.

Play-Doh Groundhog Sculpting

There’s just something about play dough and modeling clay that kids can’t get enough of. Just grab yourself a pack of brown clay or dough, show them a cartoon picture of a groundhog, and let them go to town!

Groundhog Day Math Activities

Addition & Subtraction Groundhog Day Flash Cards

Alex at the Kindergarten Connection whipped up some pretty cute printable math flash cards with groundhog dens on the equation cards, groundhogs on the matching solution cards, and a number line to help out with the solving.

Measuring with Groundhogs

Megan from Coffee Cups and Crayons came up with a cute idea that works really well for preschoolers – especially if you have more than one! Just print out an image of a groundhog so that it completely fills the paper. Cut around the groundhog, and let your kids hold it against each other’s shadows. They can count how many groundhogs it takes to equal their own shadow!

I’d recommend printing on cardstock for sturdiness and attaching a popsicle stick from the side of the groundhog to make it easier to hold and move.

Groundhog Day Science Activities

Shadow Physics with Animal Silhouettes

Little Bins for Little Hands has a great printable pack of animal silhouettes you can attach to sticks or straws. Let your kids play with them outside or with a strong indoor light source (through a window or with a flashlight) to learn about how changing light changes shadows!

Shadow Sidewalk Chalk Art

Nell of Rhythms of Play has a great post that combines science and art together! Teach your kids how the groundhog’s shadow works by letting them capture their own with sidewalk chalk. Just trace their shadows, then let them paint their silhouettes with liquid sidewalk chalk!

Groundhog Day Gross Motor Activities

Body Shadow Experiments

This is a cool idea from Pre-K Pages. Let kids experiment with their body shadows in the afternoon! They’ll practice gross motor skills as they try to use their bodies to form different shadow shapes. And they’ll learn about how light and shadows move differently from physical objects in the process.

Block Shadow Matching

I love this idea from Jamie at Hands on as We Grow so much!! But you might need to use a fixed indoor light source instead of relying on window light because it might move and change the shadow a bit.

Build your own block structure in front of the light source, trace the shadow on a large piece of paper, then take the blocks apart and let your child figure out how to build the blocks back up to match the shadow. It’s a super cool puzzle made of light and blocks!

Don’t have a set of blocks like these? Melissa & Doug makes a really awesome, affordable set.

Shadow Tag

This requires no supplies whatsoever and still challenges kids’ gross motor skills. Start up a game of Tag, except instead of touching another person’s body to make them “it,” you have to step on their shadow!

This game requires some critical planning and strategy. It’s wonderful for children on the spectrum who like to play but don’t like to be touched.

Educational Video about Groundhogs

Let your kids watch this short video (just over 6 minutes) about groundhogs! It’s got some general information about the animal, history about Groundhog Day, and the ever-annoying but wildly attractive-to-children Woodchuck Song.

Before You Go…

Don’t forget that the Super Bowl is coming up, too! Check out my wildly popular Super Bowl commercial bingo cards! Everyone will have a blast playing along.