7 Fun Ways to Learn About Arctic Animals for Kids

Children are naturally curious about animals which can make it easy to encourage their learning about different regions and areas of the world.  If you don’t live close to the Arctic (and most of us don’t), learning about Arctic animals for kids can be a bit difficult because they probably won’t see most of these animals anytime soon.  

But there are many ways you can help your child learn and explore the arctic habitat and learn about these amazing polar animals who can survive in frigid temperatures.  Expanding your learning and exploration to include the Arctic for kids, will help your child

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Arctic Animals for Kids

Here are seven easy ways to encourage your child to learn about the Arctic.  Learning doesn’t have to be complicated or expensive, but as your child expresses interest, let their curiosity and inquiry encourage their learning.  Exploring the Arctic for kids will be an adventure that you can enjoy with your child as you learn about the animals, ecosystems, landforms, weather, and so much more.

The Arctic might be a very different climate and area than where you live, but learning about the Arctic for kids can expand their knowledge of the world around them.

Books about Arctic Animals for Kids

Read some books about arctic animals for kids. 

Go to the library and ask for books about Arctic habitats, and Arctic animals for kids, and don’t forget to look for Arctic animals picture books as well.  Then settle in with your new books and read together as you learn about these amazing animals.  

Worksheets about Arctic Animals for Kids

Worksheets and printables are a fun way to learn more about Arctic animals for kids.  Printable activities are great because you can print them as you need them and then print them again.  No need to save the workbook for a rainy day as you can bring the pages your child enjoys out again and again.  

Visit the Zoo

If you live close to a zoo, find out what polar animals they have.  Many zoos have done a really nice job of re-creating an arctic habitat for the polar bears, snowy owls, foxes, and other arctic animals used to the cold.  

Some zoos even have additional learning opportunities such as hands-on classes, behind-the-scenes visits to feed the animals, or additional worksheets or materials to supplement what you will see in the exhibit and read on the signs.  

If you don’t live close to a zoo, you can check out the Alaska Wildlife Conservation Center website with pictures and information about many Arctic animals.

Play Games to Increase Knowledge about Arctic Animals

Play games such as Arctic Animal Bingo to familiarize yourself and your kids with the animals who live in the polar regions.  Games like this can be played over and over again, are portable, and can accommodate the whole family.

Arctic Animal Toys

Another way to encourage your child to explore the Arctic is to get some Arctic animal toys for kids to help them imagine and play.  These animals can provide tons of hours of creativity and play while giving your younger children hands-on ways to explore and learn.   

Hands-On Learning about Arctic Animals

Create a diorama and include the Arctic habitat and Arctic animal pictures or figures.  Dioramas are a lot of fun to create and allow for your child’s creativity to come out.  If you’ve never heard of a diorama or need some help with ideas, here’s a great post with directions and pictures.  

Assimilating What You’ve Learned about Arctic Animals

Create a poster with all the information you’ve learned about the region including information about the arctic habitat, which polar animals live there, what they eat, where they sleep, and how they survive.  

Most posters include pictures and your child might enjoy drawing their own Arctic animal pictures.  We absolutely love this series of drawing books for kids! 

When creating a poster, you will want to help your child explore some facts about Arctic animals to help them represent them in their true habitat.  Here’s a great place to start when looking for facts about Arctic animals for kids.  

Another great resource for facts about Arctic animals is Little Learners Corner.

Gates of the Arctic National Park has some additional facts about Arctic animals and pictures. 

Animals in the Arctic Ocean

When you are learning about Arctic animals, don’t forget the animals in the Arctic Ocean.  Some of these animals are beluga whales, narwhals, orca whales, grey whales, walrus, seals, and sea otters, which are just a few of the many animals in the arctic ocean.  There are also many amazing migratory birds that spend large portions of their lives in the Arctic Ocean as well as several varieties of salmon and other fish that thrive in the cold waters.   

Some of these animals in the Arctic Ocean are huge and some are as small as the little creatures that provide nutrition for the larger whales.  You can learn more about a lot of these animals in the Arctic Ocean here. 

Arctic Facts for Kids

If you live in a region that doesn’t get much snow, and you’ve never experienced a day when the sun never goes down or a day when the sun never comes up, then you will enjoy learning some arctic facts for kids.  

As you learn about some Arctic facts for kids, you may be surprised at some things that are different than you thought.  You may also try to experience a day when the sun doesn’t go down by sleeping with your lights on all night!  

Here are some additional websites with fun Arctic facts for kids that can help you learn with your child.  

Arctic Facts for Kids

10 Arctic Facts for Kids 

Amazing Arctic Facts for Kids with Pictures 

Want to explore the Arctic for yourself?  Why not plan a trip to Alaska with your kids and learn more about the habitat, and animals of the Arctic, and experience a day with very little sun in the winter or a day with no night in the summer?