Winter classical music for kids: 12 pieces for cold days

Composers have written music about snow, ice, sleighs, and the wind for 300 years. These 12 pieces work from the first frost to the last patch of snow. Most of them have nothing to do with Christmas, so the list is good for January and February too.

Play one after a walk in the cold. Tell your child the title first, and ask what they expect to hear.

Snow

1. “Waltz of the Snowflakes” from The Nutcracker, by Tchaikovsky. Flutes flutter at the start, and the music speeds up as the snow falls faster. A choir sings with no words. Game: float a scarf, slow at first and then in whirls.

2. “The Snow Is Dancing,” by Debussy. A piano piece from a set called Children’s Corner, which Debussy wrote for his young daughter. Soft, quick notes fall one by one. Game: tap fingertips on the table, as light as you can.

3. “Walking in the Air,” by Howard Blake. The song from the 1982 animated film The Snowman. A boy and a snowman fly over the fields at night. Game: watch the film, which has no spoken words in the story, and let the music tell you what is happening.

Ice and cold

4. “Winter” from The Four Seasons, first movement, by Vivaldi. The violins shiver on short, repeated notes. Vivaldi’s poem for this music speaks of trembling in the snow, stamping feet, and chattering teeth. Game: stamp your feet when the full orchestra stamps. See the Four Seasons listening guide.

5. “Winter” from The Seasons, by Glazunov. A ballet from 1900. Four dancers appear in turn as Frost, Ice, Hail, and Snow, and each has a short dance. Game: guess which of the four is dancing before you check.

6. “Winter Wind,” by Chopin. A piano study. A slow, quiet tune opens it. Then the right hand rushes down the keys in a storm of notes. The nickname came from other people, not from Chopin. Game: count how many seconds pass before the storm begins.

7. Sinfonia antartica, second movement, by Vaughan Williams. Vaughan Williams wrote the music for a film about a journey to the South Pole. He later turned it into a symphony. This movement has whales and penguins in it. Game: waddle when you hear the penguins.

Sleigh rides

8. “Musical Sleigh Ride,” by Leopold Mozart. Leopold was the father of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. His piece has sleigh bells and the crack of a whip. Game: shake keys or bells on the beat.

9. “Sleigh Ride,” by Delius. Frederick Delius was an English composer who loved Norway. The sleigh sets off with bells, glides through a quiet stretch in the middle, and drives home again. Game: raise a hand when the bells stop and again when they come back.

10. “Dance of the Tumblers” from The Snow Maiden, by Rimsky-Korsakov. A fast, loud dance for acrobats, from an opera about the Snow Maiden, the daughter of Frost and Spring. Game: jump, spin, and freeze when the music stops.

By the fire

11. “January: By the Fireside,” by Tchaikovsky. Tchaikovsky wrote 12 short piano pieces, one for each month. January is calm and warm. Game: find the piece for your child’s birthday month and play that one too.

12. Symphony No. 1, “Winter Daydreams,” first movement, by Tchaikovsky. He was 26 when he wrote his first symphony. He called this movement “Dreams of a Winter Journey.” A flute and a bassoon play the opening tune together over soft, shimmering strings. Game: close your eyes and say what you see out of the sleigh.

A week of winter listening

Day	Piece	When to play it
Monday	Vivaldi, “Winter”	Getting dressed
Tuesday	Leopold Mozart, “Musical Sleigh Ride”	In the car
Wednesday	Debussy, “The Snow Is Dancing”	Quiet time
Thursday	Rimsky-Korsakov, “Dance of the Tumblers”	Before supper, to burn off energy
Friday	Tchaikovsky, “January: By the Fireside”	Bedtime

What to ask

• How does the composer show cold with instruments?
• Is the snow in this piece heavy or light?
• Which instrument is the wind?

There is no wrong answer. The questions get a child to listen for a few seconds longer.

For the eight nights of Hanukkah, read Hanukkah music for kids.

Print and play

Draw the weather in each piece on a listening journal page. Find more music by mood with the classical piece picker.

For the other seasons, read spring classical music for kids and fall classical music for kids. For the holidays, read Christmas classical music for kids. For the composers, read Tchaikovsky for kids and Vivaldi for kids. For more ways to listen at home, see how to introduce kids to classical music.