By Liberty Simpson

As the temperature continues to fall, we know that winter is fast approaching. Winter is a magical time for many families. Celebrations like Thanksgiving and Christmas do to our souls what our home heaters do for our bodies. It's a season that many people, kids specially, look forward to.

For preschoolers, winter means less time playing outdoors and more time indoors. This scenario presents parents with the challenge of keeping their perpetually energetic kids entertained.

Days can seem pretty long when there is no activity to fill them. This is specially true for your active and eager little preschooler. So to keep those little limbs busy, here are seven fun activities you can engage your child in this winter.

1. Get them bustling in the kitchen.

Thanksgiving and Christmas are the seasons for get togethers. And a get-together is never complete without celebration food. Involve your little chefs in the kitchen by giving them simple tasks like mixing and sorting. Kids just love doing what they see you doing. It's also a great way to get them to try new food.

2. Hooked on coloring books and workbooks.

Preschoolers love scribbling and doodling. They specially love it when someone is there to look at them while they work. It's a great way to keep their hands busy and their minds sharp.

3. Puzzles and riddles.

Kids this age love solving problems so it's no surprise that puzzles and riddles are big. For puzzles, start with 6-piece puzzles and gradually increase the difficulty level. For riddles, a bunch of I Spy books are a big hit.

4. Eggshell art.

Improve the dexterity of these little hands with eggshell art. Keep the eggshells when you cook the eggs, wash and dry them. Let your kids crush the eggshells into teenie tiny bits. Give them a piece of paper with a drawing of their favorite object or animal. Ask them to glue eggshells inside the lines. When they're done, use watercolor to color the eggshells. When they're done, brush a layer of glue on entire artwork and let dry.

5. Paper puppets and story telling.

Give story telling a twist by using puppets that your kids have created. Give them patterns they can cut out on paper corresponding to characters in their favorite story. Let them use different colors of yarn for the hair and buttons for the eyes. Use these puppets when you next tell their favorite story.

6. Beads.

Let your kids use multicolor beads of different shapes sizes to create bracelets and necklaces. These make wonderful gifts to aunts and uncles and will provide your kids with an activity that will keep them busy for hours!

7. Sticker happy.

Preschoolers love collecting stickers. Give them a sticker book to hold their stickers and give them a sticker for every activity they complete or as a reward for good behavior.