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Groundhog Celebration Activities for Children

Americans celebrate Groundhog Day each year on Feb. 2 by waiting for a groundhog to come out of his burrow. The legend says that if the groundhog sees his shadow, he will return to his burrow for six more weeks. If he does not see his shadow, however, he will remains outside his burrow because spring has arrived early. Teach children about Groundhog Day with a variety of celebration activities they can do at home or in the classroom.

Crafts
- Print groundhog coloring pages for children to color. Paint cotton balls with brown paint to glue on the groundhog to make him furry. Make a groundhog puppet by cutting the picture out of the coloring page. Cut the head off the groundhog and glue it to the top flap of a small paper sack. Tape the body of the groundhog to the bottom of the sack to make a puppet. For basic puppets, have children tape groundhog pictures to wood craft sticks.
Games
- Create a groundhog hunt by hiding several pictures or plush groundhogs around a play area. Have the children try to find as many groundhogs as they can. The player who finds the most groundhogs wins the game. For an educational version, print different colored groundhogs or write numbers on each picture. Call out a color or number; the first player to find the correct color or numbered groundhog wins the game. Another idea is to call out a math problem like "2 + 2." The first player to bring you the groundhog with a number four wins the game.
Songs
- Teach children the song "Here's a Little Groundhog," sung to the tune of "I'm a Little Teapot." The song goes: "I see a little groundhog, furry and brown. He's popping up to look around. If he sees his shadow, down he'll go. Six more weeks of winter, oh no!" For a rhyme, teach the children "Groundhog, groundhog, popping up today. Groundhog, groundhog, can you play? If you see you're shadow, hide away. If there is no shadow, you can stay. Groundhog, groundhog, popping up today. Groundhog, groundhog, can you play?"
Other Activities
- Other activities include a tossing game and reading groundhog-related books to children. Make a tossing game by taping green poster board to the bottom of a cardboard box. Cut a hole in the box and lean the box against a wall. Have children try to toss plush groundhogs or brown beanbags into the hole. Groundhog-related books that are suitable for children include "Go to Sleep, Groundhog" by Judy Cox and Paul Meisel, "Groundhog Day" by Michelle Aki Becker and "It's Groundhog Day" by Steven Kroll and Jeni Bassett.

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