Winters can feel so. very. looong in the classroom. With dreary weather and the holiday season done and over with, students (and teachers) can get restless. Over the years, I've always found the best remedy for this to be adding a few new activities to the rotation. Sometimes that's all it takes to turn a day around! If you'd like to add some fun and engaging activities to your lessons this winter, I've got you covered! Check out 5 of my favorite winter activities, perfect for when you need something new and fun to focus on!
1. Winter Math Facts Write The Room
First up, here's an activity to get your students up out of their seats to work out some wiggles! Winters in the classroom often mean indoor recess which can lead to restless kiddos. For this reason, I love using write the room on inclement weather days! It's such a simple way to give students a chance to move around while still learning.
My Winter Math Facts Write the Room is perfect if your students need to work on 1st-grade math skills. This set of winter center cards targets addition, subtraction, balancing equations, related facts, and adding 3 numbers. Included in this set you'll find 5 sets of task cards (12 cards in each) with recording sheets. I've also included a blank recording sheet if you want to mix up the cards for mixed-fact practice.
Students will love the cute snowmen designs on these winter task cards. Use these for center activities, an afternoon lesson or split the kids up and play as a "scoot" game!
2. Winter Phonics CVCE Color & Write
Looking for no-prep worksheets to add to your winter lesson planning? These Color and Write Winter Phonics pages are just the thing! In these no-prep, printable worksheets students will look for words that belong to each word family and write it under the heading. Then they'll color the picture by color code.
This activity is perfect for fast finishers and word work centers as well as homework. I love having a few, no-prep activities to lean on in the wintertime when plans suddenly change. If you ever find yourself in need of a quick (yet meaningful) activity to fill some time during the day, these will come in handy! Not to mention, students will love coloring the winter-themed images.
3. Winter Color by Code
Speaking of coloring activities, who doesn't love Color by Code? If your kiddos need a minute to calm down, these can really save the day! Pop on a relaxing winter playlist from YouTube and give your kiddos a chance to decompress. On days like these, I love using winter color-by-code activities that focus on CVC and CVCE words.
Students will love listening to relaxing music while they search for silent E words as they color. I love using activities like this towards the end of the day when kiddos have been inside all day and are having a hard time focusing on anything. Try following up indoor recess, a scoot game, write the room activity, or group time with some calming coloring activities to refocus.
4. Winter Phonics BINGO
Looking for a fun whole group game? Winter Phonics BINGO will be a new classroom favorite! This game is perfect to use after winter break as a review of short vowels, blends, and digraphs before moving on to long vowels. I love that this game can be used with the whole class as well as in small groups.
The game boards come in 2 styles, with and without graphics. This makes them perfect to differentiate with your class in small groups. This fun reading activity will seem more like a game than a lesson to your students, perfect for those days you're having a hard time keeping student attention.
5. Winter No Prep Math & Literacy
Do you ever find yourself needing just one or two more, simple activities to add to your day? If so, these no-prep Winter Math & Literacy Worksheets might be just what you need! These pages were designed to target 1st-grade math and literacy skills without any added prep. They are perfect to add to your morning routine, squeeze into small groups, use as a transition activity, or for fast finishers!
As a first-grade teacher, I've learned how helpful it can be to have quick and easy activities like these around. Depending on the day, we might end up with a few extra minutes in our day. Rather than worrying about quickly coming up with an activity, I love being able to pull open a drawer and have these ready!
Try These Winter Activities
I hope these ideas offered some inspiration to your winter lesson planning! I know that after the holidays it can be hard to get back into the swing of things. For me, using activities that my students LOVE has always made ALL the difference!
If you're interested in adding any of these activities to your classroom, you can find them all in my TpT Shop. Happy planning friends!
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