by Marianna Monheim, Jennifer Martinez, Marissa Despins, Shelly Rees, Jeanine Schneider, and Jacqueline Ortiz, updated October 28, 2024
Keep Upper Elementary Students Engaged During the Winter Months
Winter can be a magical time in upper elementary classrooms, filled with opportunities to boost curiosity and enthusiasm as the weather cools. However, it’s also a time when focus can wane, and teachers need easy, effective ways to keep students learning and entertained. That’s why we’ve rounded up a collection of winter activities in upper elementary, curated by six experienced educators, to help you maintain structure and excitement in your classroom. From scavenger hunts to STEM activities to project-based learning, these ideas are designed to keep students engaged and on track during the winter months.
Table of Contents
A Winter Activities Scavenger Hunt Your Students Will Love
Are your students excited about the prospect of a few weeks off of school? Rather than fighting a losing battle over sitting still, why not turn the tables and let your class get up, move, and learn at the same time?
This Winter Scavenger Hunt is the perfect movement-based game to keep upper elementary students engaged while building their nonfiction reading skills. With 24 fact cards featuring interesting trivia about winter break activities, students will search the room, find answers in text, and practice context clues—all while learning about indoor and outdoor winter fun. Whether you’re focusing on vocabulary, synthesizing information, or just need a fun way to practice reading, this activity pairs structure and movement in a way that will delight your students this holiday season!
Winter Holiday Themed Reading Passages
When the winter season comes around, Marissa from Creative Classroom Core likes to add a little holiday fun with Christmas themed reading passages! Marissa finds that one of the key advantages of using reading passages lies in their ability to accommodate students of different skill levels. Whether you have avid readers or those who struggle, reading passages provide content that can be adapted to meet various needs. This inclusivity is fundamental in creating a supportive and encouraging learning environment. Moreover, reading passages address multiple aspects of the ELA curriculum. They facilitate the development of reading comprehension, expand vocabulary, and foster critical thinking skills. By incorporating these passages into your curriculum, you not only expose students to diverse content but also equip them with essential skills that extend beyond the classroom. To learn more about reading passages, and how you can use them to add some seasonal fun to your classroom learning, check out the Creative Classroom Core blog!
Turn Your Classroom Into a Winter Wonderland
Jacqueline from The Little Ladybug Shop believes that winter is the most wonderful time of the year, filled with excitement and anticipation, making it a perfect opportunity to create engaging and thematic lessons. Keeping students focused during the winter months can be challenging, but incorporating winter-themed activities will spark their interest and keep them engaged. I love sharing some of my favorite winter resources, creative writing ideas, and must-have books for the season, along with math and STEM activities to extend the learning. Check out this blog for more ideas to bring the season into your classroom!
Encourage Creativity with a Winter Snowglobe Project
Jeanine from Think Grow Giggle knows that winter writing activities are not just for the holiday season! She loves using the seasons to engage young writers and get their creative juices flowing! Winter is the perfect season to practice descriptive writing! Her favorite project to practice figurative language and descriptive writing techniques while encouraging creativity is with this easy to create winter snowglobe project. Open up your art closet and grab construction paper and glitter (yes, glitter), and get ready to be impressed with the writing that your students produce from this writing project. Find out how you can create these here.
Emphasize Kindness With a Simple Winter Task Card Activity
The holiday season can turn even the most well-managed classroom into a chaotic winter wonderland. As a teacher, Jennifer of everything just so found that simple, winter-themed activities can be lifesavers for classroom management. In this blog post, she shares how a simple task card resource transformed her pre-holiday classroom experience. These easy-to-use cards not only boost positivity but also encourage students to reflect on kindness – a win-win for teachers and students alike. Curious how a set of cards could make your holiday season smoother? Read the post to learn more!
Create a Hot Cocoa Stand: The Perfect Winter Activity
Let’s face it. Winter blues are a real thing, especially in the classroom. Students and teachers are a bit tired of the same old routine, and with testing on the horizon, it can also be a very stressful time. Shelly Rees from Appletastic Learning knows that project based learning is a great way to keep students fully engaged and excited about learning while keeping things on-track academically. Check out this fun Create a Hot Cocoa Stand blog post, which includes 10 winter project based learning ideas that your kids will absolutely love! Students will love making a flip book, “How to Make the World’s Best Hot Cocoa”, designing their cocoa stand, creating a menu brochure, and so much more! Hooray for a fun winter learning project!
Looking for More Winter Themed Activities for Upper Elementary?
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Christmas Worksheets for Upper Elementary
