Returning to school after winter break can be hard and January tends to feel like such a long month. Luckily there are so many fun things to teach about during this time. I love incorporating tons of winter and snow/snowmen activities during the month of January.
Morning Bins
Morning bins are how I soft start the day in my classroom every day. Students come in and get to do fun hands-on, fine motor activities at their tables. These activities include building with different materials, cutting, hole punching, etc. The January morning bins are all related to winter things. Students always have so much fun with these activities and look forward to the new theme each month.
Melted Snowman Writing
One of my favorite winter read alouds is Sneezy the Snowman. It’s an adorable story about a snowman who does different things to warm up, but then ends up melting. After reading the story, we pair this melted snowman writing craft with it. Students write about how their snowman melted and make their own melted snowman. To make the melted snowman, I mix equal parts shaving cream and liquid glue, and it dries like puffy paint. You can watch how it is made HERE.
Snowman Sensory Bin
In my classroom, sensory bins are always a part of our centers. An easy filler for a winter sensory bin is cotton balls. Here, I paired the cotton balls with this snowman sounds activity from my Year Long Sensory Bin Bundle. Students just pick a snowman, look at the picture, determine the first sound, and write the letter on the recording sheet. It is a super simple activity, but great letter sound review.
Winter Emergent Readers
I often use emergent readers during my small group instruction, and then as something students can keep in their book boxes to read as an early finisher activity. They are great for practicing sight words, learning how to track, and becoming independent readers. These are some of my favorite January books from my Winter Emergent Reader Bundle.
Math the Room
Math the Room is always a favorite center in my classroom. Students get to use clipboards and walk around the room to find the picture cards. They count the pictures and write how many on their recording sheets. I can easily differentiate with the recording sheets, because there are different versions including writing the number, filling in a 10-frame, and comparing the amounts. I also have picture cards for teen numbers, addition, and subtraction.
Snowman Number Sense Puzzles
Another fun math center, are these snowman number sense puzzles. They are great for subitizing practice and numbers to 10 review. To do the activity, students choose a snowball, count how many, and match it to the snowman with the correct number to build all of the snowmen.
Fake Snow Sensory Play
Making fake snow is a fun activity for everyone, but especially if you live in an area that doesn’t get real snow. This recipe is so easy and it truly feels and acts like REAL SNOW!
All you have to do is mix 1 part conditioner with 6 parts baking soda, and then play. It feels cold and packs together like real snow. The best part is that the room will smell AMAZING!
Check out my reel to see it made HERE.
Color By Code Activities
Finally, you cannot go wrong with Color By Code activities. My students love to do these and they are great for reviewing skills we have worked on, such as letters and numbers. I use them all the time as early finisher activities, morning work, and even in my writing center that students can visit during free play time.
Hopefully this gave you some ideas for some fun and engaging activities to do in January with your students.
I know many schools celebrate their 100th day of school in January as well. Check out how I celebrate the 100th day of school HERE.
