Winter time is right around the corner, and it’s time to start planning seasonal activities for your students! One of my favorite ways to incorporate seasonal fun into the classroom is through writing. Winter writing activities are especially helpful, because you are either using them right before or after a long break.
When your students are anticipating their winter break, I find it helpful to lean into the excitement with themed activities. When you all return from your time away, seasonal, engaging activities can help your students ease back into the rigor of the school day! At any point in the winter season, these activities are sure to be a hit with your students.
Why Seasonal Activities Work
At this point in the year, our students are halfway to becoming second graders. There’s no time to waste, and maintaining the same amount of rigor in class work is important! We want our students to have the skills and stamina that they need for the next grade. Working seasonal activities into your classroom will help keep your students working hard for a few reasons:
1.) They can make better connections to the work. When the work students are doing in the classroom reflects the activities, weather, holidays, etc. outside of the classroom, it is easy to make connections! When students can make connections from classwork back to their own lives, it’s easier to motivate them!
2.) Motivation = resilience. When our students are motivated to finish an assignment, we see more focus and resilience against distractions around the room. We also see students digging deeper to finish work, even if it’s more difficult. Having more connections to an assignment, and finding the work more engaging will motivate students to finish.
3.) Resilience results in growth! When our students are focused, engaged, and pushing through distractions, we will ultimately see more growth. The more students practice any skill in our classrooms, the more they will grow.
Related Reading: How to Motivate Reluctant Writers
Winter Draw it! Write it! Read It!
One of my favorite seasonal writing activities is ‘Draw It! Write It! Read It!’. Each page of the journal comes with a brief, directed drawing, as well as a title that prompts students to come up with a story.
Students use the steps of the directed drawing to sketch an illustration that matches the title of the paper. After drawing, they write a story to go along with their illustration!
My Winter Draw It! Write It! Read It! journal has 10 different writing prompts and directed drawings themed around springtime! My students love these writing prompts so much, we use them in my classroom all year long. I know yours will love them too, and your students will grow as writers!
Winter Writing Journals
My Winter Writing Journals are designed to inspire students who aren’t sure what to write about! These prompts are printed directly onto writing pages, so students simply grab and begin writing. These are the perfect writing center to ease students back into stamina after a long, winter break.
Each journal comes with 25 different prompts. You can print and staple together, make a booklet for each student that can be used in a Work on Writing center, as early finisher work, morning work, and more! And if your kids love them, there’s also a bundle for the whole year!
Related Reading: Inclusive Classroom Winter Party Ideas & Activities
Winter Opinion Writing
Opinion writing is a simple way to get students started on making a claim and defending it. Over time, this leads to writing thesis statements and all kinds of big things!
But the first step is simply to form an opinion and explain why. Winter Would You Rather Prompts are a fun, seasonal way to do just that.
This resource comes with 20 different prompts that ask students to choose one of two options. Each page has the prompt, lines for writing their choice, and space for illustrations. This is an engaging center that your students will love!
Using these winter writing activities, your students will be engaged all through the season! Your students will love writing, and you will love how easy everything is to plan and prep. Happy teaching!
One Response
I taught elementary grades in a bilingual program (English/Spanish) and one of the most popular and fun activities the students did was Journaling. Sometimes I would read a story and the students would retell the story and illustrate it—the last one was optional—most children chose to draw letting loose their creative ideas. Other times, they would write about family gatherings, traditions, holidays, etc. English language arts was introduced in many different and fun ways.