Winter activities to do in the classroom
Now that winter has kicked in, it can be difficult for teachers to think of fun and exciting activities to do with the class. With the excitement of Christmas upon pupils’, teachers can find that their attention and interest in class dips. Plus, it’s hard to think of activities that aren’t all about Christmas now Halloween is over.
To combat this, we have created and sourced some exciting winter activities to do in the classroom. These winter activities for kids cover many essential subject areas so that children are still learning whilst having fun. Plus, these activities can be continued in the new year and throughout the rest of the winter!
Art
One of the main subjects for winter activities is art. All sorts of crafts will happen in the classroom at this time of year, but is mainly overtook with Christmas crafting and art. Why not try some of these winter themed art activities with your class instead?
Build an igloo
A fun activity to do together as a class is to build an igloo in the classroom. All you need to do is source some empty milk bottles. This can be done through a collection from pupils’ homes that parents assist with or a class trip out to find some. Recycle old milk bottles to create a space children can use throughout winter.
Glue bottles together in a semi-circle to make the base and then stack more on top, following the semi-circle around. Once you have created a little doorway shape, start to build the bottles into a circle on top until you have made an igloo. Put in some comfy seating such as beanbags and even a rug to lay on and use the igloo as a reading corner for the winter! Children can also use the space when the classroom environment gets too much for them.
Paint wintery art
A simple yet effective winter activity to do with the class is painting. Let children pick a winter theme such as a snowy setting or an artic animal and allow them to create it using all sorts of paint. Children can get messy and have fun whilst improving crucial motor skills. Plus, art allows them to express themselves however they please.
Make fake snow
Why not try and make fake snow that pupils can play in? It’s super easy to create and afterwards you can have a designated sensory play space. We know that snow doesn’t fall for everyone in winter so guarantee your class opportunities to play in snow.
To create the fake snow all you need is baking soda, conditioner, glitter and snowflakes. Crumble the ingredients together until it resembles fine snow (powdery with no big lumps). Then move into a large play tray or sandpit for children to play around in and create anything they like.
Create snow globes
Another one of the winter activities for kids where recycling and repurposing play a huge part is creating snow globes. Source old jam jars that have been washed out to use as the globe. Find wintery figures to put in the jam jars and ensure that they fit. Mould clay to attach the figures to the jars and add some glycerine and water to create the snow globes. Make sure to have plenty of glitter pupils can choose from to complete them.
Paint rocks and stones
Why not go outdoors with pupils on a search for stones and rocks to paint in the classroom? Once you have gathered enough stones and rocks for the class, head back into the warmth and get painting. Prompt children to turn their stones and rocks into wintery things such as a polar bear.
Make a mouse out of a pinecone
Another one of the winter activities to do in the classroom that gets your class outdoors is creating pinecone mice. Wrap up warm and go for a walk to a nearby woods and gather as many pinecones as you can together. After that, head back indoors and use felt, card and glue to make the pinecones look like mice.
Children can use card to cut out ears and feet to stick to the top and bottom of the pinecones. They can then finish it off with gluing felt to the ears and cutting a circle out for the nose. These can be displayed in the classroom to go alongside your winter theme.
English
Many winter activities to do in the classroom help children with their English skills in some way. However, to tie fun activities with your English lessons, try these English-focused winter activities for pupils to enjoy and broaden their English skills.
Spell words in ‘snow’
Use the fake snow tray that you have created together to improve pupils’ spelling. Task children with different levels of words to spell out in the snow. You can do this as a one-on-one or class activity. Doing this helps pupils to build their spelling skills as well as teaching them sounds of words too as they spell it out. Plus, teachers can start to gauge where each class member is up to with their spelling levels. Which can help identify pupils who need extra help.
Make snowman puppets to use in role play
Role play is a huge part of learning English and developing speech too. This is one of the best winter activities for kids as they get to create something they can play with. All you need to create snowman puppets is some old donated white socks, and some extra materials such as felt to create the face. Let children be as creative as they want with their sock puppets and give them fun winter scenarios, they can act out together with the puppets.
Create winter themed journals
Get crafty by creating winter-themed journals as a class. These journals can then be kept for children to write their progress in lessons, thoughts and anything else they may want to jot down. Pupils can decorate their journals however they like and make them extra wintery. Having a journal can improve writing skills as well as allow children to understand thoughts and feelings.
You could use our mental wealth journal so, you’re not starting from scratch. Get the class to draw themselves in a wintery setting on the white box at the front. Or create new covers for the journal and stick them on instead.
Maths
Maths is another core subject that is great to incorporate some fun winter activities for kids into. Discover our free downloadable fraction tree worksheet plus other maths-based activities to try out.
Patterned snowflakes
Explore and understand symmetry with this winter activity. Task your class with creating wonderful, patterned snowflakes that are symmetrical. Supply a range of different craft materials for children to choose from. Give them the option of cutting symmetrical lines out of paper or card, or using smaller materials like cotton buds to glue onto paper.
Make salt dough decorations
Using simple ingredients (plain flour, salt and water) your class can create amazing salt dough decorations to hang in the classroom. Following a simple recipe, children can direct themselves to create wintery or Christmassy shapes. They can learn all about following directions, understanding measurements and measurement conversions whilst having fun. Plus, afterwards, they can paint the decorations and add anything they want to finish it off.
Do our fraction tree worksheet- free to download
Our fraction tree worksheet is perfect for bringing a hint of Christmas spirit into your winter activities for kids. Pupils can explore fractions in an enjoyable way through baubles on a Christmas tree. Once they work out the fractions, they can colour in the worksheet too for some extra fun.
Download now and print out for your whole class to complete.
PE
Getting active during winter can be very difficult as the weather changes and turns colder. However, there are ways to get your class moving whilst staying warm indoors. Use these winter activities to do in the classroom for PE lessons or for a bit of fun to break lessons up.
Winter animal yoga
Twist basic yoga by incorporating winter animals into the positions. Shout out a list of different winter animals and encourage the children to become that animal. They must try and create a yoga shape that looks like that animal whilst still stretching their body and gently exercising. This allows children to use their imaginations to create winter animal shapes as well as letting them be silly and carefree for a while.
Winter Olympics
One of the most imaginative and exciting winter activities for kids is to create your own version of the winter Olympics, even if there’s no snow. Find a way to twist and include some classic winter Olympic activities that you could set up indoors. Maybe it’s hiring some roller skates to ice skate or setting up a winter-themed obstacle course. Challenge children with a variety of ‘winter Olympic’ sports and create a competition to make it more appealing to them. You could give away medals for winners so that pupils will want to take part.
Science
Another crucial subject to cover is science. Make your science lessons enjoyable with these winter activities to do in the classroom so that children can learn all sorts of areas to do with science.
Foaming snowman experiment
Create a snowman out of foam as a class and watch the reactions occur once built. Use washing-up liquid, baking soda and salt to mould the snowman (it should be a firm dough). To see the snowman react and melt into foam, douse it in vinegar and watch the science unfold. Explain to pupils what is occurring when you add the vinegar so that they learn whilst experimenting. Let each child have a go at adding the vinegar so they can understand the chemical reactions further.
Discover reactions through winter playdough
Delve into the reactions that can occur during the process of making playdough whilst creating wintery scenes. Have a go at creating some of your own playdough and see what reactions take place during the process. Whilst this is being created for children to watch, let them make anything to do with winter with our festive playdough .
Explore winter wildlife outdoors
Wrap up warm and head outdoors to explore the winter wildlife surrounding you. Create a list of winter wildlife to find and go on a scavenger hunt for them. Pupils can learn simple biology through this winter activity. When they find each wildlife, give them some information about the animals and where they live to expand their knowledge.
Our winter activities to do in the classroom are perfect to pair with crucial subjects. Entertain your class and get them interested in learning through the restlessness of the lead up to Christmas, as well as the return in the new year. Carry these activities on throughout the winter months and expand many different skills with fun and simple activities.
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For more wintery fun check out our 12 days of Christmas blogs and get in the festive spirit!
