Winter can make for long and tiring days in the classroom. In NY, January and February typically bring very cold snowy days. This can limit how much we get to go outside for recess. My kiddos often become antsy and cranky from it all. That’s why it becomes super important to get them up and moving and engage the class in some novel and fun activities while targeting their skills.
I try to build in some type of movement in most of my lesson plans. It doesn’t always have to be students running, hopping, etc. It can mean creating more opportunities for students to get up and put something on the board, adding a sensory component like shaving cream or hands on interactive books.
Add In Gross Motor Movement
For gross motor, I threw laminated snowflakes up into the air and had students collect as many as they could. They LOVED it!!
The snowflakes were two different sizes. Once the students had found all of the snowflakes, we sorted them by size and graphed how many each student found.
Add In A Sensory Component
We practice writing numbers in shaving cream….
We bring snow inside and write about it after playing in it. Great opportunity to talk about the senses!
Add In A Higher Rate Of Response
Interactive books create many opportunities for students to participate and get their hands on materials. This naturally encourages attending skills and participation while specifically targeting language and academic skills. You can cover TONS of different standards and skills!
Click HERE to check out all of the different skills you can cover with interactive books. Here is a sampling of some of the books we will be using this winter.
You can incorporate sensory:
You can incorporate gross motor:
I just LOVE how much I can cover with interactive books!!
I hope this post has sparked some new ideas for you. How do you keep students engaged throughout the winter?
(Visited 72 times, 1 visits today)
Thank you so much for sharing these activities. I am a new resource room teacher from Guam, and naturally we don't get any snow. My students are going to love catching their very own snowflakes!
Inez
Hi Inez,
I bet they will love it! Maybe you could try the snow sensory bin with shaved ice?
Thanks for stopping by!
Pam