Teacher’s Brain

Jingle All the Way to Learning: 5 Enchanting Christmas Activities for the Classroom

It’s the most wonderful time of the year, and it’s time to sprinkle a bit of holiday magic into your classroom with some Christmas activities for kids or holiday activities for elementary. 

Christmas and the winter holidays are just around the corner, and I want to share some festive resources and activities that will turn your classroom into a winter wonderland of learning and joy! 

christmas activities

If you are looking for Christmas activities for elementary students, you’re in the right place!

Teaching during the holiday season is a special opportunity to infuse the spirit of Christmas into your lessons while keeping the focus on education. Here are some of my favorite Christmas activities for kids!

Christmas Math and Literacy Worksheets

Christmas activities for kids

Are you looking for some holiday worksheets for your K-1 students? I have you covered with over 100 various types of worksheets, games, and printables that cover many kindergarten and 1st grade skills. 

Holidays Around the World Escape Room

holiday activities

Looking for a GREAT activity for your students to help your students practice problem-solving and learn about different winter holidays with a focus on the main idea? Digital Escapes™ are a fun way to get students to learn without even realizing it. NO Printing and No Prep needed for this digital escape! Super EASY for in-person or Distance Learning. 

Students will click an audio button for a short story and directions to help with their first clue. During the escape, students will be tasked with solving 4 lock clues in order to escape the room and break the spell a bad elf placed on them. There is a PDF included in this download with directions, the link to the site, an answer key, and an optional note-taking worksheet for students. This activity takes about 20 to 30 minutes to complete.

Christmas Ornament Poem (FREEBIE!)

free Christmas activities for kids

Are you looking for a great poem to easily download, print, and add to an ornament filled with a ribbon the same size as the student? I have you covered. 🙂 These make perfect gifts for the family!

Christmas Door Decorations

Christmas classroom decorations Christmas activities for kids

Ready to have the cutest door at school for the holidays? This is a simple door or bulletin board you can create using these printables. Pair Santa’s Vacation display with student writing samples or have students add a personalized bulb to the palm tree.

Santa is gone to the beach!

Ugly Sweater Christmas Writing Activity

Christmas activities for kids writing activity ugly sweater

Are you looking for a great way to do an engaging virtual OR in-person Holiday WRITING lesson with students?  I have you covered with these interactive, editable Google Slides to easily have students copy and paste movable parts to DESIGN their own Ugly Sweater.  Then, they will write a narrative, persuasive, or opinion paper about ugly sweaters.

‘Tis the season to be jolly and learn together! I hope you and your students love these resources as much as I do. 

Looking for more Christmas fun? Check out my post here! 

5 Fall Activities to Do With Your Elementary Students

Fall is in the air! Are you ready? 

The fall colors and weather are a fantastic backdrop for outdoor exploration. It’s the perfect time to take your students on nature walks, scavenger hunts, and teach them about the changing seasons.

I always loved using this time of year as a chance to explore apples and pumpkins in lessons. These activities not only engage students but also provide opportunities for math, science, and sensory learning. 🍁🍂📚

fall activities

If you are looking for some fall activities for elementary students, fall activity sheets, or fall worksheets, you are in the right place! 

So what are some activities you can do during the fall season? 

I have you covered! Here are 5 of my favorite fall themed resources to use this time of year! 

Fall Scarecrow Writing Craft

fall activities for kids

This engaging  fall activity will help your kids enjoy their writing time and provide a cute display for your classroom! Three different types of lines for you to choose from to make it perfect to individualize for your students.

Fall Math and Literacy Worksheets

fall crafts and math activities

Candy corn activities are so easy to get kids engaged in learning in the fall! Teach math, opinion writing, letter id, STEM and so more with this activity pack made around a candy corn theme! Learning made fun for fall time!

Fall Would You Rather Writing Activity

fall writing activities

Would you Rather Prompts are great conversation starters, ice breakers or writing prompts. Use these interactive, editable Google Slides to easily have students show one or two fingers to share their choice.

Fall Directed Drawing

fall directed drawing

Show students how to draw fall images with their writing using these directed drawings for primary and intermediate grades in 5 simple steps. Pick and choose what works for you to create a journal or a gift for others!

Pumpkin Worksheets and Activities

pumpkins worksheets fall activities

Looking for a great plan with everything you need to teach students all about pumpkins? I have you covered with this math and literacy plan that includes crafts, writing, reading, bulletin board options, posters, and so much more! 

 I hope your students love these fall activities, crafts, and worksheets as much as mine did! Fall is such a great season to celebrate in the classroom, so don’t miss out on the wonderful opportunities that fall brings! 

If you want more fall fun, check out these free fall printables! 

What are your favorite fall activities for the classroom? Let me know in the comments!

Simple Strategies to Teach Alphabet Letter Writing In Elementary

As teachers to little learners, we know the crucial role that letter writing plays in developing strong literacy skills. Kindergarten is an exciting time for the kiddos to embark on their journey of reading and writing, and mastering the ABCs is a foundational step! 

If you’re wondering how to teach alphabet writing, you’re in the right place. 

letter writing activities

In this blog post, I’ll share some friendly tips and engaging activities that will help your kindergartners practice and perfect their alphabet letter writing skills. So, grab your favorite marker and let’s dive in!

Introduce Letter Writing Gradually

Begin by introducing the letters of the alphabet one by one, focusing on both uppercase and lowercase forms. Each week, dedicate time to a specific letter, allowing ample practice before moving on to the next. Encourage students to trace the letters using their fingers or with tactile materials, fostering familiarity with the shapes and strokes.

Multisensory Approach

Engage your students’ senses and make it FUN by incorporating a variety of activities to reinforce letter writing. Use playdough to shape letters, allowing them to experience the tactile sensation. Draw letters in sand or shaving cream for a sensory experience that reinforces muscle memory. This multisensory approach not only makes learning enjoyable but also supports their kinesthetic and visual learning styles.

Letter Formation Songs and Rhymes

What kiddo doesn’t love music and rhymes?! Use catchy tunes or create your own letter formation songs to help children remember the proper formation of each letter. Singing and dancing along to the songs not only makes learning fun but also helps reinforce the visual and auditory aspects of letter recognition and writing.

Letter Tracing Activities

Provide your students with tracing worksheets that guide them in forming letters correctly. Just make sure that the worksheets have large, clear letters, and ample space for practice. You can encourage them to use a variety of writing tools, such as markers, crayons, or colored pencils, to keep their interest high. You can also laminate the worksheets to create reusable surfaces, allowing for repetitive practice.

Hands-on Manipulatives

Incorporate hands-on manipulatives to make letter writing interactive. Use magnetic letters, foam letters, or letter tiles for children to arrange and build words. This not only reinforces letter recognition but also helps students associate sounds with symbols, building phonemic awareness alongside letter writing skills.

Letter Writing Crafts and Art Projects

Combine creativity with letter writing by incorporating alphabet crafts and art projects. Encourage children to create collages using magazine cut-outs of objects that begin with the letter they are learning. They can also form letters using various materials like pipe cleaners, yarn, or clay. You can even get some finger-paint out and allow them to create art by painting letters! These activities not only reinforce letter formation but also foster fine motor skills.

If you are looking for the perfect resource for alphabet letter writing or letter writing activities, I have you covered! 

Grab the Alphabet Writing Practice Pages, Tracing Worksheets & Crafts Bundle! 

letter writing activities

Letter recognition and sounds are so important for students to grasp quickly and what better way than to practice! Use these printables and crafts in centers, whole group, small group, or for homework. This is an A-Z bundle!

These provide hands-on options as well as worksheets to help with busy mornings. Students will learn how to work independently after the first couple of letter sets are used because every unit follows the same pattern. There are plenty of things to choose from for the week if you are doing a letter a week. Students will practice fine motor skills with writing, cutting, and tracing.

letter writing activities

What is the download?

  • Letter A (16 printables which includes 3 crafts, a spinning game, letter identification, forming letters, playdough letters, BINGO daubing, tracing letters (upper and lowercase), letter sounds, and beginning sounds of words.) 
  • Letter B (16 printables which includes 3 crafts, a spinning game, letter identification, forming letters, playdough letters, BINGO daubing, tracing letters, letter sounds, and beginning sounds of words.) See Previews
  • Letters C-Z (These will follow the same format as units for letters A & B, but with different crafts.) 
  • Over 450 Print & Go pages
letter writing practice

Want to try it out first? No problem! Grab the freebie here! 

letter activities

If you love these ideas, I share even more alphabet practice activities here! 

Creative Spring Activities for Kids That Students Will Love

Happy Spring! 

This is such a wonderful time of year. The sun starts to shine again and flowers start to bloom. It’s definitely worth celebrating in the classroom. If you’re looking for spring activities for elementary students, you’re in the right place. I’m sharing some fun and engaging spring activities you can do with your students to welcome the season! 

spring activities for kids

How do you celebrate spring with kids? 

Whether you want to have a spring party with your students or just sprinkle some spring-themed activities into your lessons, these spring activities for school will get you started. 

  1. Planting: You can teach your students about plants and gardening by having them plant flowers or vegetables in the school garden or small pots in the classroom. This can be a fun and interactive way to teach kids about science and nature. For plant-themed resources, check out my resource here and here!
  2. Nature Walk: Take a nature walk with your students and have them collect different types of flowers, leaves, and other items found in nature. Once back in the classroom, students can use these items to make art projects or create a nature journal.
  3. Spring-themed Art Projects: There are many fun spring-themed art projects that you can do with your students, such as creating paper flowers, making spring-themed collages, or creating birdhouses or nests. Check out this adorable flower glasses craft! 
  4. Reading: Have students read spring-themed books and discuss the different aspects of spring, such as weather changes, new growth, and baby animals.
  5. Science Experiments: You can do science experiments with your students, such as creating a rain gauge or exploring the different parts of a flower. Here is a fun resource to try! 
  6. Spring Poetry: Teach your students about poetry by having them write their own spring-themed poems. I love this fun and creative way to teach them about language and expression. Here’s a fun poetry resource to try! 

These are all wonderful ideas, but my favorite activity is definitely my Spring-Themed Would You Rather resource. 

spring activities for kids

This is a fun and creative way to get your students excited about writing. Would You Rather Prompts are great conversation starters, ice breakers, or writing prompts. 

Use these interactive, editable Google Slides to easily have students show one or two fingers to share their choice. Then, they get to explain why they chose it by writing it out! 

spring activities for kids

What is in this download?

53 Google Slides with a moveable highlighter to share your favorite or the class’s most popular choice.

  • 50 Colorful WOULD YOU RATHER Slides
  • 1 Digital Writing Prompt Paper
  • 2 black and white ink-saving slides for handwriting practice

If you want to do this activity virtually, it’s totally possible and fun! Students can simply share a 1 or a 2 in the chatbox. 

You can delete slides you don’t want to send to students and add your own directions or images to the sides of the slides to personalize. One of my favorite things about this resource is it can be used for any grade level! 

Love this idea? I actually created it for every season too in this Seasonal Would You Rather Bundle. 

spring activities for school

You’ll get the spring resource plus the ones for summer, fall, and winter too! 

What is in this download?

200+ Google Slides with a moveable highlighter to share your favorite or the class’s most popular choice.

This resource is great for virtual or in-person teaching

  • 200+ Colorful Would You Rather Season-Themed Slides (Fall, Winter, Spring, Summer) 4 Resources Bundled
  • 4 Digital Writing Prompt Paper
  • 8 Black and White Ink-Saving Slides for Handwriting Practice. 

Check it out here! 

What are your favorite ways to celebrate spring in the classroom? Let me know in the comments! 
Looking for more spring fun? Check out my post on Easter activities here!