The changing of the seasons presents a new opportunity to explore core content through the lens of winter themes. While every classroom might not have snow piled up out the window, you can use the new season to energize lessons with a winter spin. What winter classroom activities will you try this year?
Today on the blog, I have a handful of winter classroom activities to share with you. They include an EdTech connection and favorite tools to explore, too. Each one is ready for you to customize for your students. You might use one of the EdTech tools I suggest below or reach into your tech tool belt to use a familiar website or app with one of the activity ideas.
Let’s jump into the list of winter classroom activities!
9 Winter Classroom Activities
By integrating technology into your winter-themed lessons, you can provide students with engaging, interactive experiences that reinforce curriculum goals while celebrating the season. Each activity can be tailored to the specific tools available in your classroom and the unique interests of your students.
Snowflake Geometry
Use digital tools to create symmetrical snowflakes and understand basic geometry. Leverage digital tools like Google’s AutoDraw to craft intricate symmetrical snowflakes, or have students snap a picture of their own illustrations and create a video explanation of their work. This activity can provide students with a hands-on understanding of symmetry, angles, and geometric patterns.
Arctic Animal Statistics
Students can conduct research using a variety of online sources, including National Geographic Kids, to gather data on arctic animals and then employ a spreadsheet tool like Google Sheets to track and compare their statistics, such as dietary habits, average heights, or even migration distances. This activity is perfect for a cross-curricular winter classroom activity that connects math, science, and environmental education.
Wintertime Story Prompts
Students can use an open-ended tool to write and narrate their own winter tales. Students can add images and illustrations or record their own voice using a tool like Book Creator. If you’re looking for writing prompts and ideas related to a particular skill set (like sequencing), use Pressto’s Writing Assistant for more ideas.
Melting Experiments
Students can record videos that capture ice melting under different conditions to explore states of matter and temperature. Students can use a tool like Apple Clips to record their observations and add voice narration to describe what they have seen. Apple Clips lets students create videos on iPad or iPhone, but if you are in a Chromebook classroom, you may want to try a video tool like MS Flip.
World Winter Holidays Research
Students can create digital presentations about winter holidays around the world using a presentation tool like Adobe Express. They can research different pieces of information, including customs, traditions, and foods, to craft digital presentations that bring winter holidays to life. Students can create videos that include slideshows, photographs, and even voice narration to detail the unique customs, traditions, and foods that define these celebrations. It’s a great way to explore different cultures and enhance research and presentation skills at the same time.
Winter-Themed Infographics
There are lots of things students can research related to wintertime, including weather patterns, attendance at the Thanksgiving Day Parade, or other seasonal statistics. Infographics are a fantastic way for students to share information that they’ve gathered in a visual format. So, if your students study a topic like “showing the impact of climate change on polar regions,” they can use a tool like Genially or Canva to create infographics.
Market Analysis on Winter Shopping
For a math connection, you might have students conduct a market analysis on consumer products related to wintertime. For example, they can review real-world data about winter gear sales to understand the variety of prices for similar products. Are introducing skills like finding the mean or median? This is a great way to make a wintertime connection.
Winter-Themed Podcasts
If your students love listening to podcasts, have them make their own this winter! Students can write and record podcasts discussing winter literature or create original winter stories. So, if you’ve read aloud a favorite winter book, your students can use a tool that gives them access to an audio recording (like Seesaw or Soundtrap) to share their own winter stories in the same style or format.
Sports Science Videos
I love the Winter Olympics! But no matter what year it is, there are plenty of winter sports you can introduce to students – perhaps with a science connection. Students can review videos to analyze the physics of ice skating, skiing, or snowboarding. They can create their own short videos that include explanations of the forces and motions they observe.
Favorite Winter Classroom Activities
There are lots of ways to integrate technology into instruction to help students explore new topics. These favorite winter classroom activities are ready for you to customize for your students. For example, if your students love ice skating, they can look for data on this topic to create an infographic. Or if your students love Jan Brett’s books, they can use this author as inspiration for their own winter stories.
Let me know which winter classroom activities you’ll try this year! Send a message, tag me in a post on Instagram or Twitter (X), or simply reply to one of my Monday newsletters (sign up for free here) and let me know what you’re most excited about.
