As you head back to school after your holiday break, it's time to get your winter math and literacy centers ready to go! Here are some ideas for fun games and activities that will keep your students on task and learning during those chilly winter months!
January Math Center
Get your students excited to head back to school with plenty of hands-on activities at your math center. January in first grade is the perfect time to introduce ten frame addition. These simple penguin ten frame addition task cards make a cute activity that kids can do on their own during independent learning centers.
By this point in the year, most students are ready for some simple story problems in math. These snowman subtraction task cards have easy to read story problems. Students can use white pom poms or cotton balls to help them solve the problem on a winter work mat, then write their answers on the corresponding worksheet.
How about trying a little ice fishing this January? You can make a simple fishing pole with a dowel rod, string, and magnet. Then attach paper clips to simple fish cutouts like these. Students can fish for math facts, solve the problem and then add them to the bucket with the correct sum.
Finally, add some mini erasers and simple task cards like these snowflake ten frames. Students love practicing their addition any time there are cute manipulatives to help them out!
January Library Center
It's time to bundle up with all your winter favorites for your January library center. Kids will love reading books about snow, polar bears, snowmen, and penguins. Add a few props from the dollar store like snowman glasses and winter pencils as pointers to make reading even more fun this month. Some of my favorite winter books for January are:
There Was A Cold Lady Who Swallowed Some Snow
January Art Center
Don't forget to have a creative space for kids when you're setting up your winter math and literacy centers. The art center was always one of my student's favorite areas of my classroom. It was here that they could be free to create anything they wanted! During the month of January, students will love making snowy winter scenes when you load your art center up with lots of items for winter like
- white crayons
- white chalk
- blue and white construction paper
- aluminum foil
- faux snow
This torn paper polar bear was always a fun craft to make when we did our polar bear unit in January. No scissors are required. Students simply tear pieces of white paper to make a polar bear and add details with a white crayon.
Another fun craft is this mitten kid! We always made this craft when we would practice procedural writing and write about how to dress for winter.
Add some white playdough and toothpicks to your art center in January! Kids will love making their own little snowman.
Finally, Q tips, beads, and bits of aluminum foil can become beautiful snowflakes. Head over here to see how we make these snowflakes and read about our winter writing units
January Word Work Center
Keep your winter math and literacy centers fun and exciting with games like Feed The Winter Friends! In this game, students feed words with S blends to different winter characters. When they're done playing the game, they can practice the skill with a matching worksheet.
All aboard the Long Vowel Express! This simple game can be played alone or used as a whole group lesson in the pocket chart. Students simply sort long vowel picture or word cards into the matching train cars.
Another first-grade skill to practice in January is reading words with endings. These no-prep task cards are perfect to add to your phonics or word work center. Students read the words and clip a clothespin to the word that matches the picture.
January Writing Center
By January, your firsties should be ready to write several sentences. One fun way to help them practice this skill is with these winter silly sentence cards. Students choose a beginning, middle, and end and then write and illustrate their sentences. There are so many possibilities to choose from, students never get bored!
Another favorite to add to your January writing center is this winter write the room activity. This gets kids up and moving when they're trapped indoors during the cold winter months. Simply hang the different winter vocabulary words around the room and students search to find them. When they find each word, they write it on the matching worksheet.
Another fun writing activity in January is how to make hot chocolate. Why not make some crockpot hot chocolate with your students and then have them write the steps and make a simple hot chocolate craft. This is sure to be a hit with your students and you won't have to beg them to write! This is one activity they'll beg you to do!
Are you ready to get your students excited about math and literacy centers this month? Click here to grab these January games and activities.
Want to know more about how to use math and literacy centers in your classroom? Check out these posts.
