December Winter Activities for Upper Elementary Students

POETRY ACTIVITIES, READING RESOURCES, SEASONAL LESSONS, THE LITTLE LADYBUG SHOP, WRITING RESOURCES

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Engaging December and Winter-Themed Activities for Upper Elementary Classrooms

December Winter Activities for Upper Elementary Students: December is a magical time in the classroom. As the weather turns colder and the days grow shorter, there’s an air of excitement and anticipation among students.

For teachers in upper elementary grades, this season offers a unique opportunity to incorporate winter-themed activities that are both educational and fun.

I love decorating and exploring the holiday season all month. Today, I will share ten ideas to bring the spirit of December and the joy of winter into your classroom while aligning with educational goals.

Winter Holidays Around the World: Teach your students about how different cultures around the world celebrate winter. This can include studying winter holidays, traditional winter activities, or how winter weather varies globally. It’s a great way to incorporate social studies and geography into your curriculum. This Winter Holidays Bundle has it all for you and you can use all of it or just a few, either way your students will have a blast!
- Winter Holidays Around the World Bundle (with everything shown and more)
- Winter Holidays Around the World Reading Passages (11 included)
- Winter Holidays Around the World Teach- Go Pennants Bulletin

Engaging December and Winter-Themed Activities for Upper Elementary Classrooms

Seasonal Science Experiments: Explore science through winter-themed experiments. For example, study the properties of snow and ice or experiment to see which materials make the best insulators against the cold. These activities can be fun to learn about states of matter, weather, and environmental science.
Decorate your Winter Wonderland Classroom: Whether or not you celebrate Christmas or Winter there are so many fun options. Take a peek at these beautiful set ideas here!

Winter Wonderland Word Problems: Math can be more engaging when it’s themed around winter. Create word problems involving buying gifts, measuring snowfall, or planning a winter party. This helps students practice their math skills and encourages them to apply these skills in real-world contexts.
Creative Writing Prompts: Encourage your students’ creativity with Christmas and winter-themed writing prompts. Ask them to write a story about living in a snow globe or what they would do on a perfect snow day. Or funny prompts that include writing and designing an ugly winter sweater. This enhances their writing skills and allows them to use their imagination. Having students write letters to Santa, create applications to become an elf or reindeer in Santa’s workshop are a few of some others! Take a peek at some here, too!

Winter Art Projects: Art projects are a great way to celebrate the season. Students can create snowflakes from paper, design their winter wonderland scenes, or even make holiday cards. These activities are not only fun but also help in developing fine motor skills and creativity.
Reading Books, Winter Edition: Transform your reading corner into a cozy winter-themed space. Include books that are related to winter, holidays, and cultural celebrations. This encourages students to read and learn more about different aspects of the winter season. You can even have students read and create these beautiful bulletin boards with these teach-go pennants for so many different books!
- Snowflake Bentley Winter Book Activities
- Winter Themed Book Review Activity Bulletin Board (25 included for use with any book)
- How to Catch a Reindeer Book Review Activity

Winter Solstice Science: Use the winter solstice as a teaching moment. Discuss why it happens, how it affects daylight, and its significance in various cultures. This can be part of a more extensive astronomy and earth science lesson.
Write and Perform a Winter Play: Encourage your students to write and perform a short play based on a winter theme. This activity is excellent for developing writing skills, public speaking, and teamwork.
Winter Themed Activities: Here are a few of my favorite winter themed activities to use all season long that will engage and help hit those standards while keeping that festive environment alive in your classroom.
- Winter Themed Poem of the Week: focus on studying originally written poems and poems by traditional poets. Students will analyze and study poems in a consistent and easy to use format. Bonus Christmas Poems included!
- Winter Themed Color by Code Bulletin Board: students love practicing their math skills with these fun color by code activities.
- Winter Themed ELA, Math, Reading, Book Review, Writing Prompt Packet: this packet is jammed packed with so much to leave for a sub or use any day of the week! I have you covered with this packet!

Don’t forget to check out these Winter Freebies available now!

Winter Fast Finishers Activities: this packet is perfect for your fast finishers, with tons of creative ideas to keep your kiddos engaged and learning!
Here are another two fun Christmas Freebies you won’t want to miss- Reindeer Food Freebie and Christmas Writing Craft Bulletin Board

December and winter offer many themes and ideas to make learning more engaging and fun. By incorporating these activities into your classroom, you can keep the season’s excitement alive while still focusing on educational goals. Remember, the key is balancing fun with learning, ensuring your students remain engaged and motivated throughout this festive season. Happy teaching!