🎓 7 Free & Fun Winter Break Activities That Your Students Will Love!

What’s Inside This Week:

• The Big Picture: 7 Free & Fun Winter Break Classroom Activities

• Classroom Hack: Enhance your Classroom’s Organization

• Connecting the Dots: Links to my Favorite Educational Highlights from this Week

Happy Tuesday,

I hope you’re having a great start to your week. In this weeks issue of The Thinking Cap, we’re jumping into the winter holiday spirit as we get ready for winter break. This time of year isn't just for holiday cheer and relaxation; it's also a great chance to bring some unique, engaging, and seasonal activities into your classroom.

These activities are designed to cater to a variety of interests and skill levels, ensuring your classroom is an exciting and joyful place to be in the lead-up to the winter break. Continue reading below for a selection of winter-themed activities that are sure to bring a touch of festive fun to your week.

-Brandon

🏆 7 Free & Fun Winter Break Activities Your Students Will Love

1. Have a Snowball Fight!

A "Paper Snowball Fight" is a lively classroom activity where students throw paper snowballs with educational content, like math problems or vocabulary words, at each other. Students throw the paper balls at each other until the teacher tells them to stop. After the fight, each student picks up a “snowball” and works on the problem found inside.

This activity is especially great before winter break because it lets students release energy and enjoy a playful break, while also including an educational aspect. It only takes a few minutes to jot down a bunch of vocabulary words or practice problems on the papers used for “snowballs.” It's perfect for quick learning assessments and requires minimal preparation, making it an ideal activity for the festive season​. (Link)

2. Create a Digital Snowflake

This activity involves creating unique digital snowflakes using a web tool, perfect for when the weather isn't chilly enough for real snow. This engaging activity not only fosters creativity and digital skills but also serves as a metaphor for discussing individuality and unique talents with middle school students.

Students "cut" their snowflakes by drawing lines on a virtual triangle, simulating scissor cuts. They use their mouse to click to create lines to “cut” and then finish cutting by reconnecting to the first point. To complete their snowflake design, they click “Make snowflake.” (Link)

3. Winter Wordsearch

Wordsearches are a relaxing yet engaging activity that can help students unwind during the last few school days before winter break. Word searches not only provide a fun challenge but also reinforce vocabulary and spelling in a low-pressure setting.

Wordsearches are perfect for keeping the classroom atmosphere light and joyful as students and teachers alike prepare for the upcoming break. (Link)

4. Creative Winter Break Writing Prompts

Winter is a season that brings excitement, especially for kids who find joy in the chilly weather and festive activities. Using a creative winter writing prompts in your classroom is a great way to channel this enthusiasm into something educational and fun. These prompts aren’t just for English teachers and can be used by teachers in all subjects.

Writing prompts encourage students to experiment with different writing styles that they might not choose independently. Plus, they're a practical way to fill time with a meaningful activity, particularly during class periods right before winter break. (Link)

5. Snowball Writing Activity

Snowball Writing is a festive collaborative writing activity for middle school students. Each student starts by writing a story beginning based on a unique prompt. After a short period, they crumple their paper into a 'snowball' and throw it forward, either to a specific person or in a playful snowball fight​​.

Students then pick up a snowball and continue the story, adding their own twist. This process repeats until the story has three authors. Finally, the story is returned to the original writer who gets to see how their story turned out. This activity is a fun, engaging way to encourage creative writing and teamwork before winter break. (Link)

6. Tons of Free Winter Coloring Pages

Use these coloring pages to decorate your classroom or bulletin board. I am a huge fan of updating my classroom decor with student work centered around holidays.

This website makes it easy to scroll, select, and print your favorite designs with just a click. Have the students cut them out to display in your room, or let them take them home to put on the fridge. (Link)

7. Winter Break Back-to-School “Signo”

While technically an after winter break activity, 'Back to School Signo' is a fantastic way to welcome students back into the classroom. This activity involves a bingo card where each square represents a different activity students might have done over their break, such as reading a book, building a snowman, or helping cook a meal. Students sign their names in the boxes corresponding to the activities they completed.

This is not only a fun icebreaker to ease back into the school routine but it also encourages students to share their holiday experiences, fostering a sense of community and connection among classmates. (Link)

✏️ Steal this Classroom Hack:

• Winter Party Stickers

• Flexible Bendy Pencils

• Candy Cane Ball Point Pens

• Scratch and Sniff Scented Bookmarks

• Multi Color Ball Point Pens

👍 Why I love this hack:

This week’s Classroom Hack is focused on a thoughtful and festive idea: buying small gifts for students for winter break. Gifting students is a wonderful way to show appreciation and create a positive way to end the year. It's a gesture that can reinforce a sense of community in the classroom and leave students feeling valued by their teacher.

However, it is important to keep these gifts affordable, which is why I tried to include gift ideas that wouldn’t break the bank. Opting for inexpensive items such as pencils, stickers, pens, and bookmarks help to ensure that the gifts stay budget-friendly while still being meaningful and enjoyable.

✅ Have a classroom hack that you would like to share? Reply to this email and let me know what awesome hack you’ve created. (I can even include it in next weeks newsletter - with a shout out, of course!)

📚 Highlights from this Week:

• Avid Note-Taking Skills: A more detailed summary of how to use the 10-2-2 Scaffolding Strategy (Link)

• Onward: Onward addresses the issue of teacher stress and offers a practical way to reduce burnout in education. (Link)

• Zero: Zero explores the history and significance of the seemingly simple number zero, from its mystical origins to its pivotal role in mathematics. (Link)

• Mathcation: Use code 5Dollars on a Monthly Membership to get your first month for just $5! (Link)

Thank you for reading The Thinking Cap!

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