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A Curated Collection by Jennifer Findley
The stretch between Thanksgiving and winter break can feel like a whirlwindâstudent energy is through the roof, and their focus? Not so much.Â
With the right strategies and resources, you can harness that energy and keep your classroom on track.Â
Letâs turn the chaos into calm and make these weeks some of the most productive of the year!
This guide is divided into two sections. Check out both of them or go to the one that fits your needs best!
Keep students interested by adding winter, holiday, or relevant themes to your lessons or into students' independent practice.Â
These themes grab attention and make learning feel fresh and exciting, even if they aren't directly related to students' lives.
Topics
- Winter weather and seasonal changes (snow, ice, hibernation)
- Winter sports (ice skating, snowboarding, skiing)
- Winter celebrations (festivals, winter solstice)
- Family and community traditions during the winter
- Animals in winter (migration, adaptation)
- Winter survival stories (blizzards, extreme cold)
Examples
- Reading themed passages for small group, whole group, or independent reading
- Assigning themed writing prompts, such as getting stuck in a snow globe
- Using themed math centers with engaging visual graphics
Motivate students with rewards that matter to them and that will help them be successful during this hectic time.
Whether it's extra recess or social time, keep the focus on reinforcing positive behaviors that fit their developmental needs.
These can be end of the day or end of the week rewards (or both!).
Examples
- Offer extended recess or free social time.
- Let students earn time with younger students (pre-k or kindergarten).
- Use simple games like Four Corners or Minute to Win It as rewards.
- Allow students to âearnâ more time for favorite activities, like creative projects
Boost engagement with activities that get students moving, working together, and using techâall while keeping behavior expectations clear.
Examples
- Around the Room: Tape task cards around the room and have students solve problems in pairs or small groups while staying active.
- Scoot: Set up task cards on desks. Students rotate between desks, solving problems as they move.
- Collaborate: Use partner or small group activities to get students talking and solving problems together.
- Use Technology: Incorporate holiday-themed digital tools like Google Slides or interactive websites.
- Gamify Learning: Add competition with games like Jeopardy or activities that involve a fun physical element like tossing a ball for correct answers.
Stick to your regular routines but sprinkle in fun activities to keep students interested. Try to add in the strategies above without throwing off your class flow.
 Examples
- Strategy 1: Use seasonal content for routine activities (such as reading centers), like reading a passage or writing practice.
- Strategy 2: Save activities like Minute to Win It games for the end of the day to avoid disruptions.
- Strategy 3: Increase your normal proactive engagement strategies like partner talk or brain breaks, but keep them simple and quick.
Caveat: If you introduce something thatâs a big change from the norm, spend extra time teaching behavior expectations explicitly. Post the expectations if possible, and have a logical consequence ready (like a different assignment) if students canât follow the rules.
Frequently Asked Questions
How can I adapt these strategies if my students arenât interested in holiday themes or if I want to ensure lessons are inclusive?
What if I donât have enough time to prepare seasonal or holiday-themed activities?
How can I manage students who donât respond well to positive reinforcement?
Can I use these strategies with students with behavioral challenges?
What should I do if students get too excited or disruptive during holiday-themed lessons?
How do I engage students who finish activities quickly or seem bored with holiday themes?
How do I make sure Iâm balancing fun with actual academic progress during this time?
Winter-Themed Resources for 4th and 5th Grade
Are you a member of All-Access Reading or All-Access Math?
Be sure you're logged in to access the members-only resources in the math and literacy sections!
âŹď¸ SCROLL DOWN TO ACCESS YOUR RESOURCES NOW! âŹď¸
An Important Note:
This collection includes secular Christmas and winter resources. However, even secular content may not be the best fit for many classrooms. Inclusivity is crucial, so keep that in mind when selecting materials. When in doubt, stick with the winter themes to ensure all students feel respected and included.
Winter Break Packet
This packet is a great way to review math and literacy. The activities are winter-themed and include a mix of math, literacy, and just-for-fun activities!
DOWNLOAD NOW!
Winter Math Puzzles
Challenge your students to review all operations using these winter themed printable math puzzles.
Winter Constructed Response Tasks
Encourage your students to dig deeper into math concepts with these printable and digital winter constructed response tasks.
Build a Snowman Decimal Activity
Allow students to "build" a snowman (on paper or digitally) after calculating the total price of their chosen accessories. Finished products make for a cute bulletin board display!
Christmas Math Puzzles
Engage your learners in a mixed operations practice using these fun Christmas themed printable math puzzles.
Christmas Math Interactive Notebook Templates
Use these adorable Christmas themed printable templates for your students to practice various math skills including multiplying and dividing whole numbers, determining volume, oder of operations, and more.
Decorating the Christmas Tree Decimal Activity
Encourage your students' creativity while having them practice valuable decimal computation skills with this printable and digital decorating the Christmas tree activity. Finish products make for a colorful bulletin board display!
Benchmark Fraction Gift Sort
Enhance students' understanding of fractions with this hands-on, gift themed sort where they compare the fractions on the gifts to one-half.Â
Candy Cane Math Printables
Use these candy cane themed printables (and real candy canes, if you choose) for students to practice multi-digit multiplication, division, and more.
Members-Only Math Resources
If you're a member of All-Access Math, you have instant access to all of the resources listed below in the Winter and Christmas posts in your portal.Â
âď¸Â Winter Mindful Classroom Prompts
âď¸Â 4th Grade Winter Math Centers
âď¸Â 5th Grade Winter Math Centers
âď¸Â 4th Grade Winter Sports Math Centers
âď¸Â 5th Grade Winter Sports Math Centers
âď¸ 4th Grade Winter Just Print Math Activities
âď¸Â 5th Grade Winter Just Print Math Activities
âď¸Â Winter Differentiated Math Tasks
đ 4th Grade Christmas Math Centers
đ 5th Grade Christmas Math Centers
đ 4th Grade Christmas Just Print Math Activities
đ 5th Grade Christmas Just Print Math Activities
đ Christmas Differentiated Math Tasks
đ Christmas Dinner Menu Math Activities
đ Gingerbread Math Decimal Activities
Winter Mini Booklet
 Help students review key comprehension skills like author's main point, making inferences, and context clues with this printable (or digital) winter themed mini booklet.
Christmas Mini Booklet
 Help students review key comprehension skills like main idea, point of view, and figurative language with this printable (or digital) Christmas themed mini booklet.
Winter Finish the Story Writing Prompts
 Take some of the cognitive load off your writers with these printable and digital winter themed story starters.Â
Christmas Finish the Story Writing Prompts
Assist your writers in getting their ideas flowing quickly by providing them with these Christmas themed printable and digital prompts where they are given a story starter to finish.
Christmas Persuasive Writing Activity
 Grab your students' interest with this fun persuasive writing activity (printable or digital) where they write to explain why a cold, snowy location or a warm tropical location makes for a better Christmas destination.
Christmas Read Alouds
 Incorporate these Christmas themed read alouds in your classroom to excite your learners while reinforcing literacy concepts.
The Story of Snow: Winter Read Aloud
Extend your students' learning from this read aloud with text dependent printable or digital questions that vary in complexity and level of thinking.
Trapped in a Snow Globe Activity
Cue your students' creativity with this narrative writing printable or digital activity where students write about what happened if they were trapped in a snow globe.
History of the Candy Cane Activity
 Grab your students' attention with an interesting video about the history of the candy cane and then use these follow up questions to gauge their comprehension.
Members-Only Literacy Resources
If you're a member of All-Access Reading, you have instant access to all of the resources listed below in the Winter and Christmas posts in your portal.Â
âď¸Â Winter Mindful Classroom Prompts
âď¸ Winter Reading Passages & Activities
âď¸ Winter Reading Nonfiction Comprehension Texts
âď¸ Winter and Christmas Paired Passages
âď¸Â Winter Figurative Language Sorting ActivityÂ
âď¸Â Winter Grammar Task Cards
âď¸Â Winter and Christmas Writing Prompts
đ Christmas Reading Passages & Activities
đ Christmas Reading Nonfiction Comprehension Texts
đ Christmas Figurative Language Sorting ActivityÂ
đ Christmas Around the World Reading Activity
Gum Drop Christmas Tree Activity
Use a sweet treat to challenge your students to create the tallest tree that they can using gum drops and toothpicks. Also includes a planning/recording sheet with two versions-basic and advanced.
Dissolving Gingerbread Cookies Science Activity
Allow students to explore the concepts of solutes, solvents, and solutions with this dissolving gingerbread cookie activity and accompanying printable text with comprehension questions.
Creating Frost Science Experiment
Encourage your students to experiment with creating optimal conditions for frost to form and learn how salt impacts ice.Â
Creating Avalanches Science
Use this hands-on activity and printable text with comprehension questions for students to explore the science behind avalanches.
Expanding Snowman Science Activity
Explore acids and bases with your students using this hands-on experiment where together you try to make a "snowman" expand.
Dissolving Candy Canes Science Activity
Examine the properties of liquids and the scientific process with this dissolving candy canes science observation.
Holiday Gift Calendar
Looking for a thoughtful holiday gift for your students to make for their loved ones? Use these 2026 holiday gift calendars which are available in three different versions.
Random Acts of Kindness Bingo
Encourage your students to get in the true holiday spirit by spreading cheer throughout the school using this random acts of kindness bingo board.
Christmas Mystery Bags
Use various yummy treats to represent Christmas themed things, such as cotton candy for Santa's beard or raisins as elf earwax, to fill paper bags. Then students make inferences about what was in the bag or write about the items using sensory details.
