January is a month that’s absolutely filled to the brim with fun themes and holidays! If you’re hoping to start the year off with a bang, you’re not alone! Come embark on a journey through a winter wonderland, where we’ll uncover January activities designed to bring joy, discovery, and a dash of educational charm to our primary-grade pals.
Topics for January
January is a month packed with holidays and seasonal fun that light up the start of the calendar. There is no shortage of fun topics and themes to choose from! Kicking off with the wild New Year’s Day shenanigans, to the vibrant festivities of Chinese New Year, and finally the important reflections on Martin Luther King Day! Oh, and we can’t forget the 100th day of school!
Aside from the holidays, there is so much seasonal wonder in January. As the chilly winds weave tales of snowflakes and winter wonders, classrooms come alive with the promise of thrilling activities that blend learning and fun! If you’re ready to start planning, you’re in the right place! Here are some of my favorite January activities for primary learners.
New Year’s Day January Activities
1. New Year’s Activities Coded Jokes
Looking for a literacy center that not only keeps your students engaged but also adds a sprinkle of fun to your holiday season? These New Year’s coded jokes are your golden ticket to classroom cheer!
Imagine your students having a blast and honing their printing skills, mastering decoding, and getting their reading and predicting game on point.
Here’s the lowdown on how these work… First, take a look at the riddle. Who doesn’t love a good brain teaser? Then grab the decoder and work those decoding muscles to unveil the answer. Brace yourself for the laughs with your kiddos because these jokes are top-tier funny!
This low-prep resource is practically magic. Just print and laminate, and you’re set for a literacy center the whole class will love!
2. New Year’s Activities and Worksheets
Make your first week back to school after the New Year’s holiday an absolute breeze with my New Year’s Activities and Worksheets mini-unit! With a mix of 10 engaging pages, these worksheets are your secret for a seamless return to the classroom.
No need to stress or plan extensively over your winter break! These New Year’s Activities are pure print-and-go goodness. Perfect for that post-winter break transition or a lifesaver for substitute teachers when you’re out with the inevitable winter cold!
Now, let’s talk content! I’ve got you covered with activities that dive into New Year’s traditions through cloze reading adventures, word searches that’ll spark some serious brainpower, and New Year’s writing activities that’ll unleash creativity in your students. These worksheets are the key to captivated minds and worry-free teaching.
Get ready for a classroom experience where learning about New Year’s traditions meets social studies standards effortlessly. So, wave goodbye to post-winter break chaos, and welcome a stress-free, knowledge-packed return to school!
3. New Year’s Math Activity – Grid Coordinates
Ready to kick off the New Year with a splash of mystery and a whole lot of fun? Say hello to my Coordinate Mystery Pictures! They are the perfect remedy for that tricky first week back to school after a break. Navigating the post-break return can be a bit of a puzzle. This grid coordinate math activity is here to save the day!
Students receive a sheet of jumbled-up squares with grid coordinates. Their mission? Cut ’em out and glue ’em onto the matching grid paper to unveil the mystery New Year picture! Trust me, this math activity is a certified big hit in my class, and I’m sure it will become one in yours too!
You’ll find 5 New Year mystery pictures in black and white, ready to be colored in once the grid-coordinating masterpiece is complete. I’ve even included an answer key, grid paper (all on a convenient 6×6 grid), and instructions to make your teaching life a breeze.
This resource will be your go-to for fast finishers, independent activities, group challenges, and even a bit of indoor recess entertainment. Feeling extra fancy? Enlarge the papers, and watch as your students create masterpieces to adorn the classroom walls!
4. New Year’s Writing January Activities – Sight Words
Do you have students who are still mastering sight words, causing a bit of reading struggle? Mastering these sight words isn’t just a stepping stone but the catch to boosting reading fluency and comprehension skills. If this sounds familiar, I’ve got just the thing! My holiday-coded sight word worksheets are here to sprinkle some learning magic into your classroom!
Inside this resource, you’ll find 24 holiday-coded sight word task cards along with a numbered recording sheet to match. To ensure your stress levels stay at an all-time low, I’ve also included an answer key.
There are so many engaging ways to use these in your classroom! Turn your classroom into a sight word celebration by spreading the cards across the table like a holiday feast for a literacy center. Witness your students decoding and recording their answers with the finesse of sight word champions. If you’ve got fast finishers ready for action, equip them with the cards and a bucket of magnetic letters (optional but highly recommended), and let the decoding and spelling frenzy begin.
5. New Years Activities Cootie Catcher
Get ready for a burst of holiday cheer, where cootie catchers meet laughter in my Cootie Catcher Jokes. These quirky and festive creations aren’t just a treat. They’re the ideal recipe for infusing a touch of joy into your classroom during the holiday season and serving as a lively addition to your literacy center!
The beauty lies in their simplicity, with easy folding and playing awaiting. Your students will dive into the world of cootie catchers effortlessly. This particular cootie catcher boasts 8 New Year’s jokes, carefully selected to guarantee smiles, laughter, and an overall sense of joy in your classroom.
They are versatile tools for building a positive classroom community. Beyond being a festive holiday activity or a literacy center gem, they serve as fantastic filler activities, stepping in seamlessly when you need a quick, unplanned burst of engagement or a brain break.
Chinese New Year Activities
Dive into the vibrant tapestry of Chinese New Year or Lunar New Year with this Chinese New Year Activities resource. Tailor-made for your 1st-grade students eager to explore the traditions surrounding this festive occasion.
Make learning about the Lunar New Year a joyous experience as your students dive into the Chinese New Year reading passage. They’ll unravel the rich tapestry of customs and celebrations. Solidify their understanding with a captivating word search, reinforcing key vocabulary in a fun and engaging way.
Your students will relish the opportunity to review their newfound knowledge with an array of included games, ensuring an engaging and interactive learning experience. These worksheets are carefully differentiated to cater to every learner’s ability level, offering a spectrum of activities such as count and graph, ABC order, word search, crossword puzzles, and more.
Whether your students are navigating literacy centers or math centers, seeking independent activities, or showcasing their skills as fast finishers, these worksheets seamlessly fit into various scenarios. Not to mention, this resource truly celebrates holidays, culture, and the joy of learning!
January Color by Sight Word Activities
Looking for a fun way to weave some sight word practice into your daily routine? Look no further than color by sight word activities. Our young students love these coloring pages and you will be hard-pressed to find another activity that will get them reading the words with so many repetitions. Check out these fun sets that are perfect for January.
1. New Year’s Color by Sight Word
Infuse some New Year’s cheer into your literacy sessions while mastering sight words! My New Year’s Day Color by Sight Word worksheets are about to make learning a blast!
The New Year has rolled in, and what better way to kick off than by getting your class hooked on sight words in a way that’s not just educational but downright fun?
Say goodbye to the struggle of reading due to sight word hiccups. These worksheets are the key to practice, review, and engage with sight words in a way that feels more like play than work!
These New Year’s Day color by code worksheets are your ticket to literacy centers made easy, fast finisher favorites, or the ultimate independent activity that keeps students excited and you stress-free!
I’ve packed in 18 pages of sight word mastery, all focusing on those crucial beginning primary sight words from the Dolch sight word lists. Answer keys are on standby, ready to help!
2. Martin Luther King Color By Sight Word
Are you planning to spend some time reading and learning about Martin Luther King Jr. this January? If so, this next activity to the perfect one to supplement your lessons!
These color by code worksheets are perfect for practicing, reviewing, and engaging with sight words. These worksheets inject an element of fun that students adore – learning disguised as play!
I created eight pages of coloring activities with accompanying answer keys. I always find myself pulling these out for literacy centers, fast finishers, or as an independent activity because they seamlessly fit into your teaching routine.
The pages focus on beginning primary sight words, aligning with the Dolch sight word lists to ensure an effective learning experience. Each page relates to MLK Jr. in some way and students will love revealing their picture as they practice essential sight words.
3. 100th Day of School Color by Code
Celebrate the milestone achievement of the 100th Day of School with a twist of learning and excitement! This special day acknowledges the hard work of our students in the first 100 days and is a cause for fun and celebration.
To help celebrate with my kiddos, I created these eight color by code resources. I have included 73 different sight words, heart words, and high-frequency words.
Designed as a perfect way to blend celebration with valuable learning, these activities immerse your students in the practice and review of essential words. When we help our students master these words, we take a key step toward enhancing their reading fluency and comprehension.
Whether used as independent work, a dedicated 100th Day center, morning work, or as an engaging activity for early finishers, these pages are an essential addition to your teaching toolkit.
January Activities for Winter
1. Spiral Math and ELA Morning Work
If there is one routine you want to start with after winter break it is the morning routine. Having a system for your morning sets the tone for the rest of your day. If you don’t already have a morning routine, January is the perfect time to add it. Take back your mornings with my 1st-grade morning work. This resource is your ticket to reclaiming those precious moments lost in the hustle of entrance, attendance, announcements, and the anthem. Say goodbye to scattered starts and hello to a consistent routine that sets the tone for effective learning every morning.
Morning work, especially when aligned into a spiral review, emerges as a powerful tool for etching skills into students’ long-term memory. Spiral Review morning work takes it a step further, ensuring that students continuously retrieve information and build upon skills for robust mastery.
Every page is differentiated, ensuring success for all students. Skills are thoughtfully crafted to build upon each other seamlessly from one month to the next for both Math and ELA. Monthly overviews provide clarity on the skills covered. I also made sure it effortlessly aligns with CCSS, offering a reliable framework for skill development.
Reclaim your mornings and empower your students with a consistent routine that not only kickstarts their day effectively but also fosters continuous skill retention and growth.
2. Winter Writing Comic Strips
Ready to sprinkle some creativity into the chilly season? Winter Writing Comic Strips turn writing practice into a frosty, fun adventure! They’re the key to keeping those creative juices flowing all winter long.
You’ve got 2 color-packed comic strips ready to jump-start the imagination. Plus you can choose from a variety of other options that let you choose to keep or get rid of the clip art, speech bubbles, backgrounds, and more! There’s a winter comic strip just waiting to engage your students in writing.
These comic strips are great for writing practice, but they’re also show-stopping bulletin board material. Imagine a gallery of winter tales brought to life by your students!
3. Penguin Unit January Activities
Penguins are one of the first animals that come to mind when I think about winter! Step into the enchanting world of penguins with this resource made up of 17 captivating centers. These centers come equipped with a range of differentiation to ensure a perfect fit for learners of all levels.
What sets these centers apart is their adaptability. With printable and digital options you can choose the perfect way to use them in your classroom.
Activities range from Write the Room to Memory, Counting 1-1 to Science exploration, Measurement to Social Studies-themed Ordering Days of the Week, and more.
The hands-on and differentiated centers cover letters, numbers, shapes, CVC words, sight words, and various math concepts. These timeless activities are bound to become a classroom favorite, bringing joy and learning together in a penguin-themed party!
4. Multiplication Boom Cards Winter Theme
Get ready for some multiplication magic with my snowman-themed digital task cards. They are the perfect tool for spicing up those multiplication lessons, especially in the virtual world!
With 50 interactive cards, your students will love working on their multiplication facts through 12s.
But don’t worry – these aren’t your typical flashcard-style math fact practice. Students begin by identifying the product on the snowman. Then then must determine which two snowballs, when multiplied together, equal that number. It’s a fun twist that will get your students thinking about multiplication facts in a different way. These are a great addition to your math centers this January!
5. Winter Scoot Game for Sight Words
If you’ve never dipped your toes into the world of scoot, no worries because this resource has got your back. Students will be cracking codes (printed right on their answer paper!) to reveal sight words straight from the Dolch sight word lists.
If you’ve never played Scoot before it is really easy. Simply set a task card on the top of each desk. Have students take the recording sheet and stand next to a card. When you say go students will work to decode the word and write it on their answer sheet. After 30 – 60 seconds you will say “Scoot” and everyone must stop and move to the next card. You can change the timing to make this a fun challenge your students will love. The key to a successful game – avoid too much dead time. Adjust the time you give on each card for your students.
This resource includes four scoot games covering different Dolch sight word lists from pre-primer, primer, Grade 1, and Grade 2. Each of these game packs comes loaded with a student recording sheet with the key to crack the code, 24 task cards with coded sight words, an answer key, and instructions.
Now, why do I love this game so much? It’s the simplicity, the lightning-fast setup, the kid-friendly interface, and the fact that they’re soaking up knowledge while having a blast.
And here’s the best part – you’re not tied down to one way of using it. Switch things up by “hiding” the task cards for a scavenger hunt or add them to an independent literacy center. Here’s to a winter of cracking codes, learning sight words, and making your classroom the coolest spot in town!
Time to Spark Joy in Your Classroom with These January Activities
As the month unfolds with holidays and winter wonders, these engaging January activities promise to bring joy, creativity, and valuable learning moments to our classrooms.
From decoding New Year’s jokes to mastering sight words through colorful worksheets, each resource is carefully crafted to seamlessly blend fun and education.
Whether it’s the simplicity of cootie catchers, the mystery of grid coordinates, or the empowerment of sight word mastery, these activities are designed to captivate young minds.
Let’s celebrate the pure joy of learning as we navigate through January with these educational resources. Here’s to a season of laughter, discovery, and continuous growth in our classrooms!
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