Oh my gosh it’s January 1st! That means I’m supposed to go back to school tomorrow. I say “supposed to” because there’s a storm a brewin’ and my trusty online snow day calculator has informed me that there is a 99% chance that school will be cancelled. I hope not! My own three kids at home have some serious cabin fever. And I am absolutely itching to get back to my classroom. I even have all of my activities prepped and ready for when we go back! If you need January activities for elementary students, then check out what I will be using below.
I’ve been on winter break for almost two weeks. I had a case of pneumonia that knocked me out for the week before that. I literally spent an entire week horizontal on the couch and accomplished nothing. My student teacher did his take over for the two weeks before that and Thanksgiving break was immediately before that. To say I am excited to get back to my kids and our classroom routines is a major understatement.
If you are a teacher looking for January activities for elementary students, then you’ve found the right place! This collection of January activities are a great way to engage your students in their learning. This post highlights resources for teaching writing, math, reading, social studies, and more! Check out the full list of January activities for elementary students below!
30+ January Activities for Elementary Students
Below are January activities for elementary students.
January Writing Activities
Check out the January writing activities below!
New Years Writing Activity
When you and your elementary students return from the new year holiday, it’s a great time to do two things. First, reflect on the previous year and, second, set goals for the upcoming year. This New Years writing activity and craft is a great resource to complement these discussions.
Snowmen at Night Writing Activity
This Snowmen at Night writing activity and craft resource is based on Caralyn Buehner’s book, Snowmen at Night. I used the resource in conjunction with the book. However, some teachers choose to use the resource by itself as a creative writing project. You can choose what works best for you and your students!
January Writing Prompts
This January writing prompt resource offers fun and engaging writing activities for students. They motivate students to practice their writing skills and inspire a love of writing. This resource includes the following genres: Creative, informative, opinion, narrative, procedural, descriptive, review, persuasive, poetry, and letter writing.
Winter Seasonal Writing
In the middle of the school year, you’ll want to capture a snapshot of your students’ current writing abilities. This will help you design lessons based on your students’ needs. This winter writing activity helps you do just that! You can continue to track student progress using the spring, summer, and autumn writing activities. At the end of the school year, you’ll have four writing samples that show your students’ growth in writing.
January Read Aloud Activities
Check out the January read aloud activities below!
A Loud Winter’s Nap
This A Loud Winter’s Nap Book Companion includes tons of resources. For example, it includes lesson plans, reading comprehension questions, vocabulary activities, grammar teaching points, writing prompts, and more.
Following an interactive read aloud of the book, A Loud Winter’s Nap by Katy Hudson, choose activities from the resource. This resource includes printable and digital activities to practice standards-based skills. We’ve even included editable teaching slides themed to match the book!
Freedom Soup
This Freedom Soup Book Companion includes tons of resources. For example, it includes lesson plans, reading comprehension questions, vocabulary, grammar, writing and word study activities. There are both printable and digital student pages.
After reading aloud Tami Charles’ book, Freedom Soup, use the activities you selected from the resource. There are printable and digital student activities. We’ve even included editable teaching slides themed to match the book!
How to Catch a Snowman
This How to Catch a Snowman Book Companion includes so many resources! There are lesson plans, reading comprehension questions, writing prompts, word study activities and more.
Following an interactive read aloud of Adam Wallace’s How to Catch a Snowman, choose from the collection of printable and digital activities in this resource. We’ve even included editable teaching slides themed to match the book!
Jake’s 100th Day of School
These Jake’s 100th Day of School Activities are digital and printable. Read aloud Lester Laminack’s book and then use the printables or digital resources to practice standards-based skills.
Lost and Found
You are going to love this Lost and Found Book Companion! It includes lesson plans, reading comprehension questions, vocabulary teaching points, writing prompts and stationary, and more.
Following an interactive read aloud of Oliver Jeffers’ Lost and Found, choose from the collection of printable and digital activities. You’ll have what you need to deliver a highly engaging interactive read aloud!
Sneezy the Snowman
This Sneezy the Snowman Book Companion includes all of the materials you need for an awesome interactive read aloud! There are lesson plans, reading comprehension questions, SEL teaching ideas, printable and digital student activities, and more!
After reading aloud Sneezy the Snowman by Maureen Wright, choose activities from this massive resource. There are printable and digital student activities. We’ve even included editable teaching slides themed to match the book!
Snow Day
Our Snow Day Activities are now digital for distance learning with editable teaching slides and worksheets based on Lester L. Laminack’s book. Read aloud the winter picture book and then use the printable and digital resources with your students.
Snow Globe Family
Our Snow Globe Family Activities are printable and digital. This resource also includes editable teaching slides and worksheets based on Jane O’Connor’s book. Read aloud the winter picture book and then use the printables or digital activities to practice standards-based skills.
Snowflake Bentley
Our Snowflake Bentley Activities are digital and printable. After reading aloud Jacqueline Briggs Martin’s book, use the materials you selected from the resource to have students practice standards-based skills.
Snowmen at Night
Our Snowmen at Night activities are printable and digital, so they can be used for in-person and distance learning. There are editable teaching slides and worksheets based on Caralyn Buehner’s book. Read aloud the winter picture book then use the materials so students can practice standards-based skills.
Squirrel’s New Year’s Resolution
These Squirrel’s New Year’s Resolution Activities are printable and digital. Read aloud Pat Miller’s book and then use the printables to practice standards-based skills. You can go paperless with Google or Seesaw too.
Tacky the Penguin
This Tacky the Penguin Book Companion includes lesson plans, reading comprehension questions, writing prompts, and more. There are printable and digital student pages.
Following an interactive read aloud of Helen Lester’s Tacky the Penguin, choose from the collection printable and digital activities. We’ve even included editable teaching slides themed to match the book!
The Missing Mitten Mystery
This The Missing Mitten Mystery Book Companion includes lesson plans, reading comprehension questions, writing prompts and more. There are both printable and digital student pages.
Following an interactive read aloud of Steven Kellogg book, The Missing Mitten Mystery, choose activities from the resource. Use the printable activities or go paperless and use the digital activities to practice standards-based skills. We’ve even included editable teaching slides themed to match the book!
The Mitten
Our The Mitten Activities are digital and printable. There are also editable teaching slides and worksheets inluded in this resource based on this Jan Brett book. After reading aloud the winter picture book, use the resources to practice standards-based skills.
The Snowy Day
This The Snowy Day Book Companion includes lesson plans, reading comprehension questions, vocabulary, grammar, phonics, writing and word study activities with both printable and digital student pages.
After reading aloud the picture book, The Snowy Day by Ezra Jack Keats, use the activities from this resource. There are tons of printable and digital activities to choose from. We’ve even included editable teaching slides themed to match the book!
The Wish Tree
This The Wish Tree Book Companion is packed with helpful resources! It includes lesson plans, reading comprehension questions, writing activities, and more. After reading aloud The Wish Tree by Katherine Applegate, choose which printable and digital activities you want from this resource. We’ve even included editable teaching slides themed to match the book!
Reading Activities
Check out the January reading activities below!
Animals in Winter Reading Graphic Organizers
These animals in winter graphic organizers for reading provide engaging, meaningful practice that improves students’ reading and writing skills. Each of the included reading graphic organizers can be used over and over. They can also be used with any winter animals book you choose.
Arctic Animals Research Report Graphic Organizers
These arctic animals graphic organizers for reading provide engaging, meaningful practice to greatly improve your students’ reading and writing skills. Each of the included reading graphic organizers can be used over and over. They can also be used with any arctic animal book you choose.
Snowmen Reading Graphic Organizers
These snowmen graphic organizers for reading offer engaging, meaningful practice to greatly improve your students’ reading and writing skills. Each of the reading graphic organizers included in this set can be used over and over. They can also be used with any snowman book you choose.
Penguins Reading Graphic Organizers
These penguin graphic organizers for reading provide engaging, meaningful practice to greatly improve your students’ reading and writing skills. Each of the reading graphic organizer activities included in this set can be used over and over. They can also be used with any penguins book you choose.
Winter Reading Graphic Organizers
These winter graphic organizers for reading provide engaging, meaningful practice to greatly improve your students’ reading comprehension and writing skills. Each of the winter no prep reading graphic organizer activities included can be used over and over. They can also be used with any winter book you choose. This resource is a great way to improve your elementary students’ reading comprehension during the cold winter months!
January Graphic Organizers
This January activities bundle of no prep graphic organizer worksheets for reading is a great resource for December! They provide engaging, meaningful practice to greatly improve your students’ reading and writing skills. Each of the graphic organizers included in this set can be used over and over again. They can also be used with any animals in winter, arctic animals, penguin, or snowman book you choose.
Penguin Close Reading
This Close Reading Made Easy packet focuses on Penguins. It is a perfect stand alone activity for the winter months or a complement to a unit on penguins. It ties in well when teaching about animal adaptations, animal research or doing a unit on Polar Regions. Learn more about my penguin close reading resource!
Martin Luther King Close Reading
This Martin Luther King Jr. close reading resource includes differentiated reading passages, comprehension questions, print and go activities and more. It serves as a perfect stand-alone activity for MLK Day in January or a complement to a unit on Dr. King. It also ties in well when teaching about the biography genre or doing a unit for Black History Month. You are going to love this resource!
January Math Activities
Check out the January math activities for elementary students below!
January Math Word Problems
Daily math word problems give students the opportunity to apply their learning in real world math situations. This word problem resource has a seasonal theme, which makes it relevant to students and their lives. They are available for 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th and 5th grade.
January Spiral Review Activities
This January math review packet is part of a year long bundle. The spiral review packets build proficiency in all grade level math skills and make test prep simple. They are available for 2nd, 3rd, 4th and 5th grade.
Other January Resources
Check out the other January resources below!
Hot Cocoa PBL Task
Your students will love creating their own Hot Cocoa Business as part of these January project based learning activities. What a fun way for 3rd and 4th grade students to practice their math and writing skills! Included are both printable and digital versions. Like all project based learning activities, this resource will be a huge hit in your classroom!
Classroom Organization Guide
What better time to get organized than at the start of the new year! This classroom organization bundle is exactly what you need to become an organized teacher. It will have your room looking and functioning better than ever. If you are tired of piles of paper taking over your classroom, feeling disorganized, and constantly wasting time looking for things, then you need this resource! It includes 650 pages total including an eBook, workbook, and 12 printable labels and resources. This is a super popular resource!
Online Snow Day Calculator
I hope you found this list of January activities for elementary students helpful! This part is no use to all you Southern folks, but for those of you who live in the colder regions and know all about what it is like to do the snow dance, stalk the weather channel and anxiously await that infamous phone call that announces school is closed for the day… this online tool is for you!
It’s just too fun not to share. It’s the snowday calculator! Enter your zip code, the number of days your school has already been closed this year and the type of school you teach at. You will be given a percentage letting you know the odds of a weather-related school closing. It’s that simple!
We’re expecting another BIG storm tomorrow and the calculator tells me we won’t have school. I can’t wait to see if it’s right. I always regret the snow days in June. However, they sure do feel good when you are home in your jammies on a cold winter day!
