This year, the Winter Olympics begin on February 4th and run through February 20th. If your students are like mine have been in the past, I’m sure you’ll have lots of them watching some of the games on TV. By the end of January this year, with all the craziness going on, I’m sure a little fun at school is definitely needed for everyone! So this is the perfect time to use Winter Game activities to reengage students and review important math and literacy skills!
If you’re wondering if you should try using Winter Games activities in your classroom, I’m here to convince you to give it a try! First, exposing students to the Winter Olympics can introduce them to both new sports and more importantly, new countries. Integrating Winter Games activities can also help your students build a stronger classroom community as they work together in the games. Finally, games are always a great way to squeeze in some extra practice that is more engaging than simple worksheets.
To make it easier for you, I put together FREE Winter Games Writing Paper and a super fun resource – Classroom Winter Games. Let’s dive into everything this resource has to offer!
You can use this resource in several different ways. You can do one game a day for about two weeks during the duration of the Olympics, you can have a whole day devoted to the games, you can have the teams rotate through stations, or you can use them in a school-wide celebration of the Winter Games!
Each team of students will get assigned a country and make a hat with a torch representing their country. Then, as teams win competitions, they’ll add the gold, silver, or bronze medal to their hats to track who is winning. The team that wins the most medals is the overall Gold Winner!
While fun and the Winter Games go hand-in-hand, I wanted the activities to give meaningful practice opportunities to students. So each game has a skill for students to review while they play. From fluency and comprehension to spelling and grammar, our primary learners always need extra practice in these areas.
The literacy games are:
Math games are a great way to let students have some hands-on activities to review math skills to help them build a solid foundation in math. These games let students work together in small teams and have a friendly competition at the same time. Everything you need for each math game is included.
These are the math Winter Games activities:
The Classroom Winter Games resource truly has it all! There are nine activities that can be implemented in multiple ways. Spend nine days celebrating with your own Winter Olympics and do an activity a day, have a Winter Olympics day, or use them with other teachers have your students rotate through them. Directions for each Winter Game are included along with a color and black and white outline of a gold, silver, and bronze medal to use to award after each game!
One teacher who used this for her classroom during the Winter Olympics last year said,
“I cannot express how fun this was for my kiddos! They absolutely loved it, parents loved it. It was an awesome way to have a friendly competition. It taught my students how to work as a team, what to do when you win/lose, and all about the Olympics. I can’t wait for the next winter Olympics. THANK YOU!”
-Katie
Pick up your Classroom Winter Games for a ton of fun, engaging activities that bring the Winter Olympics to life for your students!
I love to bring a fun theme into writing with my students. It always adds a touch of excitement for them and encourages them to write better. I created a Winter Games Writing Paper for you to use with your students. Just grab it below to instantly download it. You can have students complete it during writer’s workshop, during morning work, or if you find yourself with a few extra minutes and need a meaningful activity to fill the time.
Between the Classroom Winter Games Activities and the Winter Games Writing, you should be all set for an engaging two weeks of learning. If you have any questions, just leave a comment and I’ll get right back to you!
I’m a K-1 teacher who is passionate about making lessons your students love and that are easy to implement for teachers. Helping teachers like you navigate their way through their literacy block brings me great joy. I am a lifelong learner who loves staying on top of current literacy learning and practices. Here, you’ll find the tools you need to move your K-2 students forward!
