It’s no secret how much I enjoy holiday-themed activities! They just bring such a fun element to a lesson and spark so much creativity. Even though we typically think of holiday themed activities as being targeted toward elementary aged kids, you can easily bring them into any content area and any grade level simply by modifying the difficulty of the activity.
Thought I can appreciate all content areas, English/Language Arts is my favorite, since that is what I spent many years teaching. And since we are nearing Halloween, I thought it would be appropriate to share some fun Halloween themed Language Arts activities!
(Most of these will be geared more toward junior high aged kids, but can be modified for other grade levels as well.)
Read some “spooky” stories or poems. Edgar Allen Poe is always a good option for this time of year. In particular, “Tell Tale Heart” is a stellar choice for junior high students. Other options include “The Hitchhiker” by Lucille Fletcher, “The Most Dangerous Game” by Richard Connell, or “The Legend of Sleepy Hollow” by Washington Irving. Did you know Roald Dahl even has some spooky short stories?!
Ask students to write a descriptive paragraph or two giving detailed descriptions of a haunted house. Have them trade papers with a classmate and have them create a physical model (drawing, painting, cut and glue, etc.) of the haunted house using what is written.
Have students write a personal narrative about their favorite Halloween or a favorite family Halloween tradition.
Have students write and illustrate a simple Halloween children’s book.
Have students write a persuasive piece defending their right to still trick-or-treat.
Using the free “Roll A Story” printable below, have students write a short story using the elements their dice rolls choose for them.
Play some fun Halloween music while your students work on one or more of these delightful Halloween themed activities, and you’ve easily set up a fun work environment for your students to work in! Teenagers might put up a front that they are “too old” for things like this, but deep down, they love it and will eat it right up when given the chance!
** This printable is free, and is intended for home or classroom use only. Please do not resell, repost, or claim as your own. **
It’s officially Fall! The leaves are changing where I live, and the morning air is crisp. It’s a beautiful thing! New seasons bring all kinds of changes, and those changes create great opportunities for exciting learning opportunities as well as lots of fun, creative art activities. Below you will find a few suggestions and ideas for some Fall fun in your classroom! Feel free to modify any activity to fit your students’ needs.
Science:
Learn about the life cycle of an apple from seed to fruit. Taste test different kinds of apples.
Learn about why the leaves change their colors. Talk a walk outside and see how many colors of leaves you can spot.
Investigate why the temperatures start to drop. Discuss the Earth’s rotation and position this time of year.
Art:
Go outside and gather some leaves from the ground. Use them to create leaf rubbings, stamps with paint, or press them and make a bookmark.
Draw a fall scene.
Gather small leaves from outside. Draw a tree trunk and branches on paper, then glue the leaves onto the tree.
Language Arts:
Read some books about Fall.
Write an acrostic poem using FALL or AUTUMN.
Write a descriptive paragraph describing a fall scene.
Math:
If available in your area, collect fallen acorns or pinecones. Sort and count in several different ways.
Conduct a class-wide survey about favorite Fall activities. Create a bar graph with the results.
Use fall themed candy as math manipulatives.
Print out and have students complete the Fall Find and Count printable at the end of this post.
Students learn best when a learning experience is engaging. And honestly, from a teacher’s perspective, teaching is much more enjoyable when the material you are teaching is fun and engaging. Play into the seasons, holidays, and other special occasions— I bet you’ll have as much fun as the students do!
** Feel free to download the free Fall Find and Count worksheet— it is only for personal and classroom use. Please do not distribute, sell, or use as your own.**
We’ve all been there as teachers— we plan the perfect lesson or activity, anticipating that it will fill as much time as possible… and then it doesn’t, and suddenly, you’re left with time to fill. A few minutes of “free time” at the end of class isn’t so terrible, but too much time? You’re going to end up with chaos and mayhem!
If (when) you find yourself in a situation like this, or find that you need a short brain break in between tasks or activities, it’s always good to have an idea or two in your back pocket to quickly pull out for your class to do.
Sure, the Internet is teeming with ready-to-go brain breaks and time fillers, but sometimes, you just need something that is not tech related and is still fun and engaging. I remember playing “Heads Up, Seven Up” or “Silent Ball” and having so much fun. If there is an element of mystery or challenge to the game or activity, it makes it even more fun.
I’ve created a fun “Challenge Game” full of different kinds of challenges to engage students and targeting several areas of learning. As a teacher, you know how much time you have available, so you can choose the type of challenge— some are super quick, while others take more time. Choose a challenge card, then pick one (or more if you have time) challenge activity and have your students complete the challenge. Split them into groups or do the challenges as a whole class— whatever fits your needs!
Have fun and enjoy connecting with your class. Parents, you can use these challenge cards, too! We all know that sometimes you just need a few minutes to reset at home. These are even great to cut out and keep in your car! Tuck them into your purse and pull them out while you wait for your food to come, the doctor to see you, or to keep the whining to a minimum when they claim they are bored.
As always, the printable is free, but is intended for classroom or personal home use only. Do not sell, distribute, or repost as your own.
You wake up and feel great, until you start to think about the things you will be doing during the day. Suddenly, you don’t feel so great anymore. You start to sweat. Your throat feels tight, and your mouth gets dry. You can feel your heart start to beat faster and faster. Your tummy feels like it’s doing somersaults, and your mind is going as fast as a race car. You convince yourself that staying in bed is the best option, because then you don’t have to face the day, and that is certainly easier than confronting the things you are worried about.
Perhaps you have found yourself in this situation a few times. Maybe this is your reality every day. Or, maybe you are one of the lucky few who doesn’t ever really worry about things to this extent. Whatever the case may be, there’s no denying that anxiety and worry are real. As adults, we can usually pinpoint what it is that is making us worried, and can take the necessary steps to cope with it. For kids, however, it might not be the same. Since kids are still trying to figure out what different emotions feel like, they may not recognize anxiety for what it is; they may see it as a big, scary monster inside of themselves.
Thankfully, there are a lot of resources at our fingertips for helping our students and kiddos who deal with anxiety. One of those amazing resources is picture books! I love using picture books to teach about abstract concepts— they give kids a visual way to see the idea, and they tell about it in a way they understand. A trip to my local library presented me with several children’s books about anxiety. The following are ones that I particularly enjoyed:
Wilma Jean the Worry Machine written by Julia Cook and illustrated by Anita Dufalla
Wilma is a cute elementary aged girl who wakes up every morning and pretends to go back to sleep so she doesn’t have to face the day. Her mind is full of ‘what if’ questions— What if they serve buttered carrots at lunch? What if she gets chosen to do a math problem in front of the class and she gets the answer wrong? What if her friends don’t want to play with her at recess? What if she doesn’t get picked for a team at PE? What if her mom gives her a gross snack after school?
The ‘what if’ questions consume Wilma and make it hard for her to do things and enjoy her day. Her mom notices this happening and decides to take action. Together, Wilma, her mom, and her teacher create a plan to help quiet Wilma’s worries. They talk about the worries Wilma can control and the ones she can’t. The teacher introduces the “worry hat” that Wilma can put on whenever she feels worried— she can ‘think’ her worries into the hat, then take it off knowing the worries have left her mind.
The illustrations are just perfect, and this story does an incredible job of describing what anxiety feels like and offers some great coping strategies that kids can easily use.
My Monster and Me written by Nadiya Hussain and illustrated by Ella Bailey
This book follows a little boy as he talks about his Monster. This Monster has been around as long as he can remember, and seems to follow him everywhere he goes. His Monster shows up at interferes with just about everything the boy does. He can’t seem to escape it.
One day, the Monster gets so big that the boy just can’t take it anymore. Frustrated, he goes to his grandma’s house, where grandma helps him talk through what is bothering him. The more he talks about it, the smaller the Monster becomes, until the Monster is small enough to fit in the boy’s pocket. Now that he knows how to make the Monster smaller, the boy is able to go out and enjoy things and have fun with his friends.
I loved the analogy of a monster for anxiety. It really can feel like that— like a huge, fuzzy mean creature trying to take over everything, and it can be consuming. In the story, the boy turns to a trusted adult to sort out his feelings and make sense of everything.
The illustrations are darling, the story is simple, but the lesson is deep!
Pig and Horse and the Something Scary written and illustrated by Zoey Abbott
Pig wakes up one morning not feeling herself, so she decides to go see her friend, Horse. She tells Horse that she feels something scary inside of her, but she can’t say what it is because she is trying to ignore it. Horse is a helpful friend and suggests that they go for a bike ride. When that doesn’t work, she suggests that they go for a swim. When swimming doesn’t take away the feeling, she has the idea to get Pig to laugh really hard. But even that doesn’t work.
Horse thinks for a minute and suggests that Pig just let it all out. Pig is afraid and hesitates, so Horse comes up with the idea that they invite the scary feeling to tea. Together, they whip up some yummy treats and tea and sit down to have a tea party. When she feels ready, Pig lets out her worries— first, the night, then the idea of being alone, and lastly, the character from her bedtime story the night before. Each of these fears is represented in the book by a different colored “cloud” of sorts coming from Pig’s mind.
As she releases each fear, Pig and Horse try different ways to make each worry become smaller and smaller until it vanishes. Ultimately, Pig feels much better for having let her worries go.
I loved this book for a few reasons— first, Pig recognized that she felt different, so she sought out the help of someone she loved and trusted. Second, the fears were given a color and description to make them feel tangible. Third, Pig and Horse came up with coping skills together, and Horse did them right along side Pig as she let her worries go. The idea of not having to face worries alone would be so comforting to a child dealing with anxiety. Imagine already feeling out of sorts and worried, then having to cope with it alone! The thought of that would increase anxiety, which would put a child back at square one. Having someone to help makes a world of difference!
Way Past Worried written by Hallee Adelman and illustrated by Sandra de la Prada
Brock is past worried. His heart is pounding and his mind is racing. He has been invited to his friend Juan’s birthday party, but he has to go alone, without his brother. Brock is worried that the other kids at the party won’t like him, won’t play with him, and will laugh at him. He’s worried that his superhero costume isn’t good enough and that he wouldn’t have anything to say to the other kids.
His anxiety takes over and causes him to freeze up as he enters the party. Rather than going to join the other kids, he retreats to a tree, where he finds a new friend, Nelly, who is also experiencing anxiety. Together, they talk through their worries then decide to be brave like superheroes and join the party.
Nelly and Brock join the other kids and have a great time, glad that they decided to not let their worries get in the way of their fun day. This book is so great— the illustrations are super cute and the story tells of a kid in a situation that is familiar to most kids. Because most kids know what it’s like to attend a birthday party, they can imagine what it would be like to have to go alone, and can more easily put themselves in Brock or Nelly’s shoes.
________
I hope you’re able to use one or more of these books if you ever find yourself in the position that you’re helping a student or your own child make sense of their anxious feelings!
There are many skills that are learned in early childhood that are the foundation for skills that will be learned as they grow. Learning the alphabet, for example, often comes before letter recognition, learning how to put on a shoe comes before knowing how to tie the shoe, knowing how to count is typically learned before number recognition, and so on. Once those foundational skills have been learned and practiced, it opens the door for the next level of complexity to be learned.
There are many ways to teach these various skills and strategies. I’ve made a scavenger hunt game that you can play with your child or class as they are learning to recognize numbers. It’s quite simple— you cut out the squares with pictures, hide the pictures, then send a child on a hunt to find them. As they find each square, they can count how many pictures are on the square, then match and glue the picture square next to the corresponding written number.
If you want to reuse this activity, simply laminate the papers to protect them. You could put velcro dots on the back of each picture square and next to each written number. If you wanted multiple children to participate in this, you could assign them each a number, print off the worksheet on different colors of paper and have them find only their color, or encourage them to work with a partner to find each picture square.
This printable is free, but please only use for personal or classroom use. This is not intended for resale.
We can all agree that there are pros and cons to giving kids homework, and that it really should only be given if it’s meaningful. Reading, for example, is homework I’m never mad about. Building reading skills is crucial for life long success, and the more kids do it, the better they will be at it. Sending home a coloring page, however, doesn’t seem as meaningful to me. Fun? Sure. But a good use of precious after-school time? Not so much.
I saw a social media post the other day that got me thinking about things that aren’t assigned as homework, but maybe should be. Skills that are important for every day life, people skills, and problem solving skills. Grading them would be subjective, and participation and effort would matter more than the outcome, but what is learned/gained would set kids up for long term success beyond the walls of the classroom.
How would something like this be assigned and evaluated? I suppose it depends on the skill being practiced. Perhaps teachers can create a “menu” of possible skills for students to choose from. Maybe some teachers would want to assign everyone in the class the same task to work on. Some might even want to create “task groups” where small groups of students are all given a certain task and can help each other and cheer each other on. Evaluation might look like parents signing a log, pictures, written reflection, or some other tangible or observable result of the student’s practice.
What kinds of things would be assigned? I think this depends on your students’ needs and situations. Obviously, a high school teacher is going to assign some things that are geared more toward older kids, such as learning to balance a bank account, whereas a kindergarten teacher might assign something like learning to tie shoes.
Here’s a few ideas to get you started:
Learning to balance a bank account
Learning to make a phone call and set an appointment or order food— not everything has to be done through an app
Going to the store to make a purchase— selecting your items, conversing with a cashier, and sticking to a budget are great skills
Cooking a simple meal (with adult supervision)
Spending time outside— fresh air does wonders for both the body and mind
Doing a puzzle or playing a board game with at least one other person— teamwork, cooperation, and good sportsmanship are essential
Sitting down to eat a meal as a family— a great chance to have good conversations
Helping with household chores— those skills are needed!
Helping people
Learning how to write a letter, address an envelope, and send it in the mail
Go to the library, get a library card, and check out some books
Free play— giving kids unstructured play time is SO important for their imaginations
If possible, learning how to maintain a yard
Learning how to give and receive compliments
When it’s an appropriate age, learning to ask someone out on a date, face-to-face
Finding a good sleep routine
Screen-free time— it’s good for so many reasons
Spending time at a retirement or assisted living facility— the older generation can teach us so much
Meditation
Some might argue that parents should be incorporating these skills into their family’s routines and lives, but not all family situations allow for things like this, and unfortunately, not all parents are supportive and involved in their children’s lives.
And yes, teachers already do so much, using their days to teach core subjects. But I don’t know of a single teacher that wouldn’t mind devoting at least a little bit of time to helping their students build skills that will set them up for life long success.
Regardless of where you stand regarding these things being assigned as homework, I’m sure we can all agree that the rising generation needs support, guidance, and encouragement as they navigate life and learn essential skills.
Sometimes kids get a little mixed up when trying to understand the difference between fact and opinion. In their minds, their opinions make sense, and seem like fact to them. They often cannot grasp the idea that other people might think differently or have different preferences. A fun way to introduce the concept of opinion is by using “would you rather” or “this or that” type activities.
In order for students to understand that people can have differing opinions, they need to see and hear it. Students need to also be able to defend their opinion with more than just a “because I like it” as their reasoning. If given a choice between the ocean and the mountains, and the ocean is chosen, the student should be able to explain what it is about the ocean that they prefer.
To help you with this activity, I’ve created a worksheet for you download for free! I’ve made two different worksheets— one to be used as a writing assignment, and the other to be used as a math assignment.
On the writing worksheet, you will find several pairs of words. Have students read through each pair and circle which of the two words in the pair they prefer. Then, have them choose three (or more if you want) of their choices to defend. On the back of the worksheet, have them write a short paragraph about why they prefer the word they circled, giving concrete examples and solid details.
On the math worksheet, you will find the same pairs of words. Again, have students read through each pair and circle which of the two words they prefer. Next, students will ask each classmate what word they circled, then put a tally mark next to the corresponding word. Once they have asked all of their classmates, they will total the tallies for each word, then fill in the bar graph accordingly. Finally, students will write three questions that could be answered using the data displayed on the bar graph.
If neither the math or the writing worksheet fits your needs, you can always just use the “This or That” pairs as an ice breaker or conversation starter. It’s also an excellent self-starter for the beginning of class or a time filler when you have just a few extra minutes left in class.
However you use it, I hope you enjoy it! As always, my downloadable worksheets are strictly for classroom or personal use only. Please do not resell, repost, or claim as your own.
