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 Carolyn 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! Each resource includes tons of resources. For example, it includes lesson plans, reading comprehension questions, vocabulary activities, grammar teaching points, writing prompts, and more.
They are based on the following books:
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Reading Activities
Check out the January reading activities below!
Reading Comprehension Activities
These 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 book you choose that relate to the theme (arctic animals, snowmen, etc.).
- Animals in Winter Reading Comprehension Activities
- Arctic Animals Reading Comprehension Activities
- Snowmen Reading Comprehension Activities
- Penguins Reading Comprehension Activities
- January Reading Comprehension Activities Bundle
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.
- 1st Grade January Word Problems
- 2nd Grade January Word Problems
- 3rd Grade January Word Problems
- 4th Grade January Word Problems
- 5th Grade January Word Problems
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.
- 2nd Grade January Spiral Review Activities
- 3rd Grade January Spiral Review Activities
- 4th Grade January Spiral Review Activities
- 5th Grade January Spiral Review Activities
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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 snow day 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!
