1-2-3 Come Do Some New Year-Themed Activities With Me
I hope everyone is enjoying their Christmas break. For those of you who might be in the mood to do a bit of lesson planning, for those first few days back from vacation, I thought I'd blog about some of the quick, easy and fun New Year activities that I just finished.
First up is a "Happy New Year" countdown slider. It's a "glitter ball" craftivity to practice counting backwards. I've included countdown strips from 10-0, as well as 20-0.
Children trim, trace the numbers, and insert into the slits of their countdown ball.
For that finishing touch, add a bit of silver glitter for extra pizzazz.
To practice, we start from a sitting position. My kiddos are holding their slider and counting backwards with me, as we pull the numbers through the "window" of their glitter balls.
As we approach zero, they get in a crouching position. As we say "zero!" they jump in the air and yell "Happy New Year!"
Jumping around gets the wiggles out, then counting backwards in a whisper voice calms them right back down. Afterwards, they love "tip-toeing on marshmallow feet" to their cubbies, to put their ball away for another time.
Next up is a Happy New Year balloon writing prompt craft. It's a “Growing” packet, as there are no worries of it ever being outdated, for I’ve included patterns through 2020, which I'll up-date each year.
I’ve found that if I toss in a quick, easy and fun craftivity, with my students’ writing prompts, they are eager and excited to get down to the business of writing.
This writing prompt rings in the new, while reflecting on the old:
* ”My favorite thing that I learned, my favorite thing that I did, and my favorite place that I went . . .” is the front of the balloon, and reflects the past.
The back balloon, contemplates the present and future:
* ”Something that I’d like to learn, something I’d like to do, somewhere I’d like to go . . .”
You can give students an option of which one they want to do, or assign both, completing them during two different writing blocks, then glue them back-to-back.
An added bonus is that completed projects make an awesome display. Simply run off on a variety of colors of construction paper, add some Dollar Store curling ribbon and suspend from the ceiling.
Finally, this sports-themed writing prompt, Having a Ball With Our Goals For The New Year, also makes an awesome January bulletin board or hallway display.
We discuss New Year's resolutions, then I use it as a segue into making some goals for school too.
Students write a list of goals on a sheet of scratch paper, edit, then write them on either a volleyball, football, baseball, basketball or soccer ball, which you've run off on appropriate colors of construction paper.
After students share several of their goals with the class, scatter them on a bulletin board.
I've included a colorful "We're Having A Ball With Our Goals For The New Year!" poster, which you can put in the center of your display.
Today's featured FREEBIE is a set of Happy New Year number puzzles, which will also help your kiddos practice counting backwards.
Well that's it for today.
I'm busy working on all sorts of fun Snowman, Mitten and Snowflake activities, as I look forward to all of the special winter celebrations.
Wishing you a creative and cozy day.
"In seed time learn, in harvest teach, in winter enjoy." -William Blake
