New Year activities

 1-2-3 Come Do Some More New Year Activities With Me

Tonight will usher in a New Year.  Before I get busy preparing for that, I wanted to blog about some New Year activities, for those of you who'll be in the mood tomorrow to plan a few lessons. 

new year crafts, new year activities, new year bulletin boards, new year writing promptsFirst up, is a New Year Place Value craftivity. It's a "growing" packet, as each year it will be updated with more dates.  As always, I try to combine math with literacy whenever I can.

Even though my kiddos are just doing 3-digit numbers, they have no problem wrapping their brains around this larger number, with an added place value section.

They trace, write, cut and glue the numbers under the appropriate "doors" that flip up, to reveal the year.

As a math extension, for the last “window” they practice subtraction, by subtracting the year that they were born, from the New Year, to get their age.

Older students can do the writing prompt: “Three things that are different from the New Year, than the year when I was born…” and glue this paper on the back of their flip up.

This can simply be basic information, or involve technology, by sending them to the Internet, and have them find 3 specifics and compare them. i.e., “The president when I was born was Bill Clinton. The president now is Barack Obama.”

new year crafts, new year activities, new year bulletin boards, new year writing promptsIf you think your students will need more room, or you want to do this as a separate writing block or Daily 5 activity, I’ve also included 5 writing prompt worksheet options. 
For more writing and comparison practice, there are  2 Venn diagrams in the packet as well. 

If your kiddos are learning to tell time to the hour, this  New Year emergent reader, is an interesting way for them to practice.

Students go from lunch time (noon) to midnight, as they trace and write words and times, draw hands on the clocks to show that time, and complete a few writing prompts, adding some illustrations.

There's a full-page template, as well as a smaller, 2-on-a-page one, to conserve ink and paper. 

new year crafts, new year activities, new year bulletin boards, Venn diagram templates, new year writing promptsFinally, no matter what grade I taught, and there were many(!) my students really enjoyed doing a Venn diagram.

I love them because they are a quick, easy and fun way to introduce and practice, comparison and contrast, plus the graphic aspect is perfect for my visual learners. Students can do them independently, or pick a partner and complete one together.

There are 17 different Venn diagrams in the Happy New Year Writing Prompt packet, plus I changed the header on the “head” pattern Venns, so you can use them any time of the year.

They are especially appropriate for Back To School, as a getting to know you icebreaker. Completed projects make an awesome bulletin board too.

Today's featured FREEBIE is a "High Fives New Year Writing Prompt" craftivity" “High fives for me! I made these New Year resolutions and am trying to keep them.” Encourage students to think of five.

new year crafts, new year activities, new year bulletin boards, Venn diagram templates, new year writing promptsAfterwards, children pick a partner and take turns tracing each others hand and wrist on a bit of flesh-tone construction paper, then trim.

Drawing fingernails, a watchband and rings adds extra pizzazz.  Have children write the New Year below the “knuckles”.  I’ve included a clock pattern students can cut and glue to their wristband, drawing hands to show midnight.

The girls LOVED adding flat-backed jewels to their rings. You can get self-stick ones, or use mini glue dots. Glitter nail polish was another option and highlight. 

new year crafts, new year activities, new year bulletin boards, Venn diagram templates, new year writing promptsWell that's it for now.  Thanks for stopping by. 

My "to do" list for today, is rather long but lots of fun.  Wishing you a safe and blessed New Year's Eve, filled with lots of memorable moments.  

"Cheers to a New Year and another chance for us to get it right." - Oprah Winfrey

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.

new year crafts, new year activities, new year writing prompts, new year games, new year centers, new year writing prompts, new year bulletin boardsFirst 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. 

new year crafts, new year activities, new year writing prompts, new year games, new year centers, new year writing prompts, new year bulletin boardsNext 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. 

new year crafts, new year activities, new year writing prompts, new year games, new year centers, new year writing prompts, new year bulletin boardsAn 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. 

new year crafts, new year activities, new year writing prompts, new year games, new year centers, new year writing prompts, new year bulletin boardsToday'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. 

new year crafts, new year activities, new year writing prompts, new year games, new year centers, new year writing prompts, new year bulletin boardsI'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