We all know that a more appropriate title for a teacher in December is "Chaos Coordinator!" You are constantly putting forth time and a lot of effort this time of year in so many areas. It is time to embrace your newly earned title in the classroom and engage your students with some winter-themed and Christmas-themed math activities for young children! These math activities will help you embrace the chaos and let your students math skills and creativity shine!
How to Embrace the Chaos with December Math
As we enter the busy season of holidays, it is difficult to keep students engaged in the content. It is often hard for us as teachers to stay focused and on track too! {I am not pointing at myself right now.}By using the holiday, which is usually the distraction, as a focal point in the classroom, students become highly engaged in the content.
Embrace the chaos and select a math activity that is right on point for your class... here are a few of my favorite things!
From Chaos to Creativity: Top December Math Ideas
Wreath Math Craftivity {4 Skills}
One of the newest craftivities to hit my shop is this gem, Wreath Math Craftivity! Add paper plates and, perhaps, a dot marker with sponge tip applicator!{I make a small commission when you shop using this link which keeps the Diet Coke fund from running dry and the creativity flowing!}This creates a simple craftivity for students to complete. It gets even better than this cute wreath! There are four math skills that you can use as "ornaments" to decorate your wreath. {grades K-2}
- Sequencing Numbers (1-10, 10-20, random numbers up to 120, random numbers up to 1,200)
- 2-D Shapes (two dimensional shapes)
- 3-D Shapes (three-dimensional shapes)
- U.S. Coins
Christmas Craftivity {Wants and Needs}
Do you teach wants and needs as part of your math or social studies curriculum?The best way to teach wants and needs is in context. What not a better way than as students are generating a Christmas list?!
Don't worry, as with all of my resources, I strive to make them diverse. This craft includes two versions with Santa or a snowman to be inclusive of ALL students, especially culturally diverse students.
This is a great activity for little hands as the cutting is very simple. I took extra time when I created this to define the lines for cutting for younger students.
Splat! Interactive Math Games
If you have not heard of Splat! math games yet, you are missing out! I wrote about these fun, interactive games a little while back. You can catch up on how to play Splat! here. I have seasonal and skill-based games for winter including these sets:
Gingerbread Themed:
- Comparing Numbers up to 10 {grades K-1}
- Comparing Numbers up to 120 {grades 1-2}
- Comparing Numbers up to 1,200 {grades 2-3}
Reindeer Themed:
- Generate a Set to 20 {grades K-1}
- 10 More Than 10 Less Than 120 {grades 1-2}
- 10 or 100 More Than or Less Than 1,200 {grades 2-3}
Christmas Emergent Readers
Make sight word practice fun, engaging, and interactive with these math emergent readers!These are perfect for math or literacy centers with a winter or Christmas theme. I love that you can use them for sight word practice, math centers, OR literacy centers! They are so versatile!
Students practice sight words in a math context with skills:
- instantly recognizing numbers (subitizing)
- compare sets of objects, (more/less)
- identify 2-D shapes
- distinguish between wants and needs.
There are so many standards-based winter and Christmas activities to choose from to support your math instruction during December. Embrace the chaos and keep the students engaged this holiday season with purposeful math activities!
If you would like to use any of these activities in your classroom, you can find them in my TpT shop.
How do you embrace the chaos in your classroom?
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