Everyone can sense when winter approaches. Whether you live in a warm climate or one where there’s a ton of snowfall, there’s something about winter that invokes magic. When I remember back to kindergarten, I recall the excitement and joy this season brought (even if it was in Florida!). The Christmas tree was put up, stockings lined the fireplace, and I bundled up waiting for the school bus to stop at my house.
Your little ones are probably just as excited as I was at that age. Channel their creativity into great learning opportunities. Make the most of the winter season with homeschool kindergarten lessons based around this magical time of year. Let’s see what’s in store!
English / Language Arts Winter Lesson Ideas
Gingerbread race Teach your little ones how to memorize sight words with this fun game featuring the gingerbread man! The game is simple: roll the dice, move that amount of spaces, then read and spell the word out loud. What a great way to practice sight words!
Winter reading list Head to your local library and check out these great reads for your kindergartener! Here are a few examples from the list:
- The Biggest Snowman Ever, by Steven Kroll A town contest to build the biggest snowman brings two friends together to win. Will they succeed?
- The Mitten, by Jan Brett A classic for the ages, this story tells of curious woodland creatures trying to fit in a lost white mitten while Nick, the protagonist, searches high and low for it. BONUS: here’s a unit study for kindergarteners that goes deeper into the story with printables, including one on sight words!
- Curious George in the Snow, by Margret and H.R. Rey The lovable monkey is back! Curious (of course) about winter sports equipment while watching a competition, he gets into trouble of his own making!
- Tracing worksheets Develop those fine motor skills with these winter tracing worksheets! You could also practice spelling as well, because each printable has the word that your child is tracing on it.
Math Winter Lesson Ideas
- Winter-themed math worksheets These math worksheets are sure to put a smile on your child’s face! From a snowman to penguins, they will help your child count up to ten and write out the numbers as well. Plus, the illustrations are just so cute!
- Snowman number matching game This activity will help your child identify how numbers are represented in different ways, such as dominos and counting fingers. The goal is to match a number to as many representations as possible. Your child will be challenged to find out just how many combinations are made!
- Beaded snowflake math & fine motor skills Make pretty snowflakes with your child using math concepts like patterns, counting, and constructing and deconstructing numbers. For example, your child can count beads of a certain color as they slide the beads on the pipe cleaner. Another example is to create patterns of color or quantity. There are many ways to use these pipe cleaner snowflakes! Homeschool kindergarten has never been so much fun!
Science
- Make your own snow! Too cold outside to play in the snow? Try making snow … indoors! Yes, that’s right. Check out our winter science experiment blog post above to learn more about how to make your own snow, with explanations!
- Penguin labeling activity Introduce your child to Antarctica with a penguin labeling activity! Label each part of the penguin using the word bank provided. Easy and adorable!
- Snowman chemistry activity Your child will enjoy this sensory melting baking soda snowman activity! Watch the snowman melt when the baking soda and vinegar react in real time. This sensory experiment is perfect for a chemistry homeschool kindergarten lesson!
Social Studies
- Holidays around the world Your child can explore different holiday traditions around the world with this printable activity. From Hanukkah to Christmas to Kwanzaa, there’s a short activity for each holiday. There’s also a space for you and your child to discuss what holiday you both celebrate!
- Winter climates around the world What’s winter like in different countries around the world? For example, did you know it’s actually summer in Australia during the Christmas season? Explore winter climates with your child with this cool free printable activity. Have them ask questions about where they live and what their winter season is like!
Winter is a magical time of year, and the season is such a great opportunity for learning alongside your kindergartener. From a sensory-based science activity to sight words, there’s no shortage of homeschool kindergarten lessons to choose from. Their creativity will shine through as you explore winter using all 5 senses!
Which activity are you and your child going to try? Drop a comment below!