Let’s face it, the days leading up to winter break, and the first days back in January, are hectic. It can be difficult keeping students engaged. What if you had some activities that not only get students working, but also give you a poster to create a bulletin board? Below you’ll see some activities that have students reflect on 2024 and create goals for 2025. There’s also a really fun collaborative coloring poster. Students work together to create a large poster that can be your bulletin board for the new year! This New Year’s collaborative coloring poster is perfect for your winter-themed bulletin board! Students practice rounding to the nearest 100 and use the code to color one of 25 blocks. All 25 blocks make a large poster that is 30 x 30 inches! Build a positive classroom community as students complete the blocks and put the poster together. The end result will look great on your bulletin board where you showcase your students’ math and writing skills!

As a teacher, I know I don’t need to tell you about the weeks leading up to winter break! And the few days before, it can seem like a lost cause trying to get students engaged in any learning. It’s not just the days before the break, but the days you go back in January can be just as hard. Do you like to do holiday activities whole group? Maybe you set up centers with parents helping students. How about giving some work that students can complete individually? I know one of the hardest things I’ve dealt with in my classroom is having work for early finishers! Keep reading if you want to see some AMAZING resources that can be added to your lesson plans TODAY! Below you’ll see activities for Christmas, but you’ll also see a lot that are winter-theme and work well for the new year. These resources are perfect for reviewing important math, grammar, and writing skills. MATH — These activities were made with key 3rd grade math skills. If you need differentiation for your 2nd graders who excel in math, these could be a great addition to meet their needs. If you teach 4th grade or…

Have you ever used candy when teaching math skills? I love teaching graphing skills with candy. It keeps students engaged, and they get to go home with a special treat. What types of candy should you use? 🍭 Using candy hearts is a fun way to review graphing skills on Valentine’s Day. Let’s face it, Valentine’s Day is one of those days where it’s hard to keep students’ attention. It doesn’t have to be a wasted day. Buy some small boxes of candy hearts, and students will love participating in these math activities. But what about the rest of the school year? Can you use candy anytime? (YES!) Do the activities have to coincide with a holiday? (NO!) This 3rd grade graphing with candy resource can be used with any colored candy, and you can use it several times throughout the year! I know there are mixed feelings about students getting candy in the classroom. If you aren’t sure how parents will feel about it, let them know ahead of time what your lesson will look like. Students don’t have to eat the candy at school. Simply give each student a baggie to hold their candy. They can then take…

Do you use color by number/code activities in your classroom? I’ve heard some say they have no educational value, and they’re considered busy work. I completely disagree! These activities can definitely be a great addition to your classroom. You just need to get creative! The most common type of color by number activities go along with math skills. But what other subjects could benefit with these types of worksheets? What if I told you grammar, or even…..reading comprehension?! Have you ever heard of collaborative coloring posters? I learned about them recently, and I’m hooked! Some people use them with positive growth mindset phrases, where students get to color their section however they want. Personally, I enjoy putting an educational component to them. And, they look great as bulletin boards! Keep students engaged in their learning. They’ll be getting LOTS of review of important skills while coloring and having FUN! I have a GROWING BUNDLE right now with Planets of the Solar System Reading Comprehension Activities, including color by number activities. Click HERE to see what’ included! Here are some examples. READING COMPREHENSION Use color by number activities to build your students’ comprehension! Each resource has students read a passage and…

Do you need some fun Thanksgiving activities to get through those hectic days leading up to Thanksgiving break? I’ve got you covered with activities for math, grammar, and writing! These are perfect for students in 2nd, 3rd, and 4th grades. They’d also work well with older students who struggle with certain concepts and need an extra review. Before I start, scroll down to the bottom to find some turkey in disguise examples and ideas! Have you ever heard of Collaborative Coloring Posters? They are so FUN! Students each get a small part of the full poster to color. Once the poster is put together, you can use it as part of a bulletin board. Check out this fall-themed collaborative poster! 🍁 Collaborative Coloring Poster Fall Bulletin Board – 25 individual student pages that go together to create a 30 x 30 inch poster. Each student page includes multiplication problems (2s-12s). Students solve the problems and color based on the code provided. Build a positive classroom community as students complete the blocks and put the poster together. The end result will look great on your fall bulletin board where you showcase your students’ math skills! 🦃 Thanksgiving-Themed Math Skills Review Worksheets…

How do you address character education in your classroom? Do you put up a few posters and point out the traits a couple times a year? Are you looking for meaningful activities to teach students what it means to have good character? Keep reading to see how easy it can be to create a positive classroom community while teaching about positive character traits. Posters can be a great addition to your classroom, but you need to ensure students understand the meaning of different traits. All of these activities will help you teach what positive character traits are, and how STUDENTS can show these traits at school, at home, and out in their community. In addition to students understanding their own character through their actions, they will be able to notice what traits a character has in a story they’re reading. Grasping character analysis will improve your students’ reading comprehension! BONUS IDEAS: The bundle includes 17 activities to use throughout the whole school year. What’s great about this bundle is it reinforces the same key traits several times, and it gives students the opportunity to write about how THEY show each of these character traits! WHAT ACTIVITIES ARE INCLUDED? Character counts…

Free Money? Yes, please! 💲 Did you know you can earn credits on TPT? All you have to do is leave a review. Yep, that’s it! Simply go to My Purchases, find all of the products you’ve purchased, and click on the Leave a Review button. When you review a paid product, you’ll get 1 credit for every $1 spent. (1 credit = $0.05) That may not seem like a lot, but these credits can really add up, especially if you’ve never left any reviews. A few years ago I purchased a HUGE science bundle. After the 3 licenses (so my two colleagues could also use it), my purchase was over $200. After reviewing just that one, I had over $10 in free credits to use in the future. So what are you waiting for? Head to My Purchases on TPT and start earning credits today!

📚 Are you ready for BACK TO SCHOOL? As much as we love our summer break, it’s really hard not to think about the new year that’s creeping up on us. I’m here to make your life easier! Plan ahead, and get ready for an amazing first day, week, and month of school. First off, if you’re new to teaching, this free CHECKLIST might help! It’s just some tips to help you get through your first day. As you think about the new school year, is your classroom prepared for a substitute? If your answer is no, or you’re not sure, read my post on The Importance of Emergency Sub Plans! During those first few days and weeks of school, you need to make sure you’re keeping students engaged. In addition to establishing the rules and procedures of your classroom, make sure you have some fun activities that students will enjoy working on. I like to have ALL ABOUT ME activities because it’s easy for students to write about what they like. Here are some activities that will help you get through the first few weeks of school, while you’re still trying to establish a routine. Back to School Pennant…

Do you need some fun Halloween activities to get through those hectic days leading up to Halloween? I’ve got you covered with activities for math, grammar, and writing! These are perfect for students in 2nd, 3rd, and 4th grades. They’d also work well with older students who struggle with certain concepts and need an extra review. 🎃 Halloween Math Skills Review Worksheets — 43 pages of math worksheets and color by numbers reviewing – 👻 Halloween & Fall-Themed Grammar Skills Review Color by Code Activities — Keep students engaged with these fun color by code activities that are perfect to do in the fall and around Halloween. Students practice identifying nouns, adjectives, verbs, and more! You’ll get 10 color by code activities. You can use these as independent practice after teaching/reviewing a skill, complete one or two each week during September and October, and/or put them out for early finishers! Here’s what your students will be reviewing: 💀 Halloween Writing Activities Bundle — SEVEN amazing resources to get your students writing! Including –

These Back to School activities are perfect for the first week of school! These writing activities, crafts, and beginning of the year memory book packet would look great on Back to School bulletin boards. Students can write about themselves and what they’re looking forward to this year. Click HERE to get these amazing activities! Products Included: First Week of School Activities: Getting to Know You – These are great for independent activities. They are created to look like a frame. Students fill in sentences around the perimeter of the frame, and the inside is used for pictures! – First Week of School Writing Activities – The activities include Questions for my Teacher, First Day of School, Letter to my Teacher, and My Family. These are completed individually and will give you a good idea of each student’s writing ability at the beginning of the year. – Back to School Activities: Blast Off IN… – Students can: – make an 8 1/2 x 11 book with a cover page that says “Blast Off in __ Grade!” This option has several pages to choose from. There are graphic organizers and sentence starters to help your students get started. – make a rocket…