The winter season brings not only frosty landscapes but also an opportunity to transform your classroom into a hub of excitement and learning through fun winter math activities! My January Math Craftivity is more than just an educational resource. It’s a chance for your learners to practice key math skills while tapping into the fun and whimsy of winter. We are exploring what makes this winter math activity a must-have for your classroom by looking at the benefits and practical ways to utilize this activity in your classroom. I promise you, this is one activity you want on your winter lesson plans!
What is this Winter Math Craft?
Let’s start with the basics… This January Math Craftivity with a winter theme to engage my learners in the cold months. It turns foundational math skills into a wintry math adventure! This resource goes beyond traditional worksheets and offers a hands-on approach that covers a range of math operations. These two winter crafts are the perfect way to ease back into learning after winter break. What sets this winter math craft apart from others is that it’s adaptable, covering basic addition and subtraction facts to double-digit division. No matter if you are teaching first grade or fourth grade, kids of all ages will benefit from the differentiation offered in this resource.
Benefits: Unlocking a World of Possibilities with a Math Craftivity
1. Adaptable Mastery
We all know that one size does not fit all in education. As educators, we love that all of our kiddos are unique in their personalities and learning styles. But, it’s okay to acknowledge that this can make planning our lessons a bit tricky. This math craft sets out to make your planning a breeze and is easy to incorporate into your small groups, math center rotations, or sub plans!
This resource was created to meet your students where they are in their math journey. From single-digit operations for the early grades to the complexity of three-digit multiplication and division in the upper grades, this craftivity ensures that each student finds the right level of challenge to grow and offers practice in a fun way.
2. Effortless Differentiation
The overwhelming feeling that blankets us while trying to differentiate our lessons is a thing of the past. This resource takes the headache out of differentiation and offers problems for each skill level. Whether you have students who are just starting to grasp the concept of addition or those ready to tackle multiplication, you’ll find the perfect problems to match their abilities.
The best part is you don’t only differentiate at the skill level, you can differentiate within the skill! Addition…. no problem! Would you like one, two or three-digit practice? With grouping or without? You will find all these different activities inside ONE resource!
The math can easily be differentiated while still allowing all students to work on the same final project – the craft. This is an easy way for all students to feel successful despite working on many different levels.
3. Seamless Integration Across Operations
No need to juggle between different resources for addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division. My math craftivity provides a seamless transition between the operations. Not only is this valuable for teaching time, but it also helps students see how math concepts connect or relate to one another.
The inclusion of all the operations means that whether you are a classroom teacher, math intervention teacher, or homeschool mom to multiple ages – this resource works for you! And. . . if you change grade levels you can still use this activity.
How to Use the Winter Math Craft in Your Classroom
Math craftivities are some of the best tools to have in your teacher toolbox! They can fit into your classroom wherever you need them to. Whether it’s adding a dash of excitement to your math centers for hands-on learning or helping to review concepts within a small group, you’re covered. Now, let’s dive into the practical ways to use this resource in your own classroom by breaking down how you can add it to your lesson plans effortlessly!
First Grade: Building Foundations
For the youngest learners, this is a fun way to focus on math fact fluency using single-digit addition and subtraction printable activities. The craftivity offers engaging snowglobe and snowman designs, which help basic math practice turn into an engaging and creative math experience!
Implementation Steps
1. Allow students to choose their preferred craft.
2. Distribute problems suited to their skill level.
3. Before coloring, check over their work for correct answers.
4. Afterwards, students color, cut, and paste their solutions onto their craft! (Added bonus of working on those fine motor skills!)
Cross-Curricular Extension
Half-sheets of paper are provided for students to write a story problem that goes with one of their number sentences. Two versions are included: One with primary lines and another with intermediate lines.
Second and Third Grade: Bridging the Gap
As students progress, introduce two-digit addition and subtraction. The math craftivity provides options for regrouping, which, as we know, adds an extra layer of challenge! And. . . if your students are beginning to work on multiplication facts, then pull out the one-digit multiplication problems for some fun winter math fact independent practice.
Implementation Steps
- Choose a more complex snow globe or snowman design.
- Tailor problems to include two or three-digit addition with regrouping and two-digit subtraction without regrouping, or both. You can also reach for single digit multiplication problems!
- Check over students’ work.
- Watch as students confidently tackle the challenges, turning their solutions into a winter wonderland!
Cross-Curricular Extension
Students can use full writing pages to craft a descriptive writing piece about their math craftivity. They could even create a story where their crafted character takes center stage. The writing lines printable version comes with primary lines that are perfect for those new cursive writing skills and one with intermediate lines that are great for any writing piece.
Fourth Grade: Mastering Multiplication and Division
The upper grades dive into multiplication and division with a single or multiple-digit divisor.
Implementation Steps
- Have students select their craft.
- Pass out the differentiated problems involving multiplication and division (or addition)
- Give students time to complete their independent practice of the skill.
- Students turn in work to be checked before being given the green light to go be creative!
Cross-Curricular Extension
Just like for 3rd grade, challenge students to write a descriptive story using their craft as an element to their writing! Utilize the two different line options once again for further differentiation and encourage students to get creative!
Making Teachers’ Lives Easier: A Time-Saving Approach
As educators, time is our most precious resource. I am all about finding ways to “get back that teacher time” and this Winter Math Craft is not just about student engagement, it’s about making YOUR life in the classroom more manageable with less time devoted at home.
1. Providing Double Duty
These winter activities are perfect for a classroom teacher because not only are you providing an engaging and fun EDUCATIONAL lesson, BUT……put these babies up in your room or on a bulletin board to create a beautiful winter wonderland for January! Your students will be proud to see their work hanging up and as a teacher, you have one less thing to worry about!
2. Effortless Planning
With clearly differentiated problems and a variety of craft options, planning becomes a breeze! No need to spend hours searching for different resources. This winter math craftivity covers a range of skills, making it an effective tool that adapts to your curriculum.
3. Simple Implementation
Gone are the days of complex setups. The implementation process is simple:
- Print out problems and craftivity pieces.
- Students pick their craft.
- Distribute the math problems that are easily differentiated for individual learners.
- Students complete the math work, and the teacher checks it over to provide feedback.
- The final step involves coloring, cutting, and pasting the problems onto the chosen craft.
4. Cross-Curricular Extensions with a Math Craftivity
My math craftivity enhances math skills and brings language arts to the mix. Using the included writing pages, students can write word problems related to their craft or tackle a creative writing assignment. It’s cross-curricular magic without the added stress of planning separate activities!
Embrace Winter with the Winter Math Craftivity!
Winter isn’t always the most fun time in the classroom. I’ve been there….The inability to get outside due to the weather often makes attention spans run short. Add to that the days seem cold and drab. But we don’t have to fall into the winter slump. Instead, focus on bringing the fun and whimsy of winter into your classroom with activities like the Winter Math Craftivity!
You can also find this math craftivity and more in my Holiday Math Activities and Centers Bundle! Your students will love working on these math craftivities all year long!
Save for Later
Remember to save this post to your favorite math Pinterest board to return to when in need of some winter magic added to your math lesson plans!
