When I think of winter, I think of those cozy illustrations from classic children’s books. Cute furry creatures are snug in their underground homes or tree hollows with a fireplace crackling, a hot cup of tea in hand, and a colorful blanket wrapped around them. Snow is lazily falling to the ground as they read a book and as the soup simmers on the stove. That cozy feeling makes me think of books and writing. Winter is a great time to hunker down and enjoy the gift of the written word. Winter is simply magical.
Utilize this winter magic and calm coziness to spark imagination and creativity through meaningful writing activities in the classroom. With these 6 engaging winter writing activities, your students will fall in love with writing, and warmth for learning will envelop your classroom.
Descriptive Writing
The winter weather is an opportunity for students to practice their descriptive writing. Students can write about the frosty weather, a swirling blizzard, the winter-white snowscapes, and so much more. Encourage students to use sensory words, figurative language, adjectives, adverbs, and to show rather than tell. Take a short winter walk with your class for students to gather information on their descriptive pieces.
Go a step further and have students write a descriptive piece with an interesting twist such as…Imagine you’re a snowflake cascading to the ground. What do you see on your way down?
Other ideas include: “Write about a winter sunrise or sunset from the viewpoint of a forest animal” or “Describe the sights and sounds of a winter snowstorm.“
There are so many fun narrative ideas that surround a winter theme. Students can write narratives in which winter is the setting. Perhaps their story revolves around a wintry character such as a snowman, a snowy owl, or polar bear. A fun and popular narrative includes being stuck in a snow globe. Students can write about fairy tales that take place in a winter wonderland. Other ideas include Imagine You’re a Detective Searching for a Missing Snowman or Write about a Winter Adventure or Quest You Go on with a Group of Friends.
When it comes to narrative writing, give as much freedom as possible for students to show their creativity and imagination.
Your class can write a wonderful winter narrative with our Snowmen at Night resource. In this craftivity writing unit, students create their own snowman from a variety of accessories. Additionally, they craft a winter scene. Next, students use the graphic organizers to help them draft a narrative surrounding their created snowman and winter scene. The best part? There is an all Digital Option utilizing Google Slides included as well!
Winter Journaling
To help enrich those descriptive writing skills, winter journaling is a great way to capture the magical memories of winter. From students writing about a fun snow day to describing the winter weather, from journaling about a walk on a cold afternoon to describing a ski trip, keeping a daily journal practices crucial writing skills.
As the days gets shorter and it gets darker outside earlier, some adolescents experience more mixed emotions in the winter months. Journaling helps express feelings and cultivate a safe space to hash out thoughts. Journaling, especially during the winter, can help with any sad feelings associated with winter and help support social-emotional development. Students practice self-reflection and mindfulness as they journal.
Grab our FREE Winter Journal here.
Winter-Themed Persuasive Writing
One topic that would always stir my students to write powerful persuasive essays was the topic of snow days. Should students complete online work during a snow day? On days in which weather seemed a little dicey, I would have students write about whether school should have been canceled that day. Should students be required to wear coats to school and recess? This topic would particularly motivate strong feelings from my middle schoolers who hated donning any outerwear.
Have students advocate for their favorite winter sport, how best to serve hot cocoa, and whether winter or summer is a better season. Instead of just a standard persuasive essay, students can write speeches and debate them. A winter-themed persuasive essay can connect the students to the winter season and their writing in an authentic way.
Winter How-To Writing
There are ample opportunities for students to employ how-to winter topics during those cold months. Procedural writing is any text that shows how to complete a task or goal. Students practice step-by-step writing, transition words, and sequences with procedural writing. Some common writing ideas include How to Make Hot Cocoa, How to Build a Snowman, and How to Make a Fire in the Fireplace. Students delve into what they are an expert on, but it must pertain to winter in some way. Students can write a procedural piece on how to ski, how to win a snowball fight, how to ice skate, or even how to make tomato soup. Anything pertaining to winter goes.
For guidance on how to teach procedural writing, grab our graphic organizers in which students write how to make s’mores. It goes along with the picture book, More and More Microwave S’mores, a procedural book written exclusively for kids. (Free on the Kindle!)
Display your students’ writing pieces on this adorable wintry S’mores bulletin board.
your students’ SMORE’S Writing Projects!
Informative Winter Writing Pieces
Winter has such a plethora of ideas to incorporate informative writing. This nonfiction type of writing that utilizes facts to show knowledge can be done about a variety of topics. From winter animals such as penguins and polar bears to the Northern Lights, students have a variety of choices.
- Winter Holidays Around the World
- Winter Olympics
- Winter in Colonial America
- Winter Weather
- The Winter of 1777-1778 (How it affected Washington’s troops at Valley Forge.)
- Science Behind Snow
- Winter Weather Phenomena
- The Battle of the Bulge (Took place in the winter)
- Winter Survival Skills
- Hibernation and Migration of Animals During the Winter
- The Great American Blizzard of 1888
Informative writing pieces paired with interesting topics creates a cross-curricular approach. Not only are students practicing writing skills, but they’re learning science, history, and more.
Take informative writing a step further with biography exploration and a fun project. Some winter-related biographies students can explore are:
Matthew Henson, Arctic Explorer
Who Are the Eskimos?
Libby Riddles, First Woman Iditarod Winner
In this project, students write an informative piece on a famous person and craft their person’s likeness out of a chip or coffee can.
Display Winter Writing
Display any winter writing piece with this versatile bulletin board. Our WINTER Bulletin Board Kit includes everything you will ever need to decorate your classroom for a WINTER theme while displaying your students’ writing pieces.
Conclusion
Incorporate these winter writing ideas into your curriculum this season. Not only will it enhance your students’ writing skills, but it will also infuse your classroom with the enchanting spirit of the wintry season. Students can express themselves and their creativity in an authentic way that connects with this magical season while fostering a deep appreciation for storytelling and the written word.
