Frigid temperatures and shorter sunlit days make teaching during winter tough! But with a little creativity and energy, you can make math fun regardless of the weather. In this blog post, you’ll find five fresh ideas on winter math activities for upper elementary students. Let it snow! Let it snow! 🎶
PLUS–you can grab a FREE Snowman game activity to use with any set of task cards in your classroom.
*This post contains affiliate links to Amazon for your convenience. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases, which do not cost any extra for you. Please see the full disclosure here.*
How to Gamify Your Winter Math Activities for Upper Elementary
To jumpstart our list of freezing-days fun is an interesting way to jazz up ANY set of math task cards with a winter theme.
I simply call it “Get to the Snowman First.” ⛄️
Even though that doesn’t sound as hyped-up as “The Floor is Lava,” students’ interests are still piqued when they hear it!
Your kiddos will work in pairs and they can use any set of math task cards as partners.
But to keep those task cards from being boring, add in this Snowman Game Mat labeled “Walking in a Winter Wonderland.” 👇🏾
As students answer the task cards correctly, they can color in a snowflake. The snowflakes–which are all different designs–weave around a short trail leading to the snowman.
Incorrect answers cannot color in a snowflake.
Whoever gets to the snowman first wins!
Why You Will Enjoy This Math Activity
To save paper and allow students to play multiple times in a row, I laminate the snowman game mats and allow students to color in the snowflakes using dry-erase markers.
Here’s why adding this to your collection of winter math activities is a win-win:
- You don’t have to keep switching out all your math centers or math task cards. This game can be used with any math practice.
- It’s super easy to understand and doesn’t require a lot of demonstration.
- There’s a version included that allows students to use this activity independently. Because honestly, sometimes you also need to jazz up individual math seat-work for students.
- It allows you to gamify winter learning without any prep. Just print and go!
What’s even better than all this?
This activity is yours for free if you want it! Click the image to grab yours. 🙌🏾
Use Winter Color by Code Math Review Worksheets
Let’s keep our winter fun rolling with another coloring activity.
I LOVE ❤️ using color by code in the classroom!
And honestly, upper elementary students still love art, so combining it with winter math makes them happy.
There are so many times during the winter months when I need early finishers or activities that can take the form of exit slips.
Not only that, but I oftentimes need educational indoor recess activities during the winter months also.
These color-by-code math review activities with a winter-theme does just the trick!
They give big kids a chance to practice various math concepts, while also doing something stress-free and fun.
What I especially like about this idea is that when I need a winter math bulletin board, I just take their finished color-by-codes and put them together like a collage or patchwork quilt.
It makes the bulletin board colorful and wintery.
Not only that, but the students take pride in doing their best on the math coloring when they know it’s going to be displayed.
But How Are Coloring Sheets Rigorous?
I’ve learned that just because something is artsy doesn’t mean it isn’t challenging for students to complete.
These winter math color-by-code pages give upper elementary students practice with the following:
- Finding Number Patterns
- Completing Missing Digit Multiplication
- Converting Fractions to Decimals
- Converting Decimals to Fractions
- Sorting Prime from Composite Numbers
- Identifying Expanded Form Place Value
- Determining the Value of the Digit–Place Value
- Determining 10 times more than a Number to the Right
Students must complete all this before they can color a single spot!
And all I have to do as the teacher is print and go, which makes these a breeze to use for math centers.
So, don’t let the coloring aspect fool you! These babies make a great winter math activity. ❄️
Play SCOOT as You Review Math Concepts
Although this idea can be used any time of the year, I especially like to use it during winter so that we can get some movement around the classroom on those cold learning days.
It’s called SCOOT.
And playing it with winter math task cards kinda feels like playing musical chairs while learning. 🪑
Here’s how to play SCOOT with your winter math activities:
- Place one task card or question on each students’ desk. It makes things easier if you put them in correct number order. ALSO, make sure you use enough task cards for every student in your class.
- Give every student a SCOOT response sheet to record their answers. Plus, they will need a writing utensil to go from desk to desk.
- Have your kiddos answer the card on their desk first. Remind them to write the answer on the correct number on the response sheet. My students always rush ahead and put their answer in #1. They need to pay attention to the number on the task card.
- Then after about a minute or two, motion for them to all stand up at the same time, then “scoot” over to the desk next to them. The student in the back will need to come to the desk at the front of the class, while the student in the front will go to the desk in the back.
- Students will continue to “scoot” until they’ve answered all the task cards.
To make it really engaging, I like to use a timer or funny sound effect as a signal for them to move.
In addition to this, I play soft music that resembles the jeopardy theme song while students are answering their task card.
I do not allow them to work as partners. The whole point of SCOOT is to help me see how much each student knows on their own.
But if you haven’t tried SCOOT, it’s a great way to spice up your winter math activities for upper elementary.
Enjoy Hands-On Math Matching Games
As the weather gets colder, it can often feel like motivation cools off as well. In our school, we call this time of the year the doldrums.
Makes me think of “dull-drums.” 🥁 🙃
Which is why winter is a great time to engage upper elementary students in hands-on math games. These matching games offer a unique opportunity for students to develop problem-solving and critical thinking skills as they work on more complex centers.
This 1-minute Youtube video shows an example of the multiplication matching that your students could complete as one of their math centers:
These matching centers can be used independently or with a partner. I’ll admit though, they’re more fun with a partner.
Students will need a whiteboard or math journal to complete each math problem.
Then they look for the answer to “match” each of the pieces to the correct spot on the board.
Are you noticing a theme here with the different ways to gamify learning? Adding in that fun factor is greatly needed during the winter months.
Instead of relying exclusively on more traditional teaching methods like lectures and too many worksheets, incorporate math game activities like these into your lesson plans.
Use Winter Read-Alouds as Lesson Warm-Ups
Who says math and reading don’t mix? 🤔
Incorporating math read-alouds into your lessons can also switch things up and make the learning engaging for kids.
For instance, the math story Lemonade in Winter: A Book About Two Kids Counting Money by Emily Jenkins makes a fun lesson warm-up when teaching about decimals.
Most state standards for upper elementary require teaching about decimals and money word problems.
This adorable book is about two kids who choose an unconventional way to make money in winter: selling lemonade on a snowy day.
Several pages in the book showcase the money made and spent in number and word form.
One way to use this to your advantage is to give students mini-whiteboards and have them do the math while you read.
This gives them a unique way to warm-up to your bigger lesson on decimals and word problems.
More Winter Activities for Upper Elementary Students
Nourish your kiddos creativity with one of the fun winter-themed math ideas from this post. And don’t forget your FREE Snowman Game Mats to use with any math task cards.
In addition to these ideas, here are more teaching tips on how to spice up the learning–even on a wintry, cold day!
- 6 Engaging Winter Literacy Activities for Upper Elementary
- 15 Fun Winter Read-Alouds Upper Elementary Students Will Love
- How to Teach Winter Holidays Around the World
Happy Winter Teaching ☃️
