Between winter break, mid-term exams, and changing semesters, this time of year brings a lot of schedule changes and awkward gaps to fill. Another way to survive the chaos is to have a bunch of fun, easy-to-use activities for traveling. With this collection of winter-themed games and activities, you’ll have everything you need to keep middle school and high school students focused and happy. From brain teasers to fun reading passages about how different cultures celebrate the season, these activities are designed to challenge and entertain older readers during the winter months.
What is included in the bundle?
Winter Haiku Poems
An easy way to let your students express their creativity and explore poetry in a very low-stress format. The page provides an explanation of what constitutes a haiku and has space for students to create three different poems.
Winter Origami
Your students will love the opportunity to turn paper pieces into adorable winter animals and other seasonal scenes with these easy lessons. Origami is a great break to help your class relax without jumping on their phones or getting too loud.
Winter Crossword
Seasonal indicators make this a big puzzle at this time of year. It’s perfect when some students have finished their work while others are finishing, as an opportunity for extra credit, or when you have ten minutes left at the end of a lesson.
Winter Rebus Challenge
Crosswords are word puzzles that use pictures, symbols, letters, or words arranged in a clever way to represent a sentence, word, or expression. These puzzles all have something to do with winter, the winter holidays, or the cold.
Winter Mental Disorders
Give your students all of these easy seasonally themed problems at once or just set one a week as a fun challenge for your students. Either way, they’ll love trying to solve these puzzles and you’ll enjoy watching them use their problem-solving skills to come up with the right answers.
Winter Debate Topics
Are snow days better than a summer vacation? What’s worse: snowy or slushy sidewalks? Throw one of these questions in your class in the last five minutes before the bell rings for a spirited whole-class discussion that will get every student talking or, use our debate planners to plan a more structured discussion. Either way, your students will be inspired to discuss these seasonal topics with each other. Do your students love debates? We have it for you!
Surviving Winter Around the World Reading Passage/Quiz
Your students will be engaged and interested in this reading passage that teaches them about the clever ways different cultures have come up with to make it through these long, dark winter days. The accompanying questions make this a very suitable activity for a quick study alignment test or as a quick mini-program.
Winter Trivia Quiz
Bring the fun of the season into the classroom! These winter-themed trivia questions challenge students with a mix of festive and chilly topics. Use them to spark friendly competition, encourage teamwork, or as a quick brain break during the busy winter season. You can also send them home for students to share with family or friends during recess.
Hot Chocolate Showdown: International Edition
Students will make and test hot chocolate recipes from around the world. Recipes from Mexico, France, and Ghana, will make your students explore different flavors and cultures from around the world. After sampling each recipe, they will rate their favorites and reflect on why one stands out. This activity is perfect for sparking conversations about cultural diversity, cuisine, and personal preferences—all while having a good time.
That’s a Wrap! My Year in Review
This reflection activity invites students to begin, reflect on their favorite moments, achievements, and challenges of the past year. Next, students get a chance to set meaningful goals for the coming year.
From sharing favorite books and songs to identifying personal growth and aspirations, this activity encourages thoughtful reflection and a positive mindset for the future. Perfect for ending a semester or starting over.
Find tons of free winter activities
Fill out the form on this page and start enjoying these activities with your students today!
