Being a Kindergarten teacher, the importance of routines is even greater in Winter. In order to go outside, it takes a good half an hour to get everyone dressed and ready to go! That includes, lots of “Help me! Help me!” and “I have to pee!” (of course, right after they’re all dressed). The truth is, like everything else, it takes practice for our little kinders to learn how to get ready in the right order (ie- put their snow pants on before their boots)! I knew I had to do something, so I created Winter Clothing Worksheets that are visual, tactile, and quite honestly, really effective!
Winter Clothing Worksheets & Activities:
At the beginning of every Winter season, before we even start the Winter Clothing Worksheets and Activities, I like to explore our Winter Words. Building a strong Winter vocabulary gives the class a primer on the types of clothing they need to wear during the winter. Then I love sitting down with my class and brainstorming what clothing we need to go outside in the cold. How do we keep warm outside? What Winter Clothing do we need to wear to keep us warm? Using our strong Winter vocabulary, we make a list of all the things we need for winter together. Doing this together gives the kids a better understanding of what they need to wear outside and why!
Winter activities for kids:
Learning should be tactile and visual. Have I mentioned that yet?! In my classroom, I set up multiple centers so that my students have many opportunities to practice and play with the Winter clothing worksheets! Practice makes progress, right?
Station One: Winter Vocabulary
Ideally at your writing center, have all your winter words available. I always have a “free” writing center, where students can go and write whatever they want. I have another writing center, that is directed by either me or my EA. Have the Winter themed words available so that your students can see them often, thus putting them into their long-term memory. You can also place the Winter words around the room and have students do a winter word search with them! Here is a great unit that I use with my students!
Station Two: Winter Clothing Worksheet Sequencing
This station takes a bit of preparation, but it’s worth it! It’s something that all your students can use over and over and year after year.
- Cut the top part of the page and then cut the images out. Laminate these and put Velcro on the back. Laminating helps my resources last much longer!
- Put the large or small Winter clothing checklist beside the sequencing activity and have students match the order of how to dress themselves.
- They can then use a dry-erase marker and check off if they did the sequencing activity correctly!
Station Three: Winter Sensory Bin
Sensory Bins are always fun! I also think there’s so much value to Sensory bins. Introducing kids to new textures and exploring is so helpful. They also help with fine motor development! In my Winter Sensory Bins, dump all the winter words and then have students grab them out with their:
- Hands
- Tweezers
- Thongs
- Or anything else you can think of!
Have them pull out the Winter vocabulary words and put them in the correct order. Make sure to place the Winter clothing checklist beside it. Hiding the checklist doesn’t help! It’s there for a reason!
The same pattern would be applied to how to take off your winter gear. I know this seems simple for some, but for many this is complicated and can be overwhelming. Using something tactile is so helpful in helping students achieve these goals.
Station Four: Cubbies!
Okay, so now they’ve done a few stations using the pictures, but they still need to get dressed for the cold! Here is where I place the task card sized checklists on each child’s cubby! Laminate them before so that they last longer. I have dry-erase markers on each cubby too (pro tip: attach a string to each dry erase marker and have them hang from the cubbies. This way they don’t get lost and you also don’t hear- I can’t find my marker!). For many kids, they may not need to physically check off the boxes, while others, it’s a MUST!
Teacher real talk:
Truth is, some days are colder than others, which can make it confusing. Questions like “But it’s not thaaaat cold today. Do I need to wear my hat?” My answer is always “Yes!” Keeping it consistent is imperative. My other suggestion is to KEEP PRACTICING! I review these daily. I will bring them out for our centers every week. When they are bored of them, I’ll put them away and bring them back another time! What are some strategies that you use to get you students and kids dressed for the cold winter? I would love to hear from you!
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