A:

Art Day – Devote extra time to a special art project or give students extra time with the art supplies and let them create something on their own.

Animals Day – Allow students to bring in their favorite stuffed animal.

Other ideas: autograph day, eat apples or animal crackers, celebrate August birthdays, “Away We Go” (if counting down the alphabet)

B:

Beach Blanket day – Have students bring a beach blanket to lay on the floor and sit on to complete their work.

Book Day – Allow students to bring in a favorite book from home to share.

Other ideas: balloon toss or relays, board games, bubble gum, bubbles, bingo dabber day, beach ball games

C:

Crazy Hair Day – Encourage your students to show up with the wackiest ‘do’ they can manage.

Chalk Day – Frame out an area of your recess space and let your students tap into their inner Picassos!

Other Ideas: coloring contest, crafts, cookie decorating, construction theme day, compliment day, card games

D:

Dance Day – Plan random dance breaks throughout the day or set up for one big dance party at the end of the day.

Dot Day – Decorate plain white tees with paint dots. 

Other Ideas: donuts, detective theme day, dinosaur theme day, drawing

E:

Eat Together Day – Arrange to eat lunch in the classroom or outside with your students.

Exercise Day -Take breaks throughout the day to exercise. You can randomly call out “Time for 10 jumping jacks!” throughout the day.

Other Ideas: experiment day

F:

Flying Day – Make paper airplanes in class and take them outside to fly.

Flashlight Day – Read with a flashlight while the lights are off.

Other Ideas: make tissue paper flowers, flip flops in the classroom, make a fort day, frisbee day, make paper fans, fancy dress up day

G:

Game Day – Break out the board games and let them play. Another idea is to plan group indoor games or outdoor group games.

Graph Day– Ask questions and have students create class graphs to show their opinions.

Other Ideas: goldfish snack day, glitter craft day, gum day, wear green day

H:

Happy Day – Have students share what makes them happy or do things to make others happy.

Helping Hand Day – Do something kind for others, like make cards for a local nursing home or school staff members.

Other Ideas: hat day, crazy hair day, hopscotch day, hula day

I:

Impress Day – Have students dress to impress!

Interview Day – Pair students up and have them interview each other with a list of questions about their favorite part of this school year, their plans for summer, and how they’re feeling about moving up a grade. Have a whole-class share afterward.

Other Ideas: wear your clothes inside-out, play I-Spy, enjoy ice cream or ice pops

J:

Jump Rope Day – Round up a supply of jump ropes and let them play. Be sure to supply a couple of long ropes and teach them how to double jump.

Joke Day – Tickle their funny bones by taking joke breaks throughout the day. If students have any favorites, give them the mic and let them share.

Other Ideas: wear a jersey day, celebrate June and July birthdays, jumping jacks

K:

Kickball Day – Organize a game of kickball and play!

Kindness Day – Take some time to write and read shout-outs to one another.

Other Ideas: kite day, hunt for kisses day (like the 100th day of school activity), kick off your shoes

L:

Lazy Day – Invite kids to bring in a small pillow or blanket and listen to a story or two.

Laughter Day – Read your funniest read-alouds or tell jokes and start a flurry of giggles.

Other Ideas: lollipops, Legos, lunch with the teacher, lights off day, lemonade day, limbo day

M:

Music Day – Round up as many musical instruments as you can and lead the orchestra.

Memory Book Day – Put together a memory book for students to reminisce and share their experiences and favorite moments from the school year.

Other Ideas: movie day, Mother's Day gifts, wear mismatched clothes, use markers instead of pencils, musical chairs

N:

New Name Day – Make name tags and have students come up with a new name!

Noodle Day – Make a pool noodle obstacle course for the kids to enjoy.

Other Ideas: make noodle necklaces, no homework, wear neon, nature walk

O:

Oreo Day – Eat an Oreo cookie and make a graph of how students eat their Oreo.

Opposite Day – Do as many things backward as possible that day, like wearing your shirt backward or starting the day with a different activity.

Other Ideas: make oobleck, wear orange, outdoor read aloud or lesson, obstacle course

P:

Pen Day – Use pens instead of pencils.

Puppet Day – Make sock puppets or paper bag puppets.

Other Ideas: pajama day, popcorn party, dress like a pirate, play dough, puzzles, popsicles, picnic outside

Q:

Queen and King Day – Make paper crowns and wear them around all day.

Quilt Day – Have everyone decorate a square and put them together into a quilt.

Other Ideas: play 20 questions, Q & U day, quiet day (throughout the day announce quiet and have everyone be still and silent for a set amount of time)

R:

Read-a-thon Day – Set aside an extra long reading time. Have students read half of the time by themselves and the other half with a friend or arrange for a buddy reading with an older grade level.

Read and Feed – Read books and eat a snack.

Other Ideas: extra recess, relay race day, wear red, root beer floats, rock collecting, dress like a rainbow (dress in lots of colors or wear your favorite color), rainbow day (make rainbows in sidewalk chalk outside)

S:

Silly Socks Day – Students wear their silliest socks or mismatched socks of their choice.

Scavenger Hunt Day – Go on a class scavenger hunt.

Other Ideas: sunglasses day, school shirt day, stuffed animal day, summer birthdays, sit where you want, shaving cream, sing songs

T:

Time Capsule Day – Plan a time capsule activity for kids to remember what a memorable year it has been.

Thank You Day – Write thank you notes to staff members and other helpers or parent volunteers to thank them for their efforts or have students write something they are thankful for.

Other Ideas: bring a toy day, dress like a teacher day, talent show, tie dye shirt day, teamwork day

U:

Up, Up, and Away Day – See if you can borrow a parachute from the gym teacher and play with it during your recess break.

Unusual Day – Check out a few volumes of Ripley’s Believe it or Not books, or similar titles, and let kids learn some weird new facts.

Other Ideas: upside down (switch your schedule), sports uniform day, under the desk day (work under your desk)

V:

Visit Day – Give them a tour of next year’s classrooms and meet the teachers.

Voice Day – Hold a singing competition.

Other Ideas: wear violet (purple), dress like a vacationer day, volunteer appreciation day, arrange for a special visitor, vest day (using brown grocery bags)

W:

Walk Day – Walk all kinds of ways: backward, sideways, like a robot, slow like a turtle, or fast like a road runner. Or go for a walk as a class!

Window Day – Let your students decorate the classroom windows with dry erase marker graffiti.

Other Ideas: western day (dress like a cowboy or cowgirl), snack on watermelon or waffles, make a windsock, water games day

X:

eXtra Recess Day – Extend your recess times or add in an extra at the end of the day.

eXcellence Day – Make up award certificates to recognize your students’ special contributions during the year.

Other Ideas: eXercise, eXchange autographs, host a book exchange (with parent permission)

Y:

You Day – Celebrate each student by having classmates share what they love or admire most about each student.

Year End Cleanup Day – Enlist your students’ help and clean out desks, cubbies, etc. Give away used school supplies or overstocked items. Ask students to bring in extra bags to bring stuff home in.

Other Ideas: yo-yo day, everyone wears yellow, watch a YouTube video on yodeling and have students try, year-end party

Z:

Zoo Day – Make paper cup animals with markers, glue sticks, and construction paper. Or have students act out their favorite animal and have students guess what it is.

Zoom Day – Allow students to bring in Matchbox cars or other vehicles to play with at recess time.

Other Ideas: dress like a zebra (in black and white), Zero the Hero day, Zip Up and Zoom Out of School – it's the last day!

Memory Book Pages

If you decide to create your own memory book, I suggest coming up with various topics to help students explore and reflect on the entire school year. If you grab the ready-to-go Kindergarten Memory Book, I've included 40+ prompts and various page options, so all you have to do is choose a writing option and print!

Each page of the memory book focuses on one theme. The themed pages are offered with options for differentiation, which allows you to pick which layout works best for your students.

I also like to pair writing and drawing with each other. In the Kindergarten Memory Book, many of the pages include different options: only drawing a picture, writing a simple response plus a drawing, and writing 1-2 sentences and drawing.

A few of the themes included are:

• Recess activities
• A special day
• Class parties
• Favorite lunch
• A map of my classroom
• In school, I learned
• My friends
• My teacher
• You're special (great for paras or parent volunteers)

There are also subject- and skills-centered pages where students can share what they learned in reading, math, science, social studies, and so on.

You'll also find pages for students to record their summer plans and what they hope to learn next year.

This memory book is jam-packed with options and pages, but you do not need to use all of the pages in this book! There are several options and differentiated levels included in this resource. Pick the topics and levels that work best for you and your class.

How to Make a Memory Book

To create a memory book, I recommend working on it throughout the last month or so of school and completing just a page at a time. This will keep you and your students from getting overwhelmed and avoid students rushing through the activity.

Let's face it though, sometimes life happens, and you get in a pinch. If you're in a time crunch, you can space out the pages over a week or two. You can do one page in the morning, one mid-day, and one in the afternoon. However, I would avoid this if possible.

Students can get confused and overwhelmed by doing too many pages at one time. Plus, this doesn't give students enough time to organize their thoughts and put their best effort forward. It's okay to have a smaller memory book!

Completing the Memory Book

It's simple to bring a memory book into your classroom, especially if you're only completing a few pages each week. You can have students work on the memory book during your writing block, small group instruction, or centers.

Here's how I recommend prepping for memory bookwork:

First, select the page that you will be working on. If you are using the Kindergarten Memory Book, simply print the pages you will need.

Next, as a group, have students brainstorm a list of ideas surrounding that theme or topic. This is a super important step to refresh students’ memories. Record or draw their ideas on the whiteboard for them to refer to.

Lastly, give students a generous amount of time to draw and write to complete the page. You may work with a few students during this time if they are struggling or provide some sentence starters for the class.

If you have extra time, ask students to share their writing. You can read a few examples to the class or have them share with a partner. This is a fun way to look back at the school year together!

As your students complete the pages, I recommend collecting them and storing each child's pages in a folder with their name on it. Then, before they head home for the summer, you can staple the pages together with the front cover (or use a binding machine) to create the books. You can even add a special ribbon and notecard to the front to make this a special gift for them to take home!

Example Memory Book Pages

Are you ready for a little sneak peek? Read on to check out a few examples of the pages included in the Kindergarten Memory Book!

My Favorites

This is a fun page for students to share their opinions on their favorite things, such as their favorite colors, sports, food, animals, etc. Students can write out their responses or draw an image for each category.

My Teacher

On this page, students can write about their teacher. There are two options included, one with three different prompts and lots of writing space. Another is with a space for students to write their teacher's name, a bit of writing, and space to draw a picture.

In School, I Learned

There are lots of prompts and pages that cover various subject areas. For example, pages specifically for reading, math, science, and social studies. In addition, there are pages for students to record how they write their letters and numbers.

There are also more general subject-area prompts, like asking students what they read this school year and their favorite book.

Free Kindergarten End of the Year Games

In addition to making a kindergarten memory book, the end of the year is also a great time to play games and spend quality time with your students who now feel like family.

I've put together a pack of two of my favorite end of the year class games for Kindergarten and First Grade students!

Pair and Share

The first game is called “Pair and Share.” This game is great for a quick time filler at the end of the year. It's a fun way for students to reflect and share with their classmates while getting them up and moving!

Students will each receive a partner card and find a classmate with a matching partner card to stand next to. Then, the teacher will select a question card and read it to the class. Students will turn to their partner and share their answer to the question along with a reason to support it.

Play continues as students find new partners to share their answers to various questions with. You can play music and have students stop and find their new partner when the music stops. As a bonus, you can add your own questions and keep the game going!

Find Someone Who

The second game is called “Find Someone Who.” This game is no prep and will also get students up and moving around. Use it as an indoor recess game, or just a fun game to play during the last few days of school.

Each student will need a copy of the “Find Someone Who” page. Before the game begins, read each space with the class and draw attention to the picture cues. Students will circulate the room and find someone that fits each description. The classmate will write their name in the space. Students can only use each classmate once.

You can download these end of the year class games by filling out the form below. They'll be sent straight to your inbox!

I'd love to see your finished Kindergarten Memory Books and hear how your class liked these free games! Snap a picture and come share in my Kindergarten Teacher Facebook Group!

How to Maximize Your Time in the Spring

Spring in the classroom is a super busy time. There's spring break, Easter, end of year activities, assessments, and so much more going on.

Plus, with the weather warming up and students wanting to get outside, it can be harder than ever to keep their focus during the months of March, April, and May.

However, there are a few tips you can implement to maximize your time in the spring. These tips will ensure your students are still learning all of the necessary skills while having fun and staying active.

Tip #1: Use low and no prep activities.

Not only is your daily schedule jam-packed in the spring, but you also have a lot on your plate as a teacher this time of year.

You may be working on after-school projects, planning school events, going over assessment data, or planning ahead for next school year.

In order to make sure your students have the activities they need while maximizing your lesson planning time, it's important to keep your prep time down.

To do that, use a variety of low and no prep activities, like these spring no prep bingo dabber activities for math and literacy!

All you have to do is print, add bingo dabbers, and go. Your students will love them and so will your stress-levels!

Tip #2: Implement centers to work on a variety of skills.

Another great way to maximize your time in the spring (and all year long) is to incorporate centers into your daily routine.

Centers allow you to work on a variety of skills during your rotations. This allows your students to practice and spiral review multiple skills within one time block.

Plus, they'll be staying active with the various hands-on activities and manipulatives.

Practice key skills like CVC words, onset and rime, ten frames, teen numbers, and number bonds with these spring math and literacy centers.

Follow up each hands-on center with a no-prep page for extra practice (without the prep time).

Tip #3: Take advantage of cross-curricular learning opportunities.

Nothing says maximizing your time like teaching multiple subjects and skills at the same time!

As teachers, you are expert multi-taskers, so why not multi-task when it comes to your lesson planning? There are so many ways to incorporate cross-curricular learning opportunities into your day.

Take a look at your kindergarten pacing guide to see which skills and concepts your students need to learn this spring. Then, you can plan lessons and activities that touch on multiple skills.

For example, you can incorporate spring science and social studies topics such as recycling, Earth Day, and weather into your writing lessons with spring-themed writing prompts.

Students can learn more about recycling, Earth Day, and the weather through an educational video, lesson, or read aloud.

Follow it up with a spring writing prompt, such as:

• I help the Earth when I…
• I can recycle…
• My favorite place on Earth is…
• April showers…
• When the weather gets warmer, …
• When it rains, I like to…

This is a fun way to maximize your time while using spring activities for kindergarten.

Tip #4: Encourage independent learning.

Doesn't it seem like yesterday that your students were just coming to you on the first day of school? Think back to all of the guidance and direction they needed in the beginning.

Over the months, you've helped mold them into the problem-solvers and independent thinkers they are becoming today!

Celebrate this and maximize your time by giving students the opportunity to work independently more often. This is so helpful when you are busy working with or assessing another student.

It seems like there are so many projects to wrap up in the spring. Build in some time during your day to catch up, finish projects, and work with students while the rest of the class works independently on a spring activity.

If a student finishes an activity or assignment early, allow them to do an educational activity independently. This will keep them on task without creating chaos in your classroom.

Tip #5: Look for learning opportunities in everyday moments.

Your students are craving the outdoors and sunshine. Let's face it, you are too! Don't be afraid to take your class outside and create your own learning opportunities out of everyday moments.

When you're outside at recess, gather your students for a fun outdoor learning game. Take sidewalk chalk outside to practice math and literacy skills.

You can also look for learning opportunities in the everyday moments inside your classroom. During snack time, have your students practice counting, comparing numbers, sorting, and graphing.

During read alouds, have class discussions about the characters, setting, plot, and other text features. Encourage students to write and draw about the story afterwards to work on those writing skills.

Learning is all around us. Help your students find these real-world opportunities to learn something new while also maximizing your time this spring!

Free Rainbow Match Math Activity

If you're looking for a spring activity for kindergarten that is low prep, engaging, and focuses on multiple skills, this Rainbow Match math activity is for you!

Did I mention, it's FREE?!

This activity has all the goodness of spring with bright colors and an adorable rainbow theme. Students will have a blast practicing teen number recognition, counting, and representing numbers with base ten and ten frames.

This activity comes with a hands-on activity mat, rainbow matching cards, and a recording sheet so your students can show what they know. There are 3 different ways to use this activity. Hello differentiation and maximizing your time!

To get this free Rainbow Match activity delivered straight to your inbox, fill out the form below, and it'll be on it's way!

I hope these spring activities for kindergarten have inspired you to try something knew and maximize your time this spring.

Soak up every last moment with your students, because they'll go by fast! If you need more spring activities and ideas, check out my Spring Centers for Kindergarten blog post!

Easy and Affordable Spring Math Games For Kindergarten

Spring is a great time to spiral review math skills learned throughout the entire year. Using math games for kindergarten is a perfect way to touch on multiple skills while still having fun and keeping your students engaged.

However, as teachers, it's not realistic to go out and purchase a ton of math games to add to your classroom. You also don't have a lot of extra time on your schedule to prep complicated math games.

Don't worry though, because with a few easy and affordable manipulatives, you can create a ton of fun math games this spring.

Egg Carton Comparing Numbers Ten Frame Game

Egg cartons are super versatile and affordable, and chances are, you have a whole stack laying around your house or classroom for moments like this!

Cut the last 2 slots off of an egg carton so it has 10 spaces, just like a ten frame. Students can use the egg carton ten frame to practice comparing numbers.

They will begin by drawing 2 number cards. Then, they will model each number in a separate egg carton ten frame using other small manipulatives, such as mini erasers.

They'll determine which number is greater than, less than, or equal to. You can even make notecards with the <, >, and = symbols for students to place between the egg cartons to show the comparison.

A few fun spring-themed manipulative ideas you can use for this game are:

• Easter eggs
• Spring mini erasers
• Jelly beans
• Colorful pom-poms
• Flower paper cutouts

Roll, Count, and Cover Math Game

Using dice is another easy and affordable way to make math games such as Roll, Count, and Cover come to life.

This math game for kindergarten is a great way to review number sense skills either independently or with a partner.

It uses the basic supplies, such as dice and plastic math cubes or mini erasers, making it super easy to prep during the busy spring months.

To play, students will roll the dice and count the dots shown to determine the number. Then they will find the number on the game mat and cover it with their manipulative.

There are also game mats that are one less and one more, challenging students to cover the number that is either one less or one more than the number they rolled. Play continues until all of the spaces on the game mat are covered.

These game mats come in a variety of seasonal themes as well as options to practice numbers to 6 and numbers to 12. Hello, differentiation!

Spring Boom Cards

Using digital math games for kindergarten is a sure way to keep the engagement high and the prep low this spring!

Let's face it, all teachers have those days when they just need something educational that they can whip out that requires ZERO prep, grading, or effort.

This seems to happen more often in the spring, especially right before spring break or at the end of the school year.

These Spring Boom Cards are the perfect solution for those instances! With 4 digital math games included, your students can practice addition and subtraction word problems, numbers to 100, subtraction with a number line, and numbers 11-19 in an interactive way.

Plus, there's audio directions included, so they can be truly independent!

There are also 4 literacy games included, giving you a ton of options for spring review games to use with your students.

Comparing Numbers Spring Freebie

If you love a good DIY math game for kindergarten, you're going to really enjoy this Comparing Numbers Spring Freebie!

This game is called “Juggling Jelly Beans.” As you might guess, you can use real jelly beans as your game markers.

You can also use jelly bean mini erasers or another small mini eraser or manipulative. Another great alternative are these plastic jelly bean beads on Amazon.

You'll also need a few colors of plastic eggs for this game.

Preparing the Jelly Bean Math Game

To prepare this free comparing numbers math game, put various amounts of jelly beans or manipulatives in each plastic egg. Be sure to use several of the same color eggs so students don't know how many objects are in the egg.

Place the eggs in a small basket or container. Print the game mat and add some bingo dabbers or crayons, then you're set!

How To Play the Jelly Bean Math Game

Students will play the game with either a partner or in a small group. To get started, each student will select an egg from the basket. They will open the egg and count the number of objects inside.

The student with the least amount of jelly beans wins that round. They dab (or color) a circle on their game mat to show they won that round.   

Then they put the objects back in the egg and return the eggs to the basket. They take a different egg and repeat the process of counting and comparing.

The player with the least amount in the next round dabs their game mat, and so on.

With this game, you can differentiate by having students practice identifying the number that is either the least or the greatest.  

Students will continue counting, comparing, and dabbing until one player has filled their entire game board.

To get this FREE Juggling Jelly Beans Spring Math Game, click here to get your free download.

Roll and Race Math Games

Students love a little friendly competition in the form of a race, which is why these Roll and Race Math Games are perfect for math review!

Whether students are racing a partner or competing against themselves, these games are a fun way to practice a variety of kindergarten math skills.

Skills included in the Roll and Race Math Games are: number recognition, dominoes, ten frames, number words, addition and subtraction, missing numbers, counting on, one more, one less, 2D shapes, 3D shapes, and comparing numbers.

To play, students will roll the dot cube, select the first available space from that column on their game mat, and solve the math problem.

The object of the game is to be the first player to reach the top of a single column. If playing independently, students can see how fast they can race to the top.

These game mats can be used for small group instruction, especially to practice skills that need a little extra work. You can also add them to morning tubs, fast finisher bins, or your math centers.

I hope you enjoyed these spring math games for kindergarten and can use them in your classroom!

For more tips on incorporating games into your classroom, check out this blog post.

Need some more hands-on spring ideas and a colorful rainbow-inspired math freebie? Head on over to this blog post!

Tips For Making Learning Fun In The Spring

There's no doubt that when the weather warms up, it's pretty hard to compete with the playground and your students' urge to get outside and burn off energy.

However, with a few teacher tips, you can make learning fun in the spring and get the best of both worlds!

Tip #1: Get outside when you can.

Everyone can use a change of scenery after a long winter. When the weather is nice, take advantage of it and get outside.

Sometimes just a change of scenery is all it takes for students to thrive.

There are so many ways you can take the learning outside. Your students can write sight words, CVC words, teen numbers, and addition and subtraction sentences with sidewalk chalk.

Take them on a nature walk and have them write about and illustrate what they see. The opportunities are endless! For more easy outdoor learning ideas, check out this blog post.

Tip #2: Keep your students active.

It's natural for students to want to be active and moving around when spring comes around.

Instead of trying to keep them in their seat, embrace their need to move by keeping them active in their learning.

Spring centers for kindergarten are a great way to keep your students on task and moving around.

By switching activities, using different manipulatives, and practicing a variety of skills, you'll keep your students on their toes while having fun mastering key kindergarten concepts.

Tip #3: Review skills from the year.

The arrival of spring means that the end of the year and summer break are just ahead. It's crazy how fast time flies by!

This makes spring a great time to review skills learned throughout the year. This helps students refresh their brains and brush up on skills.

They also gain independence by working on these skills more independently, such as during centers.

A spring review is also a great way to assess how your students are doing on certain skills. This allows you to see which skills are mastered and which need a bit more work before moving on to 1st grade.

You can learn even more strategies for an end of year review in this blog post.

Tip #4: Use bright and exciting activities.

Say goodbye to the dreary winter and hello to bright and exciting spring colors and activities!

A great way to bring the energy back into the classroom for the rest of the year is by incorporating spring centers for kindergarten.

Read on for a few of my favorite math, literacy, and writing centers for spring!

Spring Math and Literacy Centers for Kindergarten

The spring months are a critical time in kindergarten. Not only are students learning new skills, but they are also reviewing skills taught throughout the year.

As a teacher, it can be difficult to plan time and activities to cover both the new and previously taught skills.

A great way to cover both while increasing student independence is with spring math and literacy centers for kindergarten.

With 27 spring-themed centers included, 14 math and 13 literacy, your students will have a ton of opportunities to show what they know.

Each center includes kid-friendly directions and a no prep recording sheet, perfect for saving you time this spring!

From rhyming words to digraphs to counting and base ten, your students will have a blast with these hands-on spring centers.

Themes include spring, flowers, insects, butterflies, birds, rainbows, farm animals, and frogs.

Free Rainbow Match Center Activity

If you love incorporating bright colors into your spring centers for kindergarten, but you're a little short on time, you're going to love this FREE Rainbow Match math center activity!

This activity is great for helping students identify numbers to 20. It also helps students make connections between numbers and their representation on a ten frame and with base ten blocks.

This activity is super easy to prep and only requires basic classroom supplies, such as mini erasers and plastic math cubes.

The best part about this activity (besides the fact that it is free!) is that it can be used in 3 different ways. Hello, differentiation!

• Activity 1: Use it as a simple matching activity for teen numbers. You can use this in a pocket chart or have students complete it at a small group table or carpet area. 
• Activity 2: Students can turn the cards face-down and play a memory matching game with a partner.
• Activity 3: Students can work independently to match the rainbow cards to make a pair. They place the pair of rainbow cards on the top of the activity mat. They use manipulatives to show the number on the ten frames.

Want to snag a free copy for your classroom? Just fill out the form below and it'll be sent straight to your inbox!

March Writing Centers

It's so fun to see how students' writing skills progress throughout the school year. It can seem like just yesterday they were barely able to hold a pencil to write their name.

Now, in the spring, they are writing sentences, short stories, and editing their writing!

To help support students in their writing skill growth, these March writing prompts for kindergarten are just the ticket!

Students will learn and apply seasonal vocabulary words while sharpening key writing skills that will prepare them for 1st grade and beyond.

With themes such as weather, zoo animals, and Earth Day, you'll also be able to incorporate a ton of cross-curricular discussions and opportunities!

I hope you enjoyed these tips and spring centers for kindergarten! If you need more hands-on and DIY spring activities, check out this blog post.

#1: Build a Rainbow

The first of the spring learning ideas for kindergarten is a bright and colorful one that will offer meaningful skill practice during center rotations or partner practice.

To prep, you'll need a large sheet of 9 x 12 blue construction paper. Cut it in half lengthwise to make two 4 ½ x 12 pieces. This will represent your sky. Next, cut out 2 white clouds from white paper. Write the number 5 on one cloud and the number 10 on the other. Next, glue them to the top half of the blue sky pieces and laminate.

Then, choose 5 different colors of construction paper and cut them into 3 x 12 strips. You'll need 10 strips in all, 2 of each color. Separate the strips into 2 sets of 5 colors. Write number pairs for 5 on one set and number pairs for 10 on the other set. Laminate the strips for added durability.

For this activity, students will lay out both clouds and mix up the strips. They'll draw a strip, read the number pair, and place it under the correct cloud to show if it makes 5 or 10. They'll keep going, taking turns if they're working with a partner, until all of the strips have been sorted and the rainbow is complete.

You can differentiate this activity by making rainbow words instead. Simply write word families in the clouds and word family words on the rainbow strips. Students will match the words to the word family clouds to make the rainbow.

#2. Easter Egg Math and Literacy

Plastic Easter eggs are one of the most versatile supplies to use in the spring. You can practice sight words by writing a sight word on each side of the egg, mixing them up, and having the students match them up. Another idea is to practice word family fluency by writing different word families around one side of the egg and different beginning sounds around the other side. As students turn the egg, they'll practice decoding words.

Similar to the sight word activity, you can write teen numbers on one side of the egg and draw dots on the other side. Have students count the dots and match them to the correct number. Want to practice addition facts? Write an addend and a “+” sign on one side of the egg and another addend on the other side. Turn the egg and practice adding the different equations. You can find more Easter egg activities in my Easter egg literacy and Easter egg math blog posts.

#3: Weather Activities

Spring is the perfect time to incorporate seasonal weather activities into your spring learning ideas for kindergarten. These are simple and easy to do with your students but will have them oohing and ahhing!

Make it rain.

For this experiment, you'll need a clear plastic cup or a glass jar, shaving cream, and blue food coloring. To conduct the experiment, fill the cup or jar with water. Squirt shaving cream on top of the water to make a “cloud.” Explain to students that when the clouds get heavy with water, it rains! Next, put blue food coloring on top of the cloud and watch as it moves through the cloud, making “rain.”

Tornado in a jar.

For this DIY science activity, you'll need a jar with a lid, a teaspoon, vinegar, dish soap, and glitter. To conduct the experiment, fill the jar ¾ full with water. Put one teaspoon of vinegar and one teaspoon of dish soap in the water. Sprinkle in a small amount of glitter and close the lid tightly.

Swirl the jar in a circular motion and watch as a tornado forms in the center of the jar. Discuss with students where the vortex of the tornado is and that the glitter represents flying debris. Let each student take a turn swirling the jar to make a tornado. This is a great time to tie in weather safety into your discussion as well!

DIY weather graph.

This spring learning idea for kindergarten combines seasonal weather themes with graphing skills. Draw a basic graph on the whiteboard or chart paper with numbers to 1-10 listed vertically up the left side of the graph and different types of weather listed horizontally across the bottom.

Give students a sticky note and have them draw a picture of their favorite type of weather. Then, call students one at a time to come to the board, show the class their drawing and share their favorite type of weather, and add it to the graph. After the graph is complete, count the amount of votes in each weather category and have students write the numbers on whiteboards.

Next, determine which weather type got the least amount of votes, the greatest amount of votes, and subtract to find the difference. You can also practice addition and subtraction skills by asking questions about the graph, such as “How many total votes did rainy weather and sunny weather get in all?”

#4: Spring Morning Tubs

In the spring, your students are probably full of energy and craving excitement and fresh air. Start your mornings off on the right, productive, and less chaotic foot with spring-themed morning tub activities for kindergarten!

Your students will have a blast learning and warming up their brains for the day with these 21 hands-on math and literacy activities. Plus, they'll work on key fine motor skills too!

These activities are easy to prep, require basic classroom supplies, and are perfect for morning tubs, fast finishers, or even to add to your math or literacy centers.

There is even an editable spring sight word activity included to help your students master their sight word list!

#5: Juggling Jelly Beans

Another fun spring learning idea for kindergarten is to practice comparing numbers with jelly beans! To begin, fill 2-3 colors of plastic Easter eggs with various amounts of jelly beans (or mini-erasers). Students will play with a partner, taking turns drawing an egg and counting the objects inside. The person with the most jelly beans gets to dab a spot on the free jelly bean game board to show they won that round. Play continues until one student fills up their game board and is declared the winner.

#6: Spring Boom Cards

This spring learning idea for kindergarten is a digital kid-favorite. These digital Boom Cards are the perfect way for students to practice key spring skills in an interactive way. They are great to use during center time or as an independent activity while you have students at the teacher table or are working on assessments. With audio directions and immediate feedback, this digital activity is perfect for students to use independently.

This Spring Boom Card decks focuses on 8 different math and literacy skills that are essential for students to master in kindergarten. Skills include sight word sentences, CCVC words, beginning and ending digraphs, beginning R blends, subtraction with a number line, addition word problems, numbers to 100, and numbers 11-19.

#7: Sight Word Flowers

Sight words are the focus of this spring learning idea for kindergarten. To prep, cut out several large, colored circles from construction paper to use as flowers. Cut out several green rectangles to use as stems. Write different sight words on the stems in black marker. Write the same sight words on the flowers. Students will draw a flower and match it to the correct flower stem, completing their flower.

You could also do this activity with teen numbers by writing teen numbers on the flowers and drawing various numbers of dots on the stems for students to match.

I hope these spring learning ideas for kindergarten have you feeling fresh and motivated to tackle the spring months in your classroom. Comment below and let me know which activity you're trying first!

This article, along with many other articles on The Printable Princess, contains Amazon affiliate links. If you purchase through the links I earn a small commission.  Clicking these links does not cost you any extra but helps this website to keep great articles and freebies coming your way. 

DIY Outdoor Learning Ideas

Taking the learning outside does not require extensive planning or prep to make outdoor learning effective. All you need are a few basic materials that you probably have in your classroom, in your PE department, or can borrow from the teacher next door.

Cone Activities

4 Corners.

This outdoor learning activity is versatile and can be used to practice many different skills. To get set up, create a large square by setting 4 plastic cones up in the corners. Attach word families, sight words, teen numbers, or equations to the cones using notecards and tape.

One student is the “caller” and stands in the middle of the square. They close their eyes and count down from 10 as the other students run between the corners quietly. When the student counting down reaches 0, they call out a word, number, etc, with their eyes still closed.

Any students standing in that corner must sit down as well as anyone not in a corner yet. Play continues until only one student is left standing and is the winner. The winner becomes the “caller” and play continues. To differentiate this activity, each time the “caller” calls a word, number, etc, all students must say it and spell it aloud.

Build a Shape.

This outdoor learning idea is a great way to practice 2D shape recognition and learn about shape attributes. Give each student a plastic cone. Call out a shape or have students take turns drawing a shape notecard. Students must work together to build the shape by arranging the cones to build a rectangle, square, triangle, circle, etc. After they build the shape, discuss how many sides, vertices, and if the shape has straight lines or curved sides.

Ring Toss. 

Similar to the 4 Corners activity, write skills such as a CVC words, sight words, teen numbers, or equations on notecards and attach them to the plastic cones using tape. Set the cones up in a pyramid shape and have students toss plastic rings, solving each skill as they hook it with their ring.

You can even make this a relay race by having students toss one ring at a time, solve the skill, remove the cone, and tag the next person in line to toss and solve. Play continues until all of the cones have been solved and there are no cones left.

Sidewalk Chalk Activities

Word Work Hopscotch.

This outdoor learning idea simply requires sidewalk chalk and gross motor skills. Draw a simple hopscotch game with chalk and write sight words, CVC words, or CVCe words in the spaces. As students hop through the course, they'll pause on each space and say the words they've hopped on. After making their way through the course, they can hop at full-speed back to the start.

Ten Frame Roll.

To play this outdoor math game, draw a double ten frame on the sidewalk with chalk and write numbers 1-20 inside. Students will roll a large foam dice into the ten frame and read aloud whichever number they land on. Then, they'll count up to that number.

You can make this game more challenging by drawing more ten frames and working with larger numbers. You could even draw a 100's chart to practice identifying numbers to 100. 

Math Fact Switch.

This math fact outdoor activity is perfect for partners. Each partner will write an addition or subtraction equation in sidewalk chalk, leaving off the sum or difference. When both partners have written their equation, they'll call “switch” and switch places, solving each other's equations.

They can use chalk to draw a model to solve if they need. To extend this activity, they could write fact family equations and solve all 4 when they switch places. 

Magic Squares.

To play this game, draw squares using sidewalk chalk and write a CVC word or word family word inside each square. Students will toss a bean bag into the squares, reading the word in the square they landed in. If they get it right, they get a tally mark, which they'll write in chalk off to the side of the magic squares. The student with the most tally marks at the end of 5 or 10 minutes wins. 

This game can easily be adapted to use with sight words, color words, addition and subtraction equations, teen numbers, etc. 

Beach Ball Activities

Catch and Solve.

To prep this game, simply write an addition or subtraction equation in permanent marker on each stripe of a beach ball. Have students stand in a circle and toss the beach ball around. When the teacher says stop, the student that catches the ball will read the addition or subtraction equation that their thumbs land on and solve. Play continues after they've correctly solved the skill. You can even play music and have students stop when the music stops.  

Again, you can easily differentiate this activity by using different math and literacy skills such as sight words, word family words, teen numbers, etc.

Beach Ball Review.

This outdoor learning idea is a great way to spiral review skills. Write a category on each stripe of the beach ball, such as sight words, CVC words, CVCe words, addition facts, subtraction facts, teen numbers, etc. Toss the beach ball and whichever stripe the student's right thumb lands on, they get a review question from that category. As the teacher, you may want to have a list of 8-10 questions in each category to refer to. 

I hope you're able to head outside for some fresh air and outdoor learning with your students this school year. If you're looking for more outdoor ideas, you can find 14 more in my outdoor games and activities blog post.

1. Find it Fast

Have students gather on the rug or sit at their table spots. Call out a descriptor, for example ‘something square', or ‘something soft'. Each student must find an object that matches the description and get to it quickly.  Have each student hold up or point to the object they've chosen.

Give them time to look around the room and what their classmates have found. There are no right answers and it's super fun to see how their little minds work. Talk for a couple of minutes about their choices then call out another descriptor.

2. Musical Chairs…without Chairs

Here's a way to play this classic crowd-favorite in a safe, classroom-friendly way. Instead of using chairs, use carpet spots (or make your own with laminated construction paper).

Arrange the spots, just like you would chairs. Be sure to put a small distance between each spot to give students room to sit down. Just like in the traditional game, begin playing the music and have students walk around the spots. Once the music stops, students will quickly find the closest spot and take a seat. The person standing is out. Continue playing and removing a spot until there is only one player left.

If your group is too large for Chair-less Musical Chairs, divide students in to two groups. This way you can run two smaller, more manageable groups simultaneously. 

3. Flyswatter

Kids go nuts for this game! Before the game begins, prepare a poster or board with the answers to the questions you will be asking. For example, if your students are working on counting items, you might have pictures of 3 circles, 5 squares, 8 stars, etc. Or for addition, you might have numbers written on the board to match addition sentences. Large post-it pads work great for this game.

Now, divide your class into two teams and have them line up in two parallel lines. The first player from each team steps up to the answer board and is given a plastic flyswatter. You call out an answer, for example in the example above you might call out 8. The first player to swat the picture of 8 items wins and gets to stay in place. The other player goes to the end of his team's line and the next player steps up and you call out another answer.

There are tons of ways to tailor this game to support whatever concept you're currently working on. For example it's a great way to teach kids the difference between the words to, too and two and there, their and they're by using the word in a sentence and having the kids swat the right spelling. 

4. Movement Memory 

Have your students stand in one big circle. Pick one player to go first. That player will take a step forward into the circle and make a movement. For example, clap their hands three times. Then they step back into the circle. The player to their left then steps forward and claps three times then adds another movement such as jazz hands and steps back. The next player will then clap three times, do jazz hands, then add another movement.

Play continues around the circle, getting more difficult as more motions are added, until somebody forgets or makes the motions out of sequence. Play them starts again at the beginning again. The player who was last in the previous round gets to be first in the next round. 

5. Picnic

This activity is basically the same as the activity above, but it involves words instead of motions. It's great for building listening and focus skills.  The first player begins by saying, “In my basket for the picnic, I packed…” for example, “In my basket for the picnic, I packed sandwiches.” The next player would say “In my basket for the picnic, I packed sandwiches and lemonade.” Play continues as above then a new round starts. 

6. Freeze Dance

One of the best indoor recess games is this super fun classic, which is perfect for letting your students get their wiggles out. Put on some lively music and let the kids dance around the room. When the music stops, they must freeze until they hear the music begin again.  A surefire way to bring a happy vibe into your classroom. 

7. Listening Game

Show students a tray of items with common everyday items, for example a comb, a glass, a book, etc. Give them a minute or two to make sure they've seen all the options. Now cover or hide the tray and have one student step forward.

Have that student close their eyes and listen carefully as you choose one item from the tray and make whatever sound you can with it. For example, run a popsicle stick along the tines of the comb, or ping the glass with a spoon, or open the book and clap it back together.

Without looking, the student must guess which item from the tray is making the noise. Call up different students to guess until all of the items have been guessed. 

8. Alphabet Four Square

Have your students divide a dry erase board into four square with a dry erase marker. Label the quadrants Name, Place, Animal and Thing. Set a timer for few seconds. 

All together, sing the alphabet song until the timer goes off. Take note of which letter you stop on. Students must then write (or draw) something that starts with that letter for each box. For example for the letter M, they might write or draw mom, mountains, mouse and mug. 

After each round students can erase their boards and draw the quadrants again before the timer begins for the next round. 

9. Four Corners

Designate each corner of your classroom with a number  1 through 4. Then have the kids spread out and stand at one of the 4 corners. 

Select one child to sit in the middle and be the first counter. Have them close their eyes and count to 10. While they are counting, the other players can move around the classroom and choose a new corner to land on.

Before opening their eyes, the player in the middle calls out one of  the 4 numbers. The players in that corner are out and should sit down out of the way. 

Play starts again as the player in the middle closes their eyes and counts to ten and the rest of the players scramble around.  The last child standing in a corner is the winner!

For a fun twist on this game label each corner with a sight word instead of a number. Or a word family – and have the caller name a word from the word family. Everyone in that corner is out.

10. Hot, Cold

Pick an object to be the treasure, like a stuffed animal or a colorful water bottle. Designate one person to be the treasure hunter and have another student escort them just outside your classroom door.

While he or she is out of the room, decide as a class (quietly!) where to hide the treasure. Once it is safely hidden, the treasure hunter comes back in and begins to search.

The other players can only provide clues for the treasure hunter by telling them if they are hot (really close), warm (kind of close), cool (kind of far away), or cold (really far away). The treasure hunter continues to search until the treasure is found, then a new hunter is selected. 

11. Silent ball

Students sit or stand in a large circle. The object of the game is to toss a squishy ball around (they can toss it around the circle in any direction) without making a sound.

Start the game with “3-2-1 silent!” then get the ball started. Students are out if they talk or make noise, make a bad pass or don’t catch the ball.

Make it clear before the game that silly sounds like fake coughs or sneezes count as noises as much as talking. 

12. Human Knot

Group your students into circles of about 8-10 kids. Have each person in each circle take the hand of another person (doesn't have to be the person right next to them). Then have them join hands with a different person with their left hand. The object of the game is to untangle the human knot they've created without breaking the circle (without dropping hands).

13. Pass the Rubber Chicken

This is one of the most hilarious indoor recess games and worth the investment of one rubber chicken. First, teach your kids the Chicken Dance by showing them a tutorial on YouTube. 

To begin have your students sit in a circle and give the rubber chicken to one student. You will ask that student a question such as ‘Name six things that begin with the letter K'.  As soon as you've asked the question, they will pass the chicken to the person on their right and the other students will quickly pass it around hoping to pass it all the way back to the original person before they've had a chance to answer the question.  

If the chicken makes it all the way around before the answer is answered correctly the person has to stand and do the chicken dance. If they do answer the question before it makes it around, whoever is holding the chicken becomes the next one to answer a question. 

14. Museum Guard

Kids have so much fun pretending to be statues in a museum that come to life when the guard isn't looking. To begin, one person is appointed “guard,” and the rest of the students are appointed “statues”.

The guard stands at the edge of the classroom and turns his or her back. While his or her back is turned, the statues come to life and move and dance around (quietly!). Once the guard turns around, all of the statues have to freeze. If the guard catches a player moving, they're out. Play continues until there is only one statue standing.

15. Would you Rather

This game is a fun way for students to get to one another (and themselves!) a little better. Prepare the room by pushing desks aside and putting a long piece of tape on the floor down the middle of the classroom. Ask a question such as “Would you rather eat a spider or walk ten miles?” As you ask the question, point to one side of the tape or other so that students know which side of the room to move to to place their vote. Give students time to look around at who has the same opinion as them and who chose the other option. 

Spring Literacy and Math Tubs

This Spring Activities for Kindergarten pack includes 21 literacy and math activities with an adorable spring theme. The skills included in this resource are ones that your Kindergarteners are probably working on during the months of March, April, and May. It is packed full of games and interactive, hands-on activities to keep students engaged and learning all season long.

The activities are easy to prep – most of them are just print-and-go. They use basic classroom supplies such as plastic cubes, mini erasers, play dough, dot cubes, and spinners. Most activities include more than one version allowing you to differentiate for your students.

Each of these Spring Activities for Kindergarten includes teacher-friendly directions as well as an “I Can” visual directions page to promote independence. They do not include recording sheets which makes them ideal for morning tubs and early finisher activities. But you can certainly use them for math and literacy centers too.

Solve and Cover:

Students solve to determine the number that is missing on the card. They will find the missing number on the ”Solve and Cover” mat and cover the number.

Roll and Race:

Students roll the dot cube and count to determine the number they rolled. They cover that make spaces on their game mat. The first player to cover all of the numbers wins. In order for a player to win, they must roll the exact number needed – if they have one space left, they must roll a one to win.

Number games to 20, 30, 50, and 100 are included.

Show the Tens and Ones:

Students identify the number on the mat. They use manipulatives to show the tens and ones in the corresponding columns. Numbers 1 – 30 are included.

Color-Code Cover:

Students solve each addition or subtraction sentence to determine the answer. Using the color code on the right of the mat, they will cover the space to show their answer. There are seven different game mats included.

Flip and Find:

Students flip a card and identify the number. They find and cover the corresponding number on the hundreds chart. Students continue playing until all of the numbers have been covered.

3D Shape Bump:

Students play with a partner. Players take turns spinning the spinner and covering a picture match with a plastic cube. If a player rolls the same word they can “BUMP” the other player off the space. If the player rolls the same word again, without being bumped off, they can add a second cube to “lock” the space. Players cannot bump cubes off if they are locked.

The first player to use all of their cubes is the winner. There are two different 3D shape games included.

Editable Sight Word Practice:

Students select a sight word card and place it on the mat. They will build the word using a dry-erase marker or magnetic letters. This activity is editable so you can add your own sight words.

Frog-tastic Cover Up:

Students say the name of the picture to identify the beginning digraph or beginning blend. Using the color code on the right of the mat, they will cover the space to show their answer. There are six activity mats included.

Build the Word:

Students select a picture card and place it on the mat. They say the picture name to determine the beginning blend sound. They use mini erasers or other small manipulatives to form the blend on the mat.

A set of digraph cards are also included. There's also a numbers version in the spring math activities.

Roll and Rhyme:

Students roll the dot cube and read the corresponding CVC or CVCe word. They find a space that rhymes and cover it. They continue to roll and cover until all of the words have been covered. Separate CVC and CVCe activities are included, for a total of four game mats. The bee mini erasers can be found on Amazon.

For a closer look at some of the activities included in the April Morning Tubs, check out this video: