13 Remote Learning Winter Crafts & Activities
If the frost on our windshields and the dwindling days on our calendars are any indication, winter is officially here — even if this year looks a bit different than most! While you may not be able to celebrate the winter holidays IRL with your students, there are tons of great winter classroom activities that are just as much fun in a virtual classroom.
Check out our roundup of 13 cute, creative winter crafts for students. These can be completed in the classroom, through a distance learning lesson, or even during your next asynchronous learning activity!
1. Cereal Bird Feeders
Teach kids to engage with nature (a helpful social and emotional learning tool!) while completing a fun winter craft with these simple bird feeders. All it takes is some circle-shaped cereal, some wire, and a ribbon to hang the bird feeder once it’s complete.
2. Pinecone Hedge Hogs
Another winter classroom craft to teach your students about the wonder of nature! With a pinecone body and clay head, these adorable hedgehogs are the perfect winter classroom craft.
3. Snowflake Salt Painting
Looking for a winter STEAM activity for your students? This salt painting experiment is a great way to teach kids about how snowflakes are formed.
4. A Winter Writing Prompt
If you’re incorporating journaling into your remote learning curriculum, these winter writing prompts are great ways to kick start your lesson. They also make great asynchronous writing activities!
5. Pasta Snowflake Craft
Using everyday household objects instead of complicated art supplies, this snowflake craft is a great option for any distance learning classroom.
6. Virtual Holiday Scavenger Hunt
Think scavenger hunts are only for in-person classrooms? This post proves that all it takes is a bit of creativity to create a truly engaging, fun, and exciting holiday activity for your virtual classroom.
7. A Winter Read-Aloud
It’s easy and impactful to read to your students, whether you’re in the classroom or doing distance learning. These non-denominational winter books are great options for hosting a winter read aloud to center your students and help them re-focus their attention.
8. Virtual Holiday Party
Mail or deliver hot chocolate to the whole class, instruct your students to wear their most festive outfits, or just gather to sing seasonal songs for a virtual holiday party.
9. Distance Learning Talent Show
Kids love to entertain, and it helps to instill a feeling of pride in your students when you allow them to show off their favorite talents. Hosting a distance learning talent show is a great way to blow off some steam before the holiday break!
10. Decorate Pine Cone "Trees"
Create your own evergreen trees using foraged pine cones! Tell your students to collect pine cones on their next neighborhood walk, or provide them to each student and paint them together in your virtual classroom.
11. Write Letters to Santa
Writing letters to Santa is a great way to teach students about letter etiquette and how to address an envelope. This helpful chart will also show kids the difference between things they want and things they need — a valuable SEL lesson!
12. Construct a Feat of Holiday Engineering
It's never too early to start teaching kids about STEM, and this cute craft is a great way to introduce them to the basics of engineering (with a seasonal twist!)
13. Reindeer Lollipop Gifts
Want to deliver a sweet surprise for your students? Whether they're in the classroom or doing remote learning at home, this adorable, low-cost holiday treat is a great way to show them you care.