Winter ELA Activities for Students of All Ages

The days are growing shorter and chillier, which can only mean one thing: it’s time to liven up your lessons with a bit of wintry magic! While it can be a challenge to engage students during the cold-weather months, these winter-themed ELA activities are sure to warm up your classrooms faster than a cup of hot cocoa on a snowy day.

11 Wonderful Winter-Themed Activities for English Language Arts

From winter writing prompts to reading comprehension passages, check out this blizzard of creative winter ELA activities that will have your students excited to celebrate the cozy season.

Winter Reading Comprehension Activities and Passages

Here are a few fabulous ideas to teach reading comprehension skills during these frosty — yet wonderful — months of winter.

Winter Comprehension by Latoya Reed
Grades: K-2, English language arts, Reading

This no-prep resource has 16 winter-themed reading comprehension passages and questions that your students are sure to love.

Winter Nonfiction Reading Comprehension Passages and Questions by ELA with Mrs Martin
Grades: 3-6 | English language arts, Reading

Get students digging deeper in nonfiction texts with this differentiated winter reading comprehension resource. It features 10 informational articles on high-interest topics like hibernation, icebergs, polar bears, and more.

WINTER Informational Text Reading Passages Activities PRINT and EASEL by Diana Bailey
Grades: 6-8 | English language arts, Reading

This ELA resource includes two reading passages about the origins of the English language and with an emphasis on words associated with winter.

Winter Poetry Activities

These fun, hands-on winter poetry activities have everything you need to help your students learn about the basics of poetry and hone their critical thinking and writing skills.

Winter Snow Poetry Writing Activity – Poetry Month by Proud to Be Primary
Grades: K-2 | English language Arts, Poetry

This free poetry writing activity is a one-page printable template for students to write their poems about the snow.

Poetry Center: Magnetic Build a Haiku (Winter Snow) by More Than a Worksheet
Grades: 3-6 | English language arts, Poetry

This is a wonderful activity to use before winter break when students are full of energy. It is highly engaging, hands on, and fun!

Poetry Analysis – 5 Winter Poems – Interactive Flip Books – Digital and Paper by Brain Waves Instruction
Grades: 5-8 | English language arts, Poetry

This winter, help your students cozy up with poem studies in this engaging five-day poetry analysis unit.

Winter Poetry: Shakespeare, Shelley, Hunter, and Burns by Fuller Teaching Resources
Grades: 9-12 | English language arts, Poetry

Celebrate winter with your students with four poems by William Shakespeare, Percy Byshe Shelley, Anne Hunter, and Robert Burns. It’s the perfect addition to a poetry unit, or can be a great filler activity between units or when you have sub.

Winter Writing Prompts and Activities

With these winter writing prompts and assignments, students will enjoy a variety of seasonal-themed lessons while continuing to work on and reinforce their writing skills.

Winter Writing Pages – Creative Writing Prompts by Kaitlynn Albani
Grades: K-3 | English language arts, Writing

These pages are great for morning work, early finishers, creative writing practice, art practice, creative thinking, homework, and so much more!

Winter Writing Activities Prompts December Centers Opinion Writers Tasks by Think Grow Giggle
Grades: 3-5 | English language arts, Writing

Help your students succeed with opinion writing with these high-interest real-world writing prompts and topics that you can use all winter long.

Winter Creative Writing Assignment by 2peasandadog
Grades: 6-8 | English language arts, Writing

Infuse seasonal fun into your classes with this creative writing assignment where students craft imaginative stories based on character-specific writing prompts.

Winter Writing Prompts by Rike Neville
Grades: 10-12 | English language arts, Writing

Although written specifically for adult ESL students, these are also ideal for high school students.

Discover more winter-themed resources for ELA — and other subjects — on TPT.