Spring Activities for a First Grade Classroom

Spring makes an exciting topic for a first grade class.

Springtime provides teachers a variety of opportunities for developing different activities for first graders to learn from and enjoy. Focus on things that happen in spring such as sporting activities and holidays as well as foods that are usually enjoyed in spring, allowing you to teach your students why spring is different from the other three seasons of the year.

Birth/Renewal

Springtime is an opportunity to teach children about life. Have a show-and-tell day where first graders get to bring in a picture of their favorite animal to class. Alternately, bring in an animal like a pet rabbit to class that you can hold as each child gets a chance to gently stroke the animal's fur. Then engage in a conversation about spring as a time when animals are born as well as when plant life, like flowers blooming or seeds sprouting, comes alive.

Spring Art Projects

Other springtime activities your first grades will enjoy are art projects geared toward springtime imagery. Ask your first grade students to draw or paint a picture of one or more of their favorite springtime outdoor activities. This could be weekend picnics at the park with the family or getting a chance to play baseball again after a long winter mostly indoors. You can even help children develop a springtime album where they can place all their drawings and finger paintings together.

Springtime Games

Spring-related learning games are a creative way to get children excited about learning more about the season. For example, create a grab bag full of items that are associated with different seasons, such as a Christmas ornament, a picture of a family enjoying a day at the beach or pressed flower blossoms. Children who guess which items in your grab bag best represent spring win a prize or get points toward something they want. It might be an hour of free time or they get to choose the next story to be read during story time.

Springtime Scrapbook

Plan an outing, even if it's just down the block to a garden of someone you know who has agreed to show children around her garden. Another outing possibility is to a petting zoo or farm where children can see baby animals. A community park would also work. Take photos during your outing so that children can add one or more photos to a scrapbook along with leaves, flower petals and so on.

References

• Education.com: First Grade Spring Activities