Celebrating special days and holidays in the classroom is definitely my thing! Using holidays, seasons, and what is happening outside of the classroom during lessons is a sure-fire way to engage students and increase their participation.
But when it comes to religious holidays, I use themes that align with the holiday rather than focusing on the religious beliefs. By taking this approach, all students can participate in the lessons, and no one is left out.
Easter is one of those holidays. It is an exciting time of the year, mostly because it is spring. The warm weather, rebirth of trees and flowers, and all things chocolate and eggs are surely on the forefront of students' minds. Harnessing that energy and excitement into content-rich activities and meaningful tasks with spring and Easter vibes is a great way to keep the students learning in your classroom all season long!
Here are five activities that I LOVE to do with students during the spring and Easter season.
1. Nonfiction Reading and Research
- How Chocolate is Made
- Learning the History of Peeps
- How Carrots Grow
- Signs of Spring
- Life Cycles
- Plant Life and Adaptations
2. Community Building
- Have students write their names with a pencil on a small piece of paper and fold it into fourths. Place all the names in a bucket or bowl.
- Have students one at a time randomly draw a name from the bucket or bowl, making sure that they did not pick themselves. If they pick themselves, have them show you before selecting a new name.
- Students then write a letter to the student whose name they picket. Their letters should be positive, upbeat and include specific examples of why they are happy to be that person's friend and classmate.
- For Easter, we use the theme...You are one of my favorite peeps! The kids love it! They write a letter for their classmate AND fill a peep with positive words about their classmate.
- When all students are all done creating the cards for their classmates, they deliver them. They really love both giving letters and receiving them!
3. EGG-Stra Special Self-love
In addition to spreading love and positivity with their classmates, I love encouraging students to share some love with themselves!
During this time of year, I have students reflect on why THEY are egg-stra special. I want my students to understand that taking time to feel good about themselves is important and a great habit. Students brainstorm a dozen things that they LOVE about themselves with this activity. The kids love decorating the eggs and love celebrating themselves.
4. Time for Science
5. Try a Read Aloud
My favorite chapter book read-aloud to read with students is The Chocolate Touch written by Patrick Skene Catling. This book is a play on the classic story King Midas. Instead of everything turning to gold, everything the main character touches turns to chocolate. It is a quick read, but always well-loved by the kids. The story leads to great discussions on greed, healthy eating, friendships, and family. And of course, it is perfect timing for candy overload during Easter time!
No holiday activity list is complete without my favorite picture books! These read alouds are among my favorites to share with students during the Easter season.
Picture book read alouds perfect for spring and Easter:
- Nesting Henry Cole
- The Great Eggscape written by Jory John
- The Good Egg written by Jory John
- How to Catch the Easter Bunny written by Adam Wallace
- Too Many Carrots written by Katy Hudson
See the entire list of my favorite spring read alouds HERE.
When it comes to the holidays in the classroom, stick to timely themes! You may not be teaching the holiday, but the thematic fun associated with is always a crowd-pleaser.
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Looking for meaningful spring and Easter activities that kids LOVE? See more HERE.
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