Fall is here, and I am definitely ready for it. I love summer, but I am in definite need of some cooler weather and all things pumpkin. I absolutely love incorporating fall activities into my classroom, and it gets my students really excited about learning. From pumpkins to apples, and Halloween there is sometimes not enough time in October to incorporate all of the fun things that I want to do. The beginning of the year excitement is still alive, and my firsties are super excited to learn, it’s the perfect time to include fun fall topics. I am going to share some of my favorite activities that are must-dos in my classroom this fall.
Using reading passages is a great way to help your students become fluent readers. There are fifteen fun passages related to fall and Halloween, and they also include questions for fluency and comprehension. Some of my favorite topics that we cover are Día De Los Muertos, Veterans Day, and fire safety. They stray away from our typical fall activities but are all critical aspects of this time of year. And, when the reading material is engaging, our students become much more motivated and interested in the passages. And, with first graders, we must be providing them with exposure and constant practice to boost their reading comprehension and fluency.
I also love these nonfiction reading passages in my first grade classroom. With topics like spiders, bats, apples, pumpkins, and squirrels, they are engaging and fun to use.
I think sometimes we underestimate how much our first-graders love crafts. I know I often forget, and I am making it a personal goal to allow for more time to do activities that incorporate hands-on art. I love using these activities because they will enable me to add quality literature, reading responses, and crafts. In these literacy activities, we focus on retelling, connections, and writing responses tied in with some great books. I find it necessary to find books that don’t focus on Halloween because then we can use them all month long and even into November, but also, we are mindful of those who do not celebrate the holiday. There Was an Old Lady Who Swallowed a Bat is an absolute classroom favorite, and I love listening to my students retell the story repeatedly. After we read, I Need My Monster, my students always make their monsters, and I display them throughout the classroom. And, we all love Room on the Broom. Students will retell the story with a broom. It’s a simple yet enjoyable fall activity for my kiddos!
Literacy and Science Activities
Is it even fall if you don’t cover the life cycles of pumpkins and apples? I am totally kidding, but I love teaching this topic. I also cover the life cycle of spiders, and I cringe every time we go over the picture book, ha! During these activities, my students get a book with real photographs that teaches all about the life cycles, and then they create their own life cycle book to reinforce the learned material. I also typically incorporate a craft with each topic. Last year, we were virtual, so I was really bummed that I didn’t get to do any hands-on activities, but I am looking forward to bringing in pumpkins and apples for my students this year. Dissecting a pumpkin and doing an apple taste test with different apples are two of my favorite fall activities I absolutely love bringing into the classroom.
Students hear writing, and they all give me that “that is boring look,” but who says you can’t do fun fall activities that include writing? I used Halloween-themed writing during October in Writers Workshop, writing centers, free choice, and homework. With this activity, my students will actively plan for their writing, and the topics are fun, which brings their creativity to life. This activity makes it super easy for you to include some fun Halloween themes into your classroom without having to do any prep.
What could be more engaging than writing an all-about book in the shape of a bat! Students read the nonfiction article about bats and create their own bat book.
Don’t get me wrong, a Halloween theme is a blast in the first-grade classroom, but I need to be aware that not all students celebrate or even enjoy Halloween. I still do Halloween activities in themes in the classroom, but I prefer to use them towards the 31st rather than the entire month. Color by numbers is one of my student’s favorite ways to practice their math skills because they get to color. I love using games with my students, so I have various math games included in this set. Games are great for partner work and independent work. Using fall and Halloween themes is an excellent way to still work on those standards and skills but in a way that engages students.
We love Fall Books and there are so many to choose from. Want to see my favorites? Check them out here.
The best part about fall is there are so many simple alternatives you can use in your classroom for fun activities. Grab pumpkin seeds, acorns, or fun pumpkin erasers to use as manipulatives. And, soooooo many fun science experiments like apple volcanoes, dancing corn kernels, or dissolving Halloween pumpkins!
I wanted to quickly share those resources that are staples in my classroom with my first graders. They are simple, no-prep, and engaging for my students. Their excitement towards fall is contagious, so you will definitely find me doing all things fall with my students this year.
