The fall season is fading fast. December is right around the corner. Snow much fun, here we come! Get your students excited for the upcoming season โ and keep them reading all winter long โ with this festively fun winter read-alouds.
This time of year is hustling and bustling with all kinds of holidays: Hannukah, Christmas, and Kwanzaa to name a few. I encourage you to keep your classroom materials inclusive. Be mindful of the lessons and messages students are being exposed to. School should be a safe place for all, regardless of religious affiliation or beliefs. It’s one of the many reasons I don’t do Elf on a Shelf in my classroom.
Many of my winter read alouds contain whimsical snowy landscapes and general social-emotional themes like friendship, kindness, and compassion. I’ve listed a few favorites below with suggestions for follow-up activities, perfect for any elementary classroom… enjoy!
PLEASE NOTE: While affiliate links are included in this post, many of these titles can be read online for free using Epic! Books.
1. Snow Party by Harriest Ziefert
Looking for a story to celebrate the winter solstice? This read-aloud is bound to be balls of frosty fun! If the first snow falls on the first day of winter, the snowmen, snowwomen, and snow children come out for a special party. We follow this book up with one of my Making Words winter mats, a perfect indoor activity. You can even watch this video about the shortest day of the year as a quick science extension!
2. The Missing Snowman by Joe Albee
Johnny is excited that it is snowing outside and all of the yards are covered with crisp snowโthe perfect kind of snow to build a snowman! This book is free on Epic, and, with read-to-me text, the story is easily accessible to students of all ages and reading stages. We follow up by creating our own snow people for a winter village bulletin board display!
3. If Picasso Painted a Snowman by Amy & Greg Newbold
This delightful, whimsical, educational picture book shows how the artist’s imagination can summon magic from a prosaic subject. Great for art class, the book illustrates the perspective of famous creatives such as OโKeefe, Monet, Dali, and โ yup, you guessed it โ Picasso! Follow up this winter read by inviting students to draw/decorate their own snow people.
4. Snow Globe Wishes by Erin Dealey
A little girl makes a wish on a snow globe and, in the morning, the sun rises on a winter wonderland–beckoning all outside. The whimsical illustrations and short rhyming text make this a cute winter read-aloud. I like to pair this book with a hands-on writing craftivity. If you were trapped in a snow globe, what would you say? What would YOU do?
5. Let’s Build a Snowman by Kim Mitzo Thompson & Karen Mitzo Hilderbrand
Join in singing along as a cute fox builds two snowmen with this wintry read-aloud. The rhyming lyrics are written in a large font for all the see and the illustrations by Iesha Wright are just as grand! We do some snowman math worksheets to keep the party going beyond the literacy block of our day.
6. How to Catch A Snowman by Adam Wallace
I don’t thumpity-thump or give warm hugsโthat’s for my snowman friends to do.
Clever kids will try to trap me, but who will catch me… YOU?
From the bestselling How to Catch a series come several winter-themed tales. Our heroesโ entry for the snowman contest has magically come to lifeโand ran away! Can YOU help catch the snowman? Or maybe you’re looking to mix things up with a less traditional character? Then try this How to Catch a Yeti video!
When our brilliant Catch Club Kids hear about the legendary Yeti, they head to the mountains to catch a glimpse and prove it really exists. This entire series lends itself very nicely to STEAM lessons. We talk about the different ways the children in the story try to trap the snowman/Yeti, the engineering design process, and which materials might work best for such a contraption. Then, we spend the afternoon brainstorming, drawing, and constructing our own traps. Itโs a lot of fun!
ACTIONABLE STEPS: Check out my collection of nonreligious winter read-alouds on Epic! Books… for FREE! For holiday-themed math activities, try these color-by-code printables.
