11 Editable Word Work Activities for December

One of my favorite ways to keep students motivated and actively learning during the winter months is by using these editable word work activities for December in our reading centers!Designed for first grade students, these editable activities are an ideal way to support phonics skills while embracing the fun of the holiday season.

These word work activities are perfect for December reading centers, in partner work, or in small groups. They can be easily customized to focus on your phonics skill, sight words, or even seasonal vocabulary! With these activities, you can seamlessly blend reading instruction with the excitement of winter fun. From snowflake-themed word games, to building snowmen, these activities will definitely engage little learners in December. Plus, they’re an excellent way to maximize instructional time during a busy season!

Whether you’re setting up centers for the weeks leading up to winter break or planning ahead for January, these editable word work activities for December will ensure your students stay engaged in those hectic weeks!

Decorate a Gingerbread House

Students will use the gumdrop letters to spell the word in the gingerbread house by placing the gumdrops on the roof of the gingerbread house. Yellow gumdrops are vowels, and all other colors are consonants. This is a fun, festive way to practice word building!

Winter Color by Code Pages

Students will find each word and color to match the code at the top of the page. This activity is great for students to practice reading words. I love using color by code pages for so many reasons! Click here to read why!

Snowy Roll and Write

For this activity you will need a numbered die! Students will roll the die and write the matching word in the space. Each time they roll a number, they will write the word.

Build a Word Hot Cocoa Cups

Students will use the marshmallow letters to build the word on the hot cocoa cups! Cut and tape the hot cocoa mugs to plastic cups. You can attach clothespins to the marshmallow letters and then students will attach the marshmallow letters to the hot cocoa cups with the clothespins. Alternatively, you can just leave the pieces and allow students to match them up like the photo below.

Build a Snowman Word Work

Do you want to build a snowman?! Students will use the pieces to dress the snowman. They will write down the words that they used to build the snowman. Place the building mat in a dry erase pocket so that it can be used with multiple students!

Snowball Words

Students will spell the words on each card using the snowball letters. They can then write the words on the recording page provided. I always like to print two or three copies of the snowball letters for students in case any get lost!

Penguin Word Pairs

Each penguin card and ice card has a word. Students will match the penguin to its ice by reading the words. They will then write the words they matched on the recording page provided.

Hot Cocoa Mazes

This simple activity allows students to read and color! They will look for words in the hot cocoa mazes. The word they look for is indicated in the top right corner. Beginning at the start, students will read the words until they find the designated word. When they find it, they will color it. Students will follow the maze until they reach the finish in the bottom right corner of the page!

Spin, Trace, and Color

Students will use a paperclip to spin the spinner. They will look for the sight word they spun and trace that word. Then they will color it. There are two sheets included: one with snowflakes and one with snowballs. If your sight words are longer, they may not fit on the snowflakes. It is recommended to use the snowball page for longer sight words.

Find the Word and Color

Students will roll the die with the words and then find the word on the page. They will color the circle with that word. If you have a die with dry erase spots, you can use that instead of the printable die. There are three seasonal coloring pages included!

Super Snowmen Color Coded Words

Students will draw a card and look for a matching word on their Super Snowmen page. When they find it, they will color it to match the edge of the card they drew!

These 11 activities are easy to integrate into your word work centers and allow students to build their reading skills while keeping them engaged! The best part about these editable word work activities for December is that you can easily customize them.

Here’s how:

Open up the PDF and scroll to the ‘master page,’ seen below.

Choose your words and type them into each numbered space. The words will auto-populate on the pages. Due to the nature of some of the activities, the words in spaces 6-10 may not be included in all of the activities. Keep this in mind when you’re choosing the words.

When you finish typing your words on the ‘master page,’ scroll down to the activity pages to make sure that the words have populated.

Print the pages for the activities you’d like to use and go! It only takes a few minutes to add your words before the word work activities are ready.

These editable word work activities for December have been a life-saver in my classroom during this very busy season. Celebrate the magic of winter while helping your students build foundational literacy skills!