Easy Winter Poems for Kindergarten and Kids of All Ages

Easy Winter Poems for Kindergarten and Kids of All Ages. These easy winter poetry lessons will engage your classroom in shared reading. This winter poems feature snowmen, arctic animals and fun winter activities. Poems help you focus on fluency while having fun!

Easy Winter Poems for Kids

The winter season is here and you are looking for some easy winter poems for the cold weather! I have a few short poem and lesson plan ideas you can use in your kindergarten and first grade classroom. These winter poems are so much for kids of all ages.

These easy poetry lessons will engage your classroom in shared reading regardless of whether the cold wind is blowing or if you teach in a warm weather area. My original poems are an easy way to help kids focus on fluency during the long winter months.

easy winter poems

Teaching These Easy Winter Poems

Teaching poetry in the classroom is one of my favorite things… and it quickly becomes a favorite for students. Research has shown that poetry is a natural way to teach phonics skills, build reading fluency, and engage students in oral language. When students are motivated, they want to explore more! This is why (speaking from experience) you’ll have students keeping you on track and making sure you don’t skip poetry once you begin teaching these engaging lessons! 

We don’t limit poetry to just poetry month in April. Instead, each week, students learn a new poem. We placed the poem in a pocket chart or on a bulletin board so so that all students could see the print. Our morning routines offer a perfect time to explore the season of winter through poetry.

Check out this collection of winter poems, complete with daily lesson plans.

You may be a fan of the classic poems of Robert Frost and Emily Dickinson. I remember some of these famous winter poems from my childhood memories.  (Some affiliate links have been added to this blog post.)

You can read a few poems that I love by clicking:

Here are a few newer poems for this time of year.

Winter Poems for Kindergarten and First Grade

When winter comes in kindergarten, something magical happens. Students seem to come back from the winter break, and they have grown… both in size and in their independence. But one thing they still love is our weekly poem. Winter poetry is part of our good morning routines.

We start by reading the poem, then set the poem to a familiar tune. Ta Da! Now we have winter songs that we seem to hum and sing along to all day long.

Winter Animal Poems

Starting in December, we begin to talk about animal adaptations and how various animals behave in the winter.   We talk about things like hibernation and camouflage as well!

Some arctic animal poems are just funny poems like this penguin poem.

I’m a Little Penguin (Original Poem)

I’m a little penguin

Black and white,

A sharp tuxedo

I love to swim

But I can’t take flight

So I’ll waddle to the water 

To search for a bite!

By Deedee Wills

Your students will have so much fun acting out this poem!

Easy Winter Poems for Kindergarten and first grade about penguins. Original poem

Other Winter Poems -Hibernating Animals Poem

This cute winter poem is about animals that hibernate. Students have a great time moving the interactive images to match the poem.

Here is the winter animal list that is featured in this poem:

  • black bear
  • rabbits
  • bats
  • badgers
  • skunks
Animals that hibernate

Our young learners also add this poem to their poetry notebook.

Not only do we practice this wintery poetry, we can also work on our structured literacy practice of open and closed syllables.

poetry notebook with phonics and science of reading practice

Hibernation Poem

This easy winter poem is another fun one to teach your students when the frosty air begins to blow!

easy winter poem about hibernating animals

In addition to adding this original poem to their poetry notebook, students also have a little emergent reader that goes with it.  In this way, students can take the poem home with them to practice.

Easy Winter Poems for Kindergarten and Kids of All Ages 1

Arctic Animals Poems

This arctic animals poem features foxes, wolves and polar bears.  It is a great way to reinforce the science learning we are doing about animal adaptations.

This is another original poem that I wrote.

Winter Poems for Kindergarten and First Grade. These easy poetry lessons will engage your classroom in shared reading. Poems help you focus on fluency while having fun!
Arctic Animals Poem

Easy Winter Poems about Polar Bears

Probably like most kindergarten classrooms, we study these arctic animals each January.  Polar bears are pretty fascinating!  

Polar bear videos for kindergarten and first grade

The video version of the poem is available too, so students can scan the code in their notebook and sing along.

Snow Poems

When the winter winds blow or we have a snow day, this is a fun poem. It is about my some of my kindergarteners’ favorite things to do in winter time… making a snowman. 

When I first introduce this snowman poem, read the poem like a riddle. Look at that chubby snowman drawing!

Easy Winter Poems for Kindergarten and Kids of All Ages 2
Easy Winter Poems for Kindergarten and Kids of All Ages 3

What is better than one snowman poem?  How about another one!

This poem was inspired by the book, Snowman at Night!  We love that whole series of books.

Five Snowmen (Original Poem)

Five snowmen came out one night.

After the sun had gone out of sight.

They played games out in the snow.

Until it was time to go.

By Deedee Wills

Poetry Literacy Center Activities

My kindergarteners got extra thrilled whenever one of their favorite poems is added to our literacy stations for the week. Students work together with their partners to put the poem in order. I may even throw in a word work activity that goes along with the poem, too!

Easy Winter Poems for Kindergarten and Kids of All Ages 5
Winter's Here Poem

They can also highlight certain sight words that they know.  These poems are recorded (can you see the iPhone?)  Students can scan a QR code to listen to the song while they are reconstructing it!

Winter Poems for Kindergarten and First Grade. These easy poetry lessons will engage your classroom in shared reading. Poems help you focus on fluency while having fun!

Another winter poetry favorite for our poetry center! 

Winter Poems for Kindergarten and First Grade. These easy poetry lessons will engage your classroom in shared reading. Poems help you focus on fluency while having fun!
Five Snowmen Poem

Winter Poems for Kindergarten and First Grade: Videos!

There are times when we put the video on and they sing along as well.  It is a fun way to start the morning!  Those repeated opportunities to see and read (sing) these poems reinforce fluency and prosody.

Winter Poems for Kindergarten and First Grade. These easy poetry lessons will engage your classroom in shared reading. Poems help you focus on fluency while having fun!
Hot Cocoa Poem: Music and Video Version

Students can even watch the poem videos on their own devices.  HOORAY for one more way to incorporate poetry throughout the day! (See what I did there… poetry is the best! )

Winter Poems for Kindergarten and First Grade. These easy poetry lessons will engage your classroom in shared reading. Poems help you focus on fluency while having fun!
Sledding Poem by Deedee Wills

Winter Poems for Kindergarten and First Grade: Student Notebooks

We love adding to our poetry notebooks with each new poem we read. By the end of the year, students have an entire collection of poems they can share and they think it is the Coolest. Thing. Ever!

Winter Poems for Kindergarten and First Grade. These easy poetry lessons will engage your classroom in shared reading. Poems help you focus on fluency while having fun!
Hot Cocoa Poem by Deedee Wills

I hope you found a few new winter poems that you can break out when Jack Frost comes to visit! 

You can find these winter poems for kindergarten and first grade by clicking on the pictures in this blog post. OR, check out the mega bundles for poems throughout the year! You will get access to poems, songs, videos, and interactive notebooks. I do have two sets since some teachers have looped with their class and they wanted to have a new set of poems! 

Easy Winter Poems for Kindergarten and Kids of All Ages. These easy winter poetry lessons will engage your classroom in shared reading. This winter poems feature snowmen, arctic animals and fun winter activities. Poems help you focus on fluency while having fun!

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Deedee Wills

My teaching career allowed me to experience teaching in different classroom environments and grades. My heart belongs to early childhood education. My job is to make teaching FUN, ENGAGING, and EASIER. Welcome!

Hi, I'm DeedeE.

My teaching career allowed me to experience teaching in different classroom environments and grades. My heart belongs to early childhood education. My job is to make teaching FUN, ENGAGING, and EASIER. Welcome!
 

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21 Responses

  1. I'm having the same problem with accessing the peek-at-week plans. Thanks, I love your stuff!

  2. I didn't realize you could use your Overhead Station for the Promethean Board…so cool…just added to my wishlist! I purchased your December poetry pack and can't wait to use the gingerbread poem next week….thanks for your great products.

    Kelly
    Kindergarten Kel

    1. Hi Kelly… yes, I print the pages on white paper and have the students lay them under the document camera. Then I open the Promethean program and set it to transparent.

      If I get my act together, I just might scan the documents into the program directly…Ha!

  3. Deedee,
    Once again, your Writing Work Stations are a hit with my kids! They were rather peeved when I didn't get the December ones up yet (due to a dead laminating machine)! So, thanks for your great work!
    Corinna
    Teaching Fabulous Firsties!

  4. DeeDee,

    I am a first year teacher…trying to figure out literacy stations. I printed your station cards yesterday(I love how you have smaller groups…and flip the stations I never would have thought about doing that). I also bought your I can station cards which are a revelation to me as well. I would have never thought to give specific tasks at big book, library, and poetry! Wahooooo! I am so excited about finally giving meaning to my stations! I believe its going to give me time for my small groups…which has been lacking because I have had such trouble keeping them on task without a good system.

    I do have a question. Do you switch stations weekly? or a longer roation? I have 22 students and to do 2 to a station it would seem that it would need to be longer to get everyone through each station.

    I have your writing station (my kids love it!) and just bought your stamping station. I am looking at your games too. I have to work on bringing in one thing at a time. 🙂

    Thank you for all your hard work and for sharing!
    Traci

    1. Hi Traci, I am so glad you are finding my resources helpful.

      I do rotate some stations weekly and some (like the games where I want them to repeatedly practice something) stay longer. I also don't rotate EVERYthing on a Monday (as you can see from my poetry/pocket chart station). I try to keep the tasks familiar and just swap out the materials. This allows me to work with my groups.

  5. I saw somewhere you only do 15-20 minutes per activity. I guess I am just thinking if I have the stamping station out, I want everyone to have a turn at it. If I do groups of two that would take more than one week to get everyone through that page. Am I missing something? Traci

  6. Your wealth of knowledge and your kind heart to share all your items is remarkable! THANKS AND STOP BY ANYTIME!

  7. You are amazing Deedee! I love coming to visit you! I just shared some Christmas poetry *freebies*…I would love for you to come and check them out if you get the chance. My kiddos always love the Polar Express song/poem and Hello Santa. They will still be singing/reading Hello Santa in May!!! Lol! =)

    Blessings,

    Heather
    Heather's Heart

  8. I homeschool and my kids love the poetry stations! We do them together! They loved the Winter's Here Poem (they sing it all day) and now we are the Gingerbread Man poem and I can not get the get the tune right to that poem for the life of me. Can you, maybe…..record you or your class singing it so we can get it right?
    Thank you

    1. Oh! My! Word! You have no idea the horror you are about to experience! I have had a cold for a few weeks and I have lost my voice. But I will do it tomorrow with my class! Ha! Will you email me? owens65066@gmail.com

  9. These are really cute poems that will be enjoyed by kindergarten students! I am sure they would love to read these with their classmates and family while sipping hot chocolate.

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