I was thinking of some new ideas that could be used in January and thought about stations. These would be fun, minimal prep activities that could be used daily/weekly that might give a focus to a certain time in the school day (first thing in the morning/after break/after lunch/just before hometime or just add something different to daily routine!

I’ve focused on 3 subject areas; Literacy, Numeracy and Art.

Literacy

Free writing/ Journal writing

Give the children a topic/starting sentence and encourage them to write for a certain amount of time. (This can increase on a weekly basis).

Boggle

Children try to make as many words as they can using the letters on the board. Some rules;

  • The letters must be adjoining in a ‘chain’. (Letter cubes in the chain may be adjacent horizontally, vertically, or diagonally.)
  • Words must contain at least three letters.
  • Each letter may be used more than once within a single word

DEAR

Drop everything and read. The children spend 15-20 minutes reading books of their choice.

Poetry/Short Story Corner

5/6 children are chosen every day. They look through poetry books/short story books/online to find their favourite poem/short story which they then read/share with the class on their chosen day.


Numeracy

Noggle

Use addition/subtraction/multiplication/division to reach a given number

Find the sum/difference/product

Children choose 2 numbers and find the sum/difference of them.

 

Art

Creation station

Children can be given a range of different materials to design/make something.This could be an individual project or the children could work together to create something. This could be linked to a thematic unit or be a stand alone activity.

How to draw

I bought this book in a shop that was closing down so it was half price (€2.50) and I thought it would be perfect for school. Many children say that they can’t draw so this book gives step by step guides to draw a variety of different things including animals, vehicles, monsters and more. I plan on laminating a few pages so they can be used for the next few years.

These are just 3 subject areas that could be used – if you have any more ideas comment below!

Niamh x