January in Kindergarten is a magical time! You come back from break and things just seem to start clicking.
It can also be a time when things start to feel a bit stale – especially your math and literacy centers! These January center ideas for kindergarten will help you stay in your routine while keeping your winter centers exciting.
What do centers look like in kindergarten?
How your kindergarten centers run will look different depending on your classroom management style and what works for your class. There is no one right answer!
I like free flow centers in my classroom, but center rotations are also a great choice!
The important thing is that your students have plenty of time to work on learned skills.
Math and literacy centers in Kindergarten are a time for students to review previously learned content. Especially when you get to your January centers in Kindergarten, there is a lot to review!
Centers are also important for differentiation and allowing students to practice concepts in a hands on way.
Really, it can be an “academic-heavy” form of play. This is so important for our students!
These January center ideas will give you a variety of meaningful and engaging activities for Kindergarten.
FREE Snowman Math Centers
Nothing screams “January” like snowmen and these snowman math centers are so much fun!
These January centers are low prep and make a basic task like sorting much more engaging. Personally, sorting is one of my favorite center ideas because it’s a task that can be completed over and over again.
You can choose what numbers your students work with. They will sort the snowballs to the snowmen numbers.
These free January centers include addition math sorts and numbers to 20 number sense math sorts.
Grab the free Snowman math centers below!
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Snowman Math Centers
These snowman math sorts are a fun option for working on number sense this winter! Includes number sorts and addition sorts.
January Low Prep Math and Literacy Centers
As a kindergarten teacher, I know how important it is to have hands on math and literacy centers. But there is NOTHING I hate more than prepping centers!
That gave me the idea to create low prep centers for Kindergarten. Just print, laminate, chop and go!
These low prep centers are similar enough each month to keep students in a routine and able to work independently.
But the winter themes like snowmen, polar bears, penguins, and snow days keeps these January centers exciting for Kindergarten!
Skills covered in the January centers for Kindergarten include:
- Beginning sounds
- Ending sounds
- CVC words
- Decodable sentences
- Rhyming words
- Vowel sounds
- Digraphs
- Sight words
- Counting
- Place value
- Ten frames
- Addition by counting on
- Addition with a ten frame
- 2D and 3D shapes
- Before and after numbers
- Counting to 100
Check Out These Images!
January Sensory Bin Ideas
Sensory bins in Kindergarten are an easy way to combine play, fine motor practice, and academic skills.
You can easily make your sensory bin new again just by swapping out the filler! Sensory bin filler ideas for January:
- Fake ice cubes
- Shredded paper
- Cotton balls as snowballs
- Fake snow
Then, just add your January sensory bin activities in and go! There’s just something about making this center play-focused that takes a routine task and makes it exciting again!
You can also easily differentiate your sensory bin just by giving students different recording sheets.
For example, if you have number cards in your sensory bin, they can be used for pull and trace numbers, number sense, comparing, counting on, or addition!
Free Winter Cover by Code Math Centers
Another super low prep January center idea is winter cover by code. Just print and add colored manipulatives like cubes.
You can even use the black and white version as a winter color by code math activity!
If you don’t have much space in your classroom, you could laminate these winter centers and place in a drawer or basket. Then students can choose one to work on during math centers!
This set of free winter cover by code centers includes 2D and 3D shapes, teen numbers, addition to 6, addition to 10, and addition within 20.
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Winter Cover by Code Centers
Cover by code is a great option for no prep math centers! This set includes teen numbers, addition, and 2D and 3D shapes.
January Pocket Dice Centers for Kindergarten
This would not be a complete round up of January center ideas for Kindergarten without pocket dice activities!
I don’t mean to sound dramatic, but when I discovered pocket dice it changed my life.
Put pocket dice centers into literacy center bins and it will instantly be snatched up!
To use here pocket dice activities, you will just insert the cards into the pocket dice pockets (my favorite dice to use are the Carson Dellosa Differentiated Instruction Cubes).
Students will roll the dice and color the matching answer on their recording sheet.
Predictable centers like this are the key to centers success! The activities stay consistent enough that students can be independent, but the new themes keep it exciting.
I hope you enjoyed these January center ideas for Kindergarten! Make sure you grab your free winter centers above.
