41+ Exciting Activities for 1st Grade (printables + Reels)

First grade is an exciting time full of exploration, discovery, and big milestones. From mastering basic math concepts to the magical world of reading, there’s so much to do and see. These activities aren’t just about books and pencils; they’re about sparking curiosity, fostering creativity, and building confidence.

Engage your first grader with hands-on math activities, immerse them in the beginnings of literacy with letter recognition activities, and enhance their understanding of the natural world through science activities.

So, get ready to explore a world of fun and learning, where every activity is a step closer to unlocking the amazing potential within you!

Activities for 1st Grade

Winter Craft Activity

This fun winter craft is perfect for kids during the holiday season. Creating these cute winter characters is an engaging and festive activity. I enjoy doing these crafts with my child to add some holiday cheer to our home.

Materials: Popsicle sticks, pipe cleaners, google eyes, glue, construction paper, and small buttons or beads.

How to Do:

1. Place popsicle sticks in front of your child.
2. Let them add details to face and body using pipe cleaners, buttons, or beads.
3. Attach mittens to the hands.
4. Let them enjoy their snowman!

Community Helpers Hat Craft

This craft activity is great for teaching kids about community helpers while having fun. Making hats of different community helpers lets children learn and play pretend.

Materials: A white sheet, markers or crayons, scissors, and glue or tape.

How to Do:

1. Draw different community helper’s hats on a white sheet.
2. Have your child color hats with markers or crayons.
3. Carefully cut out colored hat shapes.
4. Glue or tape the ends of hats to fit your child’s head.

Color Matching Activity

This color matching activity is perfect for helping kids to recognize different colors while having fun. It’s a great way to enhance their cognitive skills and hand-eye coordination.

Materials: A printable color matching sheet along with Q-tips, paint, and a brush.

How to Do:

1. Print the color matching sheet and gather Q-tips.
2. Let your child paint the Q-tip tips with colors matching the sheet.
3. Show your child how to match colors on the sheet with corresponding Q-tips.
4. Let your child place the Q-tips on the matching colors.
5. Watch our reel for better guidance.

DIY Finger Puppet

This DIY finger puppet activity is a creative way for kids to use their imagination. Making these adorable finger puppets helps children develop fine motor skills and provides endless entertainment.

Materials: Pipe cleaners, googly eyes, colored paper, glue, and scissors.

How to Do:

1. Gather all materials and set up a workspace.
2. Twist pipe cleaners around your child’s fingers to form puppet bodies.
3. Glue googly eyes and small paper onto pipe cleaners for faces and details.
4. Let your child play with their new finger puppets and invent fun stories.

Snack Time Math Time Activity

This engaging activity combines math practice with a fun snack theme. It’s perfect for helping kids improve their addition skills while enjoying the process.

Materials: A printable snack time math worksheet or simply use our printable, a pencil, and an eraser.

How to Do:

1. Print our worksheet and gather a pencil and eraser.
2. Show your child how to use the menu to find prices of different snacks.
3. Encourage them to add up prices of snacks listed in each order.
4. Let them write down the total price for each order in the provided space.

Hand Printing Activity

This hand printing activity is a creative way for kids to express their artistic skills. By using their hands as stamps, children can create beautiful and unique art pieces. I love this activity because it’s simple, fun, and results in a personal piece of art that kids are proud of.

Materials: Paint, paper, a paintbrush, and markers or crayons.

How to Do:

1. Pour washable paint onto a plate or palette.
2. Have your child dip their hand into the paint and press it onto the paper to create a handprint.
3. Use a paintbrush, markers, or crayons to add details and transform the handprint into a fun design, such as a peacock or another imaginative creation.

Season Sorting Activity

This season sorting activity is a fantastic way for kids to learn about different seasons and the items associated with each one. It’s educational and fun, making it perfect for young learners.

Materials: Printable season scenes, cut-out images of seasonal items, glue, and crayons or markers.

How to Do:

1. Print the season scenes and cut out images of seasonal items.
2. Color the season scenes using crayons or markers.
3. Help your child sort the cut-out images and match them to the correct season scene.

Feed the Cat Activity

The Feed the Cat activity is an enjoyable way for kids to practice their letter recognition and matching skills. By “feeding” the cat with the correct letters, children can have fun while learning.

Materials: A printable cat face with a mouth opening, alphabet letters, and a box or container.

How to Do:

1. Print and cut out the cat face, then attach it to a box or container with a mouth opening.
2. Scatter alphabet letters around the workspace.
3. Encourage your child to pick a letter and “feed” it to the cat by placing it into the cat’s mouth.

Cup Tower Activity

The Cup Tower activity is a simple way for kids to develop their fine motor skills, hand-eye coordination, and problem-solving abilities. Building towers with cups is both entertaining and educational, making it a favorite activity in our home.

Materials: Plastic cups.

How to Do:

1. Show your child how to stack the cups to build a tower.
2. Encourage your child to build the tallest tower they can, experimenting with different stacking methods.

Sight Words Activity

The Sight Words activity is designed to help children recognize, read, and write common sight words. This engaging and educational activity makes learning to read fun and interactive.

Materials: A printable sight words worksheet..for that use our printable, a pencil, and an eraser.

How to Do:

1. Print our sight words worksheet and provide pencils or markers.
2. Have your child write the word and clap out syllables.
3. Guide tracing, spelling, and coloring the word.
4. Find and color the word in a sentence, then share with someone what they learned.

Small to Big Concept Activity

The Small to Big concept activity is designed to help kids understand size sequencing in a fun and engaging way. By arranging objects from small to big, children can develop their understanding of size and order.

Materials: Colorful paper, straws, glue, scissors, and Q-tips.

How to Do:

1. Draw a fish from a paper.
2. Cut straws into different sizes.
3. Show your child how to arrange the Q tips from small to big and glue them onto the fish template, starting with the smallest strip at the head and ending with the largest at the tail.
4. My kid has performed this activity, watch for better understanding.

Fruit Basket Addition

The Fruit Basket Addition activity is a fun way to help kids practice their addition skills. By using colorful fruit cutouts, children can visually learn how to add numbers. This activity makes math enjoyable and helps reinforce basic arithmetic concepts.

Materials: Fruit cutouts with numbers, a basket template or cutout, glue, and markers or crayons.

How to Do:

1. Print and cut out the fruit shapes and basket template.
2. Write numbers on the fruit cutouts.
3. Encourage your child to pick two fruit cutouts and add the numbers together.
4. Let your child place the fruit cutouts in the basket and write the total sum on the basket or a separate piece of paper.

Rainbow Vowels Activity

The Rainbow Vowels activity is a colorful way for kids to learn and practice vowels. By using colors and visual aids, children can easily remember and identify the vowels. This activity is a favorite in our home, making learning fun and visually appealing.

Materials: White paper and markers.

How to Do:

1. Write the vowels (A, E, I, O, U) at the base of the rainbow arcs.
2. Encourage your child to trace each vowel in the corresponding color of the arc.
3. Repeat the vowels multiple times along the arc for practice.
4. You can watch our reel to perform this activity better.

Paper Straw Snake Activity

The Paper Straw Snake activity is a creative craft that helps kids develop their fine motor skills. By assembling colorful paper straws into a snake shape, children can enjoy making and playing with their own handmade toys.

Materials: Paper straws, construction paper, googly eyes, scissors, glue, and string.

How to Do:

1. Cut paper straws into small pieces for the snake’s body.
2. Create a round head from construction paper and attach googly eyes.
3. Attach a small piece of red paper for the tongue.
4. String the straw pieces onto a string, leaving space for movement between each.

More & Less Activity

The More & Less activity is an excellent way for kids to practice their number sense by identifying numbers that are greater or smaller than a given number.

Materials: A printable more & less worksheet or simply use our printable, a pencil, and an eraser.

How to Do:

1. Print our worksheet and gather a pencil and eraser.
2. Explain how to read the number and understand the arrows for more and less.
3. Have your child write a number less than the given one in the left box.
4. Let them write a number more than the given one in the right box.

Chase Your Goal Activity

The Chase Your Goal activity is a fun way to help kids develop their problem-solving and fine motor skills. By navigating a ball through a maze, children learn patience and strategy.

Materials: Cardboard, scissors, a straw, a small ball or marble, and a marker.

How to Do:

1. Cut a piece of cardboard to create the base of the maze.
2. Using scissors, cut out paths and openings in the cardboard to form a maze.
3. Draw “Start” and “Finish” points on the maze with a marker.
4. Give your child a straw and a small ball or marble.
5. Encourage your child to blow through the straw to guide the ball from the start to the finish.
6. Watch our reel for better guidance.

Math Board Addition Activity

The Math Board Addition activity is a great way to make learning addition fun and interactive for kids. By using a visual and hands-on approach, children can better understand basic math concepts.

Materials: Cardboard or foam board, construction paper, and a marker.

How to Do:

1. Set up the board with addition problems written on construction paper.
2. Write numbers or draw objects on other notes for the children to use in solving the problems.
3. Encourage your child to place the correct number of objects or write the answer to each addition problem on the board.
4. To know better, watch our reel.

Shape Matching Activity

The Shape Matching activity is an excellent way for kids to learn about shapes and colors while enhancing their fine motor skills. By matching shapes, children can develop their cognitive abilities in a fun and interactive manner.

Materials: Colored popsicle sticks, paint, and a brush.

How to Do:

1. Paint or draw different shapes on popsicle sticks, using two sticks for each shape.
2. Allow the paint to dry completely if using paint.
3. Mix up the popsicle sticks and lay them out on a flat surface.
4. Encourage your child to find and match the pairs of popsicle sticks by aligning the shapes correctly.
5. You can watch our reel, which my kid performed.

Cotton Buds Painting Activity

The Cotton Buds Painting activity is a simple way for kids to explore their artistic side. Using cotton buds to paint allows children to create beautiful and unique dot patterns. This activity is great for developing fine motor skills and creativity.

Materials: Q-tips, paints, and paper.

How to Do:

1. Draw a vase on the paper.
2. Dip a cotton bud into the paint.
3. Use the Q-tip to create dot patterns on the paper.
4. Encourage your child to experiment with different colors and patterns.

CVC Words Activity

The CVC (Consonant-Vowel-Consonant) Words activity is an excellent way for kids to practice their early reading and spelling skills. By filling in the blanks to complete the words, children can enhance their understanding of basic word structures.

Materials: A printable CVC words worksheet and a pencil.

How to Do:

1. Print the CVC words worksheet.
2. Show your child how to look at the pictures and identify the missing letters to complete each word.
3. Encourage your child to fill in the blanks with the correct letters from the letter bank provided.

Graphomotor Skill Activity

The Graphomotor Skill activity is designed to help children develop their fine motor skills and hand-eye coordination. By drawing various lines and patterns, kids can improve their writing abilities in a fun and engaging way.

Materials: A white sheet and markers.

How to Do:

1. Print sheets with simple shapes or pictures for your child to decorate.
2. Create a dice with different line patterns (zigzag, wavy, straight, etc.) on each side.
3. Encourage your child to roll the dice and draw the pattern that appears on the picture.
4. Repeat the process, letting your child fill the entire picture with various patterns.

Popcorn Craft Activity

The Popcorn Craft activity is a creative way for kids to explore art using everyday materials. Children can develop their fine motor skills and enjoy a sensory experience by making a popcorn collage.

Materials: Construction paper, white paper, yellow paint, and glue.

How to Do:

1. Cut and glue a popcorn box shape from red paper onto black paper.
2. Draw or paint white stripes on the box.
3. Write “Popcorn” on white paper and glue it.
4. Make small yellow balls from paper and glue them for a popcorn effect.

Pizza Slice Counting Activity

The Pizza Slice Counting activity is a interactive way to help kids practice counting and number recognition. By matching pizza slices with the correct number of toppings, children can enhance their math skills while having a playful experience.

Materials: Colored paper, a marker, and scissors.

How to Do:

1. Cut a large circle from yellow paper and divide into slices numbered 1 to 8.
2. Cut smaller triangles from orange paper for toppings.
3. Draw varying toppings on each triangle to match numbered slices.
4. Help your child match triangles to slices by counting toppings.

Bilateral Coordination Activity

The Bilateral Coordination activity is designed to help children develop the ability to use both sides of their body together in a coordinated way. This simple yet effective exercise is perfect for improving motor skills and hand-eye coordination.

Materials: Two small spoons and small objects.

How to Do:

1. Place two spoons with colored objects on a flat surface.
2. Arrange lines of matching colored objects in front of each spoon.
3. Encourage your child to use both hands to pick up and transfer objects between spoons and a container.
4. Watch our reel for better guidance.

Possessive Noun Activity

The Possessive Noun activity helps children understand and practice using possessive nouns. This activity is both educational and enjoyable, making grammar fun for young learners.

Materials: A printable possessive noun worksheet, a pencil, and an eraser.

How to Do:

1. Print the possessive noun worksheet.
2. Read each sentence with your child, explaining possessive nouns show ownership.
3. Ask your child to color the correct possessive pronoun in each box (his, her, my, their).
4. Encourage your child to write the correct possessive noun to complete each sentence.

Matchstick Activity

The Matchstick activity is an creative way for kids to learn about shapes, numbers, and letters. Using matchsticks to form various figures helps children develop their fine motor skills and spatial awareness.

Materials: Matchsticks, a white sheet, and a marker.

How to Do:

1. Print or draw a grid on a sheet of paper.
2. Arrange matchsticks or toothpicks on the grid to form shapes, numbers, or letters.
3. Encourage your child to replicate the figures in each grid square.
4. Let your child create their own designs using the matchsticks.

Color Sorting Activity

The Color Sorting activity is a fun and educational way for kids to learn about colors and develop their sorting skills. By matching objects to the correct color sections, children can improve their color recognition and fine motor skills.

Materials: Acolored wheel and various small objects in different colors such as feathers, buttons, and clothespins.

How to Do:

1. Create a colored wheel with different sections.
2. Gather small objects matching the wheel’s colors.
3. Encourage your child to sort objects by placing them in the correct color section.
4. Discuss the colors with your child as they sort.

Cookie Matching Activity

The Cookie Matching activity is a fun and educational way to help kids practice their number recognition and matching skills. By matching numbered cookies to the corresponding numbers on a jar, children can improve their counting abilities while enjoying a playful activity.

Materials: a printable jar template with numbered spaces, scissors, and printable heart-shaped cookies with matching numbers.

How to Do:

1. Print and cut out the jar template and heart-shaped cookies.
2. Mix the heart-shaped cookies and place them around the jar.
3. Encourage your child to match each cookie to the corresponding number on the jar.
4. Continue until all cookies are matched with the numbers.

Alphabet Activity

The Alphabet activity is a great way to help kids recognize and differentiate between letters. By identifying and circling specific letters, children can enhance their alphabet knowledge and fine motor skills.

Materials: A printable alphabet grid worksheet and a marker.

How to Do:

1. Print the alphabet grid worksheet.
2. Give your child a marker.
3. Ask your child to find and circle all instances of a specific letter.
4. Repeat with different letters until all letters are circled.

Missing Addend Activity

The Missing Addend activity is a fantastic way for kids to practice their addition skills and understand the concept of missing numbers in equations. By finding the missing addend, children can enhance their math skills in a fun and interactive way.

Materials: A printable missing addend worksheet and a pencil.

How to Do:

1. Print the missing addend worksheet.
2. Explain to your child they must find the number that, when added to the given number, equals the sum.
3. Encourage your child to write the correct number in the blank box for each equation.

Time Telling Activity

The Time Telling activity is a great way for kids to learn how to read and understand analog clocks. By matching times to the clock, children can practice telling time in a fun and interactive way.

Materials: A printable clock face with movable hands and time cards featuring various times, along with scissors and brads.

How to Do:

1. Print and cut out the clock face and hands.
2. Attach the hands to the center of the clock face using a brad.
3. Lay out time cards with various times.
4. Have your child choose a card and set the clock hands to match the time.

Colour the Tree Activity

The Colour the Tree activity is a creative and fun way for kids to learn about colors and textures. By decorating a tree with cotton balls and paint, children can enhance their artistic skills and sensory experience.

Materials: Construction paper, cotton balls, green paint, glue, a dropper, and a bowl.

How to Do:

1. Draw a tree outline on construction paper.
2. Apply glue to the branches and trunk of the tree outline.
3. Stick cotton balls onto the glued areas to form the tree’s foliage.
4. Use a dropper to apply green paint onto the cotton balls, simulating leaves.
5. My kid has performed this activity, watch for better understanding.

Make a Paper Fan

The Make a Paper Fan activity is a lovely craft that helps kids develop their fine motor skills and creativity. Creating colorful paper fans is not only fun but also results in a useful item that kids can enjoy on a hot day.

Materials: Colored paper, scissors, glue, and straws.

How to Do:

1. Take colored paper and fold it in a zigzag (accordion) pattern.
2. Pinch and secure the center with glue.
3. Attach a straw at the bottom with glue for the handle.
4. Spread out the top to form a fan shape.

Picture Matching Activity

The Picture Matching activity is a fun and engaging way for kids to enhance their visual discrimination and cognitive skills. By matching pictures to their corresponding words, children can improve their vocabulary and recognition abilities.

Materials: A printable picture matching worksheet, a pencil, and an eraser.

How to Do:

1. Print the picture matching worksheet.
2. Show your child each word and its row of pictures.
3. Ask your child to circle the matching picture for each word.
4. Encourage them to say the word aloud for reinforcement.

Magic of Colors Activity

The Magic of Colors activity is a fascinating way for kids to explore the science of colors through mixing. By combining different colored liquids, children can learn about color blending and have a magical experience watching new colors appear.

Materials: Plastic bottles with lids, water, and food coloring in red, blue, and yellow.

How to Do:

1. Fill bottles halfway with water.
2. Add food coloring drops for primary colors (red, blue, yellow).
3. Secure lids tightly.
4. Let child shake bottles to mix colors.
5. You can watch our reel to perform this activity better.

Alphabet Bingo Activity

The Alphabet Bingo activity is a fun and interactive way for kids to learn their letters. By playing bingo with alphabet cards, children can enhance their letter recognition and phonics skills.

Materials: Printable alphabet bingo and calling cards, scissors, and markers or tokens.

How to Do:

1. Print alphabet bingo cards and calling cards.
2. Cut out the calling cards and shuffle them.
3. Give each player a bingo card and markers.
4. Draw a calling card, announce the letter and word, and players mark the letter on their cards.

Science Experiment

The Candle and Water experiment is a fascinating way for kids to learn about air pressure and the behavior of gases. By observing what happens when a candle is covered with a glass, children can explore scientific concepts in a visually engaging and hands-on manner.

Materials: A small candle, a plate, water, a clear glass, and either matches or a lighter.

How to Do:

1. Place the candle in the center of the plate.
2. Add a bit of water to cover the base of the candle. Optionally, add food coloring for visibility.
3. Light the candle using matches or a lighter.
4. Carefully place the glass or jar over the candle to cover it completely.
5. Watch as the candle extinguishes and the water level inside the glass rises.
6. Watch our reel for better guidance.

Sidewalk Chalk Art Activity

Sidewalk Chalk Art is a wonderful outdoor art activity that encourages creativity and artistic expression. Kids can use chalk to create colorful drawings, games, and designs on sidewalks or driveways.

Materials: Chalk in various colors is used on sidewalks, driveways, or any paved surface.

How to Do:

1. Select a safe, flat surface such as a sidewalk or driveway.
2. Provide your child with colorful sidewalk chalk.
3. Let them draw freely, from simple shapes to detailed pictures.
4. Use water to blend colors and enhance effects as desired.

I Spy Animals Activity

I Spy Animals is a fun and engaging activity that helps children develop their observation and counting skills. Kids will enjoy searching for different animals on the sheet and counting how many of each they can find.

Materials: A printable I Spy Animals sheet along with pencils and an eraser.

How to Do:

1. Give your child the I Spy Animals sheet.
2. Ask them to find and count each type of animal.
3. Have them write the number of each animal in the boxes below.

Play with Puppet Activity

Play with Puppet is a lovely activity that sparks creativity and imagination in children. Puppets can bring stories to life and provide endless fun through role-playing and storytelling.

Materials: Colorful socks or fabric for the base, craft materials like buttons and yarn for features, and glue or sewing.

How to Do:

1. Make a puppet using a sock or fabric, adding eyes and hair with craft materials.
2. Use the puppet for storytelling or conversations with other puppets.
3. Encourage your child to invent stories and characters of their own.

Lego Play Activity

Lego Play is a fantastic activity that promotes creativity, problem-solving, and fine motor skills in children. Building with Lego blocks allows kids to explore their imagination and construct their own unique creations.

Materials: Various sizes and colors of Lego blocks along with a flat surface or Lego baseplate for building.

How to Do:

1. Offer Lego blocks and a baseplate.
2. Let your child build freely – a house, vehicle, or scene.
3. Build together and discuss their creations.

Conclusion

In summary, first-grade activities are vital for kids’ growth. From fun games like Duck Duck Goose to learning how to wash hands with catchy songs, these activities teach important skills while keeping kids engaged.

Whether they’re measuring objects or playing independently, children learn and have fun, building essential skills for school and life. By providing a mix of activities, parents and teachers help kids enjoy their learning journey in first grade and beyond.