Visual Crafts for November
I always love to use visual crafts in my classroom! I use them in different settings depending where the activity fits in. Sometimes, I put visual crafts at a center rotation. I will have students participate in a craft at my center when I feel like students have been working really hard on IEP goals or curriculum. It’s good to switch it up so they don’t get stuck on “blue center” is ALWAYS work. It’s looked at as a fun activity paired with myself or paraprofessional. Sometimes, we do visual crafts during group time and connect it to a reading or math activity.
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Thanksgiving Theme
Since my classroom is in elementary grade bands, I like to have themed activities month to month. I typically will theme them around whatever holiday is that month if all students participate in that holiday. For November, I connect the theme for the month to Thanksgiving. We complete visual crafts around Thanksgiving and cooking recipes! This helps students to prepare for events that are coming up. I love to display my students’ crafts on our bulletin board in our classroom and on their lockers outside of the classroom. My students are always so proud to see their art work hung up! You can also send a newsletter home to parents to let them know what the theme is and what you will be working on for the month.
Easy for Paras to Run
I love these activities because they are made for students to be able to complete independently. I am so relieved by activities that require me to do no explaining to the adults! It is so nice to have an activity where I can leave it on one of my paraprofessional’s centers, and they know exactly how to complete it with students. You can also give the Materials List to paraprofessionals and have them gather the items when they have down time (ex: student absent or related service provider taking over their center). If you don’t have all the materials needed, you can easily swap them out for materials you already have! For example, if you don’t have googly eyes, you could have students draw them or you could print some out and have students cut them out.
Connect to a Story or Math Activity
If you don’t want to use the themed crafts during center rotations, you can complete the crafts during group time. I typically run a literacy group everyday, and a math group a couple times a week. I often theme my stories for students as well, so I can connect a craft to the themed story. Some elementary ideas for Thanksgiving books are: There Was an Old Lady Who Swallowed a Turkey, Peyton Picks the Perfect Pie, and The Crayons Give Thanks. If I already have enough activities planned for my literacy group, I will connect the craft to a math activity. For example, there’s a Shape Turkey included in the November Visual Crafts where you can have students identify what shape, how many shapes, what color, etc.
Fine Motor Skills
The crafts automatically work on students’ fine motor skills. They work on fine motor skills including: cutting, writing, coloring, gluing, painting, using a Q-tip, etc. You could also have your OT push into your classroom when working on these activities to run a center or run a group with you. The Coffee Filter Turkey in the pack also includes using a spray bottle, which increases hand strength. It also provides sensory stimulation by spraying the water. Students can feel the water on the filter, and it’s just fun! It’s not everyday students get to use a spray bottle in the classroom. Here are some more fall fine motor skills activities!
Visual crafts can be used in a variety of settings. They are quick activities that can fit into different parts of your schedule. You can also collaborate with your OT or art teacher when completing these activities. When you are finished with your crafts, make sure you remember to display them for classmates and other staff to see! I always send home all the crafts and activities that go along with it at the end of the month.
