Grandparents Day falls in the month of September, which is already a fairly hectic month for teachers. You’re just starting to get into a routine after the back-to-school rush, so this could be your first holiday to work into your lesson plans. It doesn’t have to completely interrupt your routine, however. If you work the holiday into your reading and writing schedule, it’ll be much easier!
Grandparents Day READING
Instead of throwing out all your plans to make crafts and teach about Grandparents Day, simply work the holiday into your lesson plans. Here are a few examples of how to learn about Grandparents Day in the classroom while still keeping your ELA reading block routine. Simply replace passages and books with Grandparents themed books!
Nonfiction Reading Option:
I had many requests to make an “All About Holidays” pack that would match my All About American Symbols unit. Each holiday comes with a passage, comprehension questions, a fact writing sheet, fold and snip flip book, and writing sheet. This Grandparents Day nonfiction set of activities can be found within this All About Holidays pack. It identifies when the holiday takes place in different countries and quickly explains what it is and where the idea came from.
(Link: All About Holidays)
Fiction & Nonfiction Reading Option:
This paired passage set comes from my August/September collection of paired texts. They come with a fictional and nonfiction text on specific topics. The Grandparents Day section comes with a fictional story about a child spending the day with their grandparents, and the nonfiction text explains the holiday itself. The reading levels range from 2nd to 3rd grade.
(Link: August/September Paired Passages)
(Link: August/September Paired Passages)
Fiction Reading Options for Grandparents Day in the Classroom:
There is also a collection of children’s books that I’ll link below. I think these would be useful when either choosing a read aloud for the week or stocking the classroom library with Grandparents Day books for students to read. These links are all affiliate links from Amazon.
Little Critter and Llama Llama are always a favorite in most classes… I love that they have a grandparents’ version of this series.
Craft Time [Freebie]
I made a free craft for you! It’s an easy print-out page that the students can decorate/create as they see fit. The pictures below show the result of the students tracing one of their hands, and afterward, putting a heart inside of it. However, if you want students to write something on the page instead, that is another great idea for this send-home gift.
Materials for each kiddo:
- One page printout
- Construction paper for hand
- Coloring utensils
- Scissors
- Glue
- Heart
This freebie is available for download in my TPT Store:
Grandparents’ Day in the Classroom FREEBIE
The three products in this Grandparents Day in the Classroom blog posts are here:
August and September Paired Passages
The winter holidays are closer than you think! Check out this post to get a jumpstart on November lesson planning.