The Best BBC Teaching Resources for Winter

Winter brings crisp air, snow-covered landscapes, festive holidays, and clever animal adaptations. It's an exciting and interesting time, so it's no wonder that most teachers cover it in one way or another. To help you out, we've rounded up the very best BBC resources for teaching all about this frozen season. Whether you're digging into the science of snow with your middle schoolers or looking for themed math for your little learners, we've got something wintery just for you!

1. Explore celebrations of winter around the world.

Diwali’s glowing lamps, St. Lucia Day’s candlelit processions, the posadas of Mexico, Hanukkah’s spinning dreidels, Christmas trees, Kwanzaa candles, Lunar New Year’s red envelopes, the winter solstice’s longest night... these fascinating holidays are sure to capture your students' interest.

First, spend some time learning about each one with our amazing winter holidays mini-books. Perfect for Grades 3–5, these books feature fast facts about each holiday plus a fun page to report on new learning. Grade 3–8 students will enjoy testing their winter celebration know-how with our Ultimate Winter Holiday Quiz. 20 questions to prove you're more than a Holiday Helper! 

2. Read all about a fascinating winter topic.

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Have you taken a look at our student articles yet? We're so pleased to be able to provide you with a variety of high-quality content from BBC magazines like Discover Wildlife and Science Focus. Each article covers the same topic and follows the same structure but has been specifically leveed for Grades 3–5, 6–8, and 9–12, so you can pick the version (or versions!) that work best for your students. Here are a few fun winter topics that you can assign them (click on Share With Students for all our sharing options):

• Hibernation: How Animals Sleep Through the Heat and Cold
• Mastering Winter Sports: The Science Behind Winning on Ice and Snow!
• Beat Winter Illness: Science-Backed Tips to Stay Healthy
• Winter Solstice: 6 Traditional Midwinter Celebrations From Around the World

Take the learning further by doing one of our article response worksheets (they work for any article!).

3. Dig deep into animal hibernation.

We have tons of short, educational videos about animals in winter and hibernation. To make life easier for you, we've compiled 11 of our favorites into one fabulous playlist. Play one or play them all, but each comes with questions, vocabulary, a writing prompt, and student activities. You could also follow up with one of our animal report templates. 

Watched all the videos in the playlist? Test your hibernation smarts with The Great Winter Nap Quiz! 

4. Get your hands on some fun winter worksheets.

We have some awesome winter printables for the PreK–2 set. Practice doubles with the skating Numberblocks in this icy coloring worksheet, or practice CVC words with an Alphablocks snowman story! And for everyone's favorite (Bluey, of course!), we've collected all the winter Bluey printables in one convenient bundle. 

5. Study the science of snow.

In More Than a Simple Snowflake, Professor Brian Cox explains that while every iceberg has a different shape, they are each made up of tiny hexagonal snowflakes. As snowflakes fall through the sky, electromagnetic forces draw them together. After watching, try this writing prompt: Use information from the video and additional research to explain how snowflakes form. What happens high in the sky? What happens as the snowflakes descend toward the ground? How does the electromagnetic force impact snowflakes?

6. Play in the snow with Sarah & Duck!

Sarah & Duck is a kids' show about the adventures of seven-year-old Sarah and her quacky, flappy best friend, Duck. And it's chock full of seasonal content! Check out our favorite frosty episodes (and don't forget to try some of the activities like designing a penguin habitat, making up your own winter sport, or planning a winter fair):

• Sarah and Duck Visit the Penguins
• Sarah and Duck Go Bobsledding
• Sarah and Duck on the Snow Trail
• Sarah and Duck and the Snowball Skate

 For even more winter teaching resources, visit our search page and type in "winter"!