Table of Contents
- 1 History of Groundhogs Day
- 2 Favorite Groundhog Day Activities
- 3 Fun Groundhog Day Crafts Projects
- 4 Groundhog Day Videos for Kids
- 5 Fun Groundhog Day Books
- 6 Groundhog’s Day Printables and Lesson Plans
Get ready for February 2nd with these 35 fun Groundhog Day activities for kindergarten through second grade.
First, you’ll find a quick rundown of the history of Groundhogs day. Then, you can browse the groundhog activities, crafts, videos, books, and lesson plans.
History of Groundhogs Day
Groundhog Day originated in Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania. It is supposed to make a prediction about how long winter will be. Punxsutawney Phil is the semi-mythical groundhog that the entire day is based on.
If Punxsutawney Phil comes out of his burrow and sees his shadow, he will head back into his den. This means that winter will continue for six more weeks. If he comes out and does not see his shadow because of cloudy weather, then spring is supposed to arrive early. It is a fun tradition and an easy one to incorporate into school lessons and celebrations.
Favorite Groundhog Day Activities
Let’s take a look at some of these favorite activities for Groundhogs Day.
I’m a Little Groundhog Printable Poem
Sung to the tune of “I’m a little teapot”, the kids love adding this Groundhog Day song to their poetry
notebooks. You can also get this poem on TPT.
Shadow Experiment and Shadow Watching
If you have discussed the involvement of shadows in Groundhog Day, students will love a simple science experiment.
Grab a flashlight and a small groundhog stuffed animal. Let the kids experiment and observe shadows on the wall. Then, encourage them to draw or write to record their findings.
Shadow Matching Game
This shadow matching game is great for visual discrimination. Kids learn to distinguish similarities and differences by matching the shadows to the objects.
Class Book of Student Shadows
Set up a light, white paper, and markers in a center. Let the kids trace the outline of the shadow their peer casts onto the paper.
Funko Groundhogs Day Game
Relive Phil’s day round after round in this clever cooperative card game. Choose strategically how to react to the same obnoxious townsfolk and events as you get better at leading Phil’s life. Win by playing out the perfect day in which a kind and charitable version of Phil wins hearts and can return to normal life!
Shadow Blocks
Match colorful wooden blocks to their shadow cards with this Wooden Shadow Matching game.
Fun Groundhog Day Crafts Projects
These crafts are all centered around groundhogs and ground hog Day. They are all perfect for this age group and young kids from kindergarten to first grade will enjoy all of them.
- Groundhog Puppet Craft: This adorable puppet is perfect for any age and the backdrop can be made into anything they like. Just use a craft stick and construction paper!
- Groundhog Mask: Young elementary age students love to get dressed up for celebratory days. This craft is a fun way to do so.
- Groundhog Burrow Craft: All that these adorable little groundhogs take is an easy printable and paper plate.
- Groundhog Hand and Foot Print: Parents love having keepsakes from younger students. Handprints and footprints are an easy way to make something personal.
- Groundhog Shadow Craft: A key part of Groundhog day traditions are shadows. This craft lets them make an adorable groundhog and matching little shadows.
- Groundhog’s Day Hat: Another great way to let your students dress up for the day.
- Groundhog Egg Carton: Getting to reuse old items, like egg cartons, is a great way to make inexpensive crafts. These egg carton groundhogs are adorable!
- Wake Up, Groundhog Craft: Another cute craft showing a groundhog popping out of its burrow. This time with snow!
- Groundhog Cup Craft: This creative craft lets your students actually pop their groundhogs out of their burrows!
- Groundhog Paper Bag Puppet: Paper bags are a classic craft material. An easy and accessible craft.
- Heart Groundhog: A creatively shaped and simple groundhog craft.
Groundhog Day Videos for Kids
After a fun game of shadow tag, or coloring pages of groundhog faces, your kids will learn fun facts with these groundhog day theme videos.
Fun Groundhog Day Books
Do you have a favorite book to celebrate this fun day with the kids?
Nearly all of the fun books listed here are perfect for many elementary grade levels. They are all super informational about the holiday. Some may be more fictional and include a variation of the Punxsutawney Phil story. Some may be a narrative about a separate groundhog entirely. All of these will be interesting for your class to read. They will also be a perfect way for your students to easily remember what started groundhog day and why we celebrate it each year.
- Groundhog Gets a Say:This groundhog is out to prove that he has more to offer than just predicting how many weeks of winter there will be.
- Substitute Groundhog:Groundhogs get sick too. When they do, someone else has to see how long winter will be!
- Groundhog Weather School:These groundhogs are learning all about Groundhog day —just as your students are.
- Grumpy Groundhog:Groundhogs like to stay in bed all day sometimes too.
- Secret of the First One Up:Lila is a young groundhog that is the first to wake up after winter hibernation. She learns her shadow is extremely important.
- Groundhog’s Dilemma:This groundhog has to announce a few extra weeks of winter.
- Punxsutawney Phyllis:Phyllis believes there will be an early spring this year. How will she get her uncle Punxsutawney Phil out of bed to make the GroundhogDay prediction?
- Wake Up, Groundhog!:This groundhog’s friends try to wake him up for hibernation to see how long winter will be.
- Will Spring Be Early? Or Will Spring Be Late?:A perfect Groundhog’s Day book all about the history of Groundhog Day.
- Ten Grouchy Groundhogs:These groundhogs are anxiously awaiting the time they can leave their den.
Groundhog’s Day Printables and Lesson Plans
Some teachers in the United States may only discuss Groundhog Day on February 2nd. Others may take the whole week to discuss the holiday and everything surrounding it. If you need last minute activities to celebrate, here are quick lessons and fun activities to follow.
If you are planning on teaching this throughout the week, there are plenty of printable and lesson plans online for you to check out. Your student’s will love doing something a little different no matter what you choose to do.
- Groundhog Day Build a Poem Activity: This poem is a simple way to bring the class together. Grab this fun pocket chart activity here or on TPT.
- Groundhog Day Differentiated Readers and Crowns:This package includes crowns for dressing up and two different level readers all about Groundhog Day.
- Shadow Detectives:Kindergarteners love learning about and playing with their shadows. This is they part of Groundhog Day that students look forward to the most. Get them out of their seats and excited!
- Groundhog Facts and Activities Unit:This is a unit that goes into detail about the history of Groundhog Day. If you are looking for multiple day Groundhog Day activities, this unit might be the one for you. There are plenty of printable and activities for you to choose from.
- Groundhog Day Math:A fun way to incorporate Groundhog day into your math lesson. Fun activities and special days are not only for English lessons and craft times. Many of these can easily be incorporated into math lessons. Count how many groundhogs or how many weeks until spring!
- Groundhog Day Craft Story:These books are an adorable way to learn about why Groundhog day came to be. Your students will get to color, write, and follow a plot line. The perfect idea if you are covering the concept of story in your regular classroom plans.
Giving students, particularly young ones, a way to break up the school year, keeps them excited. These little celebrations keep students excited about coming to school. Students and teachers can dress up, have special celebrations, integrate fun learning opportunities, and eat special snacks for the holidays. I hope you’ve enjoyed these Groundhog Day Activities for kindergarten, first, and second graders.
Before you go, here are a few posts you’ll enjoy:
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Groundhog Day Activities for Kindergarten
I am an expert and enthusiast assistant. I have access to a wide range of information and can provide assistance on various topics. Now, let's dive into the concepts mentioned in this article.
1. History of Groundhog Day
Groundhog Day originated in Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania. It is a tradition that revolves around a semi-mythical groundhog named Punxsutawney Phil. If Phil comes out of his burrow and sees his shadow, it is believed that winter will continue for six more weeks. However, if he does not see his shadow due to cloudy weather, then spring is expected to arrive early [[1]].
2. Favorite Groundhog Day Activities
The article mentions several favorite activities for Groundhog Day. Here are a few examples:
- I’m a Little Groundhog Printable Poem: Sung to the tune of "I'm a Little Teapot," this Groundhog Day song can be added to poetry notebooks [[2]].
- Shadow Experiment and Shadow Watching: Students can conduct a simple science experiment using a flashlight and a small groundhog stuffed animal to observe and record their findings about shadows [[3]].
- Shadow Matching Game: This game helps kids develop visual discrimination skills by matching shadows to objects [[4]].
- Class Book of Student Shadows: Students can trace the outline of their peers' shadows onto paper to create a class book [[5]].
- Funko Groundhogs Day Game: A cooperative card game where players relive Phil's day and try to play out the perfect day [[6]].
- Shadow Blocks: A wooden shadow matching game where kids match colorful blocks to their shadow cards [[7]].
3. Fun Groundhog Day Crafts Projects
The article suggests various crafts related to groundhogs and Groundhog Day. Some examples include:
- Groundhog Puppet Craft: Kids can create an adorable groundhog puppet using a craft stick and construction paper [[8]].
- Groundhog Mask: Young elementary students can enjoy dressing up for Groundhog Day with this fun craft [[9]].
- Groundhog Burrow Craft: Using an easy printable and a paper plate, kids can create their own groundhog burrow [[10]].
- Groundhog Hand and Foot Print: Parents can create keepsakes by making handprints and footprints of their children to resemble groundhogs [[11]].
- Groundhog Shadow Craft: This craft allows kids to make an adorable groundhog and matching little shadows, emphasizing the importance of shadows on Groundhog Day [[12]].
- Groundhog’s Day Hat: Students can dress up for the day with a Groundhog Day-themed hat [[13]].
- Groundhog Egg Carton: Kids can reuse egg cartons to create cute groundhog crafts [[14]].
- Wake Up, Groundhog Craft: This craft shows a groundhog popping out of its burrow, with snow included [[15]].
- Groundhog Cup Craft: Students can create a craft where groundhogs pop out of their burrows [[16]].
- Groundhog Paper Bag Puppet: Using a paper bag, kids can create a simple groundhog puppet [[17]].
- Heart Groundhog: This creatively shaped and simple craft allows kids to make a groundhog with a heart shape [[18]].
4. Groundhog Day Videos for Kids
The article suggests watching Groundhog Day-themed videos for kids. These videos can provide fun facts and entertainment related to Groundhog Day [[19]].
5. Fun Groundhog Day Books
The article recommends several books that are suitable for celebrating Groundhog Day with kids. Some of these books include:
- Groundhog Gets a Say: This book explores the idea that groundhogs have more to offer than just predicting the length of winter [[20]].
- Substitute Groundhog: When the original groundhog is sick, someone else has to step in and predict the duration of winter [[21]].
- Groundhog Weather School: This book follows groundhogs as they learn about Groundhog Day, just like the students reading the book [[22]].
- Grumpy Groundhog: This book shows that groundhogs sometimes like to stay in bed all day too [[23]].
- Secret of the First One Up: Lila, a young groundhog, wakes up first after winter hibernation and learns the importance of her shadow [[24]].
- Groundhog’s Dilemma: This book features a groundhog who has to announce a few extra weeks of winter [[25]].
- Punxsutawney Phyllis: Phyllis believes there will be an early spring and tries to wake up her uncle Punxsutawney Phil to make the Groundhog Day prediction [[26]].
- Wake Up, Groundhog!: In this book, the groundhog's friends try to wake him up for hibernation to see how long winter will be [[27]].
- Will Spring Be Early? Or Will Spring Be Late?: This book provides a historical perspective on Groundhog Day and its origins [[28]].
- Ten Grouchy Groundhogs: The book follows ten groundhogs anxiously awaiting the time they can leave their den [[29]].
6. Groundhog’s Day Printables and Lesson Plans
For teachers planning to discuss Groundhog Day in their classrooms, the article suggests various printables and lesson plans. Some examples include:
- Groundhog Day Build a Poem Activity: A pocket chart activity that helps bring the class together [[30]].
- Groundhog Day Differentiated Readers and Crowns: This package includes crowns for dressing up and two different level readers about Groundhog Day [[31]].
- Shadow Detectives: A fun activity where kindergarteners can learn about and play with their shadows [[32]].
- Groundhog Facts and Activities Unit: A detailed unit that covers the history of Groundhog Day, with printable activities for multiple days [[33]].
- Groundhog Day Math: Fun math activities related to Groundhog Day, such as counting groundhogs or weeks until spring [[34]].
- Groundhog Day Craft Story: Books that allow students to color, write, and follow a plot line while learning about the origins of Groundhog Day [[35]].
I hope this information helps you explore the concepts mentioned in the article. If you have any more questions or need further assistance, feel free to ask!
