2026 is a great time to shake things up with Shapegrams!

The snow swirling inside the Snow Globe Lesson isn’t magic. It’s made by duplicating circles. And making all those circles isn’t as big a chore as it sounds. Just drag a circle while holding Control (or Option) to create and move a duplicate. Once you see how easy it is, you’ll want to use this technique all winter long.

How about making extra copies of your favorite Lessons and Zippers to keep students creating through the chilly months? Below are a few ways to start the year with activities that are fun, practical, and just punny enough to earn a few eye rolls.

Lollipop Ring

The Lollipop Ring Zipper is a quick, colorful activity that’s perfect for easing students back into creative thinking after break. Students recreate a ring pop using a small set of shapes, which makes it approachable while still reinforcing precision and placement.

It’s short, sweet, and a fun way to RING in the new year.

Level = Growing Green
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Snow Globe

The Snow Globe Lesson invites students to draw a shiny glass sphere and decide what belongs inside and what belongs on the plaque.

Level = Progressing Purple
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It’s a great fit for a One Word activity, which works like a simplified New Year’s resolution. Students choose one word to focus on for the year and then design a globe that represents it. The layered drawing makes the globe feel dimensional, and the tutorial video shows how to work with overlapping shapes without things getting slippery.

Classroom twist: After students finish, copy their globes onto a shared Google Slide as a visual reminder to stay true to their SHELF all year long.

Winter Shapegrams

One of the best ways to warm up tech skills, design thinking, and growth mindset on the WINTERnet is with Shapegrams Lessons and Zippers. Lessons include tutorial videos, while Zippers are quicker and easier to fit into a class period.

Click this link, then click a picture to open its page.

Teaching Tip

January is a smart time to remind students that precision matters. Small adjustments to position, size, rotation, and layering can make a big visual difference. Shapegrams gives students a low stress way to practice careful thinking while still being creative.

There are several Shapegrams posters that focus on getting things just right. Shapegrams members can download the complete Shapegrams PDF, which includes more than 80 one-pagers packed with helpful tips about tools and techniques.

Thanks for continuing to learn with me in 2026. I’m always excited to see what your students create, so feel free to email me their masterpieces.

Smiles from Iowa,
Tony

P.S. A new Shapegram is coming your way later this month. As a teaser, here are the seven shapes that build the picture. “Sea” if your students can guess what it is!