First published in 1990, Oh, the Places You’ll Go! has become one of Dr. Seuss’s most beloved and enduring classics. The book is especially treasured in schools, where creative teachers use it to talk about setting goals, growth mindset, and more. We’ve gathered some of our favorite Oh, the Places You’ll Go! activities from across the web to help you motivate and inspire your own students.
Plus … click here to save and print a free Dr. Seuss curriculum guide, packed with even more fun teaching ideas! This 20-page guide offers Seuss tie-ins and thematic activities for English Language Arts, science, math, and more!
1. Make a Seuss-themed time capsule.
SOURCE: Elementary Shenanigans
We love how teacher Hope King used Oh, the Places You’ll Go! as the basis for creating a class time capsule! After having each student create a signpost that showed their dreams and possible paths (and completing a paragraph describing these dreams), the students placed their work into a time capsule not to be opened until the end of their elementary careers.
2. Create a bulletin board that’s up, up, and away.
SOURCE: Pinterest
There are tons of great Oh, the Places You’ll Go! bulletin boards on Pinterest, but we love this sweet and simple one from teacher Kylie Hagler.
SOURCE: Pinterest
If you’re feeling ambitious, we love the 3-D details on this version, too!
3. Get hands-on with papier-mâché.
SOURCE: Buggie and Jelly Bean
Add egg carton baskets and cut out photos of students for a parent night-ready display.
4. Have students research and plan a trip.
SOURCE: Inner Child Fun
Incorporate some geography and research skills into your reading of Oh, the Places You’ll Go! by having students research and plan a dream trip or vacation. This idea from Inner Child Fun also has students create super-cute suitcases to show off their writing!
5. Host an Oh, the Places You’ll Go! career fair!
The book makes a perfect theme for exploring and talking about different careers. We love how this school invited local experts to come and speak to students about careers they may not know about.
6. Use “the places students will go” as a classroom management tool.
SOURCE: ObSEUSSed
This blogger has a creative twist on the message of the book: She rewards kids for good behavior with pom-poms, and when the jar is full, the class goes on a fun outing. “The places you’ll go” don’t have to be fancy, either—when you’re in third grade, an extra trip to the library is pretty special!
7. Discuss how we get to the places we’ll go.
SOURCE: Eberhart’s Explorers
We love how this teacher used Oh, the Places You’ll Go! to talk about how people actually get places!
8. Invite students to write letters to their future selves.
8th graders had their last counselor @ButFirstSEL SEL lesson of their middle school career! “Oh the Places, You’ll Go”, and letters from their 6th grade self. @StationMS220 @MrsKristenPaul #stationnation #kidsdeserveit #betheone #memories pic.twitter.com/HQgVeTSaFj
— Mrs. Suessen (@Suessen220) May 15, 2018
Pair a reading of Oh, the Places You’ll Go! with a challenge for students to write a letter to their future selves. Bonus: This works for both little and big kids!
9. Use Oh, the Places You’ll Go! to discuss paths to college.
SOURCE: Pinterest
10. Film a live read aloud of the story.
Deciding how to stage, film, and cast your read aloud is a great project for the beginning or the end of the year.
What are your favorite Oh, the Places You’ll Go! activities? We’d love to hear in the comments.
Plus, don’t forget to get your free Dr. Seuss curriculum guide!
