6 Festive Activities to Get Your Class Ready for Christmas
From opening the first door on the advent calendar, to hearing the first festive tune of the year blast through the radio, the build-up to Christmas is as exciting for school children as much as the day itself. But how can you keep them engaged in class work when their minds are preoccupied with sending their wish list to Santa on time or wondering what treat they should feed Rudolph this year (carrots, obviously)?
Well, luckily there’s plenty of fun festive activities that will engage their minds, encourage creativity and teamwork, and expand their knowledge – all while getting them into the festive spirit. Take a look at our list below of a few activities that will get your class ready for Christmas!
Christmas Reading
There’s nothing quite getting lost in a wintery tale and letting the mind dream up images of cosy cabins and snowy landscapes. And not only is diving into a good book a great way to get into the Christmas spirit, reading also improves children’s emotional intelligence and critical thinking skills.
Whether you sit your class down for group reading time (complete with fun voices), or encourage students to read amongst themselves, a good reading session is sure to get your class feeling festive before the holidays. Not sure what books to read? Take a look at our Christmas reading list for inspiration! Perhaps add a little friendly competition into the mix with festive reading bingo, with a prize for the winner. To make your life a little easier, we’ve created our own. Don’t forget to encourage your class to log their reading in the Boom Reader app so they can keep track of what they’ve read.
2. Christmas tree building challenge
Put your classes’ resourcefulness to the test by having a Christmas tree building challenge – but only allow them to use what they find around the classroom. Whether they choose to make a tree-shaped tower out of cups and paint it green, stick a bunch of pom-poms together, or make a paper-mache tree, there will definitely be a lot of interesting creations forming. And who said a a Christmas tree needed to be tree-shaped, anyway?
3. Make your Own Baubles
Those few weeks leading up to Christmas are basically an excuse to dig out the arts and crafts, so of course making baubles as a class is on the list of fun festive activities! Let their imaginations run wild, whether they want to make a pom-pom snowman, classic star, or something a little more abstract. They’re sure to love getting the glitter and sequins out, and it gives their parents a nice little keepsake, too!
4. Learn about Christmas Around the World
With the traditions that come with the festive season, it can be easy to forget about what other countries and cultures do over the period. Encourage open-mindedness and inclusivity within the classroom by spending some time learning about the world.
Why not try alternative Christmas dinner foods (because who doesn’t love a bit of festive feasting?). For instance, in Japan it’s customary to eat fried chicken for their festive supper, whereas, in Portugal, boiled potato and codfish are on the menu.
As well as festive delicacies, teach your class what other religions and cultures celebrate during Christmas. A few areas to explore include:
The Jewish holiday of Hanukkah, also known as the Festival of Lights, which honors the recovery of Jerusalem.
Kwanzaa, which is celebrated by African Americans as a time of reflection.
Hindu beliefs, where the 25th of December is also considered to be the birthday of the Hindu god, Krishna.
Parranda, a Puerto Rican music tradition that takes place over the Christmas period
What other alternative Christmas traditions and celebrations can your class find?
5. Secret Santa
Instill some of the giving spirit of the season into your class with secret Santa. Pop your classes names into a hat and let everyone randomly select who they will be giving a gift to. But the catch is that everyone has to make the presents! Dig out the paper mache, pipe cleaners, pom-poms, glitter and anything else lurking in the storage cupboard and let their imaginations run amuck as they try to make a personalized gift for their mystery peer.
6. Christmas Writing
As much as your class will enjoy getting arty, there’s no reason for the pens and paper to collect dust over the Christmas period. Instead of your typical literacy lesson, make it a little bit festive and fun with a few seasonal written activities. If you’re stuck for ideas why not try:
Writing a letter to Santa.
Writing a Christmas story. Pick a festive character, whether it’s an elf, snowman, reindeer or Santa Claus himself and have your class write a short tale on an interesting adventure they get up to.
Creating a festive book as a class based on a festive prompt with BoomWriter.
Writing a Christmas poem.
Want to encourage and grow your students’ love of reading and writing over the holidays? Visit Boom-Tastic. com for more information!