If you’re a teacher you might be thinking about how you can bring some holiday activities into the classroom this season. From decorating the classroom, to gift making for parents, here is a list of ways you can incorporate the holiday season in the classroom:
Decorate! Demonstrate to your students how to create snowflake cut outs and have them decorate the classroom with them. Hanging paper holiday ornaments from the ceiling using string and paper clips is another great way to fill the classroom with holiday spirit.
Classroom activities and lesson plans:
- Go ice skating in P.E.! First get paper plates and crumbled up balls of paper. Kids use the paper plates as their ice skates and slide around. The paper balls are snowballs for a snowball fight!
- Use literature to celebrate the holidays
- Read The Polar Express aloud to your students. Then have your students recreate the train from the story by each making their own train car from a shoebox. Bring out paints, paper, glue, crayons, and glitter (oh glitter).
- Have a PJ day where your students come to school in their PJs and bring their favorite books to read. Let the kids share their books with their peers. You can turn this day into a cozy reading day with hot chocolate!
- Read The Gingerbread Baby aloud to the class. Pick a day where students can make their own gingerbread houses. Let them get involved in the planning process. By posting up butcher paper to the board, you and your students can create a list of necessary materials and the steps needed to build the house. Out of gingerbread? Use graham crackers!
- Holiday gifts from students to parents
Learn how to make salt dough decorations like these here!
Decorate cookies!
Make button ornaments! Learn how at marthastewart.com!
Have your kids make a decal for a cookie tin! (marthastewart.com)
Resources:
http://www.scholastic.com/teachers/article/classroom-activities-celebrating-holidays-and-wintertimegrades-k-5
http://www.educationworld.com/holidays/archives/december.shtml
