Christmas Classroom Activities for Older Students

December and Christmas Classroom Ideas that include Christmas and winter activities like printables, games, and more? Yes, please! Keep your 4th-8th grade classroom students focused and add seasonal fun without overwhelming yourself with these 12 low-prep, engaging ideas.

My favorite Christmas Classroom Activities

1. Winter-Themed Word Search or Crossword Puzzle
   Sometimes the class needs some chill time, so have winter or holiday-themed word searches and crossword puzzles on hand. These can be simple print-and-go activities that also help reinforce vocabulary. Great to have for the entire month.
2. Festive Reading Comprehension Passages
   Use winter or holiday-themed reading comprehension passages. Students can practice reading skills while learning about winter traditions, holiday customs, or seasonal folklore.
3. Winter Roll A Story Writing
   Kids love using roll a story dice or menus to help select the character, setting, and problem in their story. This simple strategy reduces writing anxiety and adds a lot of fun to writing and working with story elements. This December Roll A Story is done for you.

4. December-Themed Writing Prompts

Offer creative writing prompts with a winter theme. Examples: “Imagine you’re a snowflake falling from the sky,” or “Describe your ideal winter day.” Students can share their writing for a warm class discussion. Here’s a December writing journal that’s done for you! It includes the prompts, differentiated writing pages, and teacher tips. I also love using pictures as writing inspiration. Pinterest is a great resource for discovering themed pictures. Create a board and save them there for quick access.

5. Winter-Themed Task Cards make easy Christmas classroom activities

Create or print out winter-themed task cards for various subjects (math problems, grammar questions, etc.). These can be set up as stations or used as a fun game where students race to complete as many cards as possible. Find Winter Figurative Language Task Cards here or Christmas Figurative Language Task Cards here.

6. Holiday or Winter Trivia for December classroom activities

Host a classroom trivia session with questions related to winter traditions, world holidays, and December facts. This can be done as a whole class or in teams for some friendly competition. You could do this as a Jeopardy-type game with your class broken into teams.

7. Hot Chocolate Book Club

Have a mini book club where students can bring in hot chocolate packets (or make them in class if feasible) and discuss a book or short story they’ve been reading. If you’re not familiar with book clubs, use a short story the class has read. Find out more about starting classroom book clubs here.

8. Winter-Themed STEM Challenge

Give students basic materials (cotton balls, paper, tape, etc.) to build a “snowman” or a “snowball launcher.” These challenges promote creativity and problem-solving without heavy prep. Here’s a link to a video for a basic “snowball launcher.”

9. Classroom Kindness Challenge

Post a list of simple acts of kindness, like complimenting a classmate or helping someone, and challenge students to complete as many as possible in December. At the end of the week, celebrate their kindness! A book of coupons is a great way to create gifts for family members. Easy to make, students can pick the ideas they’d like to include. Cut a piece of 8.5 by 11 copy paper into thirds. Each third is a single coupon. On the left side, have text set like Holiday Coupons. On the right, students write in the activity or chore they will give as a gift. Make 5-10 coupons, and you’ve got a booklet! Add 2 hole punches on the left side of each coupon, and use colorful yarn or string to tie the coupons together in a stack. DONE!

10. Holiday Mad Libs or Bingo

Use holiday or winter-themed Mad Libs for a quick, engaging activity that reinforces parts of speech. Students love filling in the blanks and reading the funny stories that result. Use Bingo games to add a fun, calm way of reviewing content, like roots and affixes.

11. Easy ‘Snowball’ Review Games make great Christmas classroom activities
Have students write down review questions on pieces of paper, crumple them up like “snowballs,” and toss them into a designated area. Each student picks up a random “snowball,” answers the question on it, and shares with the class.

12. Classroom Door Decorating Contest
Get students involved in a low-prep door decorating contest with a seasonal theme. They can create snowflakes, trees, or scenes with construction paper and markers. This builds teamwork and adds a festive vibe to the classroom. Pinterest is a great place for ideas. Gather some examples and have students vote on their favorite design that they want to create together.

Christmas classroom activities or December classroom activities don’t have to be exhausting. Save your sanity and have a few easy ideas that are ready to use.