Keeping Spirits Bright

The holiday season has arrived in full force. While it is only the second week of December, I have noticed students already starting to get antsy for winter break. During this time, I like to have a list of exciting transition or sponge activities to do in-between lessons, or when there are a few minutes of extra time to spare. By having fun, holiday-related activities at hand, you can keep students from putting themselves on “auto-pilot” and motivate them to keep up their holiday spirit during these last days before the break.

A Picture is Worth . . .

First, have the class choose a theme. In this case, it can be the holidays. Start by drawing a simple shape on the board (i.e. a circle, square, line, etc.). Then, have students come up one at a time to add something small to the picture, in order to transform it into a different object. The goal is to have students create a beautiful holiday scene. This activity is fun for the whole class; they will love the anticipation of waiting to see what their peers might add next. Depending on how much time you have, you could allow each student to have at least one turn. The end result is always a picture to remember!

Riddle Me This!

Students love a good brain teaser. Keep a list of holiday-related riddles handy for those extra few minutes before social studies or recess. Read it out loud to the whole class, or have it displayed on your projector for students to refer to if needed. Depending on the riddle, and how much time you have, students can try to solve the riddle individually, in pairs, or in a small group. The first ones to answer it correctly can be dismissed first!

No Peeking Allowed!

Print out a fun holiday object that your class might enjoy. This could be a picture of a snowflake, a poinsettia, or Santa. A class favorite is a cute picture of a little elf! Laminate it or print it on cardstock to keep it durable enough to last through the holidays. Ask your students to close their eyes and put their heads down on their desk while you hide the picture somewhere in the classroom. Make sure no one is peeking! Setting some ground rules before this activity is a must. For example, no running, pushing, or talking is allowed. When a student finds the object, they must announce: “I’ve caught the [elf]!” Next, dismiss your students to search for the object. This is always a popular activity to get students moving around, and get their wiggles out.

A Class Story

This can be a popular activity throughout the year, but by using it during the holidays, you can help to keep the spirits bright! First, grab a lined piece of paper. Then, write the first holiday-related, random sentence fragment on the top line:

• Once upon a time, on a cold December night . . .
• There was once a little gingerbread man . . .

Then, pass the paper to a student, who will then write their suggestion to complete the sentence. Students must make sure they either complete the sentence, or if it’s already completed, add a new fragment or full sentence. After the second writer is finished, he or she must fold over the paper so the third writer doesn’t see the first sentence. Writers must only read what the previous person wrote, and no further back than that! Once each student has added their part to the story, you will write the final sentence to end it. Next, read it out loud for a fun, holiday story written by the entire class.

More Holiday Activities

Winter Art Activities

There are a variety of fun art activities your students will enjoy during wintertime in this lesson. You can augment your holiday-tinged lessons with arts and crafts.

Make Art Class Merry with Creative Christmas Art Activities

This lesson has Christmas activities to make art class merry. You can change the lessons to incorporate your needs and the materials you have available.

Christmas Lesson Plans

In this lesson students learn about Christmas through music, research, and more. By using these activities, you can add a literature, social studies and math twist to your holiday lessons.