The festive season brings an air of joy and excitement to classrooms, and for upper elementary students, it’s an opportunity to blend learning with holiday cheer. Engaging and enjoyable activities during this time can create lasting memories and foster a positive classroom environment. In this blog post, we’ll explore 10 festive Christmas activities tailored for upper elementary classrooms.
1. Deck the Halls with Classroom Decorations
The visual appeal of a classroom can significantly impact the holiday spirit. From creative DIY decoration ideas to incorporating festive atmospheres through door or bulletin board displays, decking the halls can boost excitement and set the stage for a joyful learning environment. I love using this cute gingerbread bulletin board kit! It’s perfect for decorating your classroom door, too.
2. Wonderland of Christmas Read-Alouds
Creating a cozy reading corner with holiday-themed books can transport students to a literary wonderland. Explore Christmas book suggestions for read-aloud sessions, with classics like The Polar Express capturing the magic of the season and fostering a love for literature.
3. Digital Escape Rooms are a Twist to Christmas Fun
Introduce an exciting twist to Christmas fun! Pair students and challenge them with an engaging Polar Express escape room. In these escape rooms, students need to search the virtual living room to find their lost Polar Express ticket. They will review math skills during the journey to find the secret codes.
These digital Polar Express escape rooms are available for 2nd grade, 3rd grade, 4th grade, and 5th grade. They are one of my favorite Christmas activities to do just before the holiday break. The escape room captivates students’ attention and keeps them focused when the struggle is real. They get so excited when they “escape” and it’s a real treat to watch!
4. Scavenger Hunts in Santa’s Workshop
Christmas Scavenger Hunts add an element of excitement to solving math word problems, an otherwise difficult task for students. These Google Slides activities are fun for students as they hunt for hidden links, solve problems and find the secret message. A printable version is also included.
These scavenger hunts have students looking for hidden links in Santa’s workshop. Check out these word problems scavenger hunts below:
- 2nd Grade 2-Digit Addition Scavenger Hunt
- 3rd Grade Division Facts Scavenger Hunt
- 4th Grade Adding & Subtracting Decimals Scavenger Hunt
- 5th Grade Elapsed Time Scavenger Hunt
5. Jingle All the Way with Holiday Music
Create a festive atmosphere by playing holiday-themed music during independent work time. Utilize platforms like YouTube or Pandora to set the mood, enhancing the overall experience of the season. This video on YouTube with the fireplace scene is relaxing and magical!
💻 TECH TIP: In a YouTube URL, if you add a hyphen – in the word yout-ube after the t, you’ll get a full screen video automatically with no ads!
6. Crack the Christmas Code
Games are always fun, but this Crack the Code activity has a holiday twist. Students will answer math questions and use the Christmas decoder to figure out the secret message.
This engaging game not only adds a sprinkle of holiday cheer to your math Christmas activities, but also enhances their math skills in a fun and interactive way.
7. Integrate Math Skills with Festive Treats
Combine math skills with the delicious charm of gingerbread cookies. Explore engaging math activities using festive treats like peppermints, holiday M&Ms, and candy canes to make learning both educational and delicious. Use these treats in place of manipulatives for multiplication arrays, place value, fractions and more!
8. Christmas Crafts Add Sparkle and Shine
Encourage creativity with hands-on craft activities suitable for upper elementary students. Adding math to the mix means you’ll also get in some fun review. Check out the amazing Christmas math crafts from my friend Amber from TGIF and read her post to learn how she uses them to combine art with math!
9. Spread Cheer with Friendly Holiday Letters
Spread cheer and warmth through heartfelt words! Embrace the festive spirit by having students write friendly letters to Santa, family or friends. It’s the perfect way to practice letter and creative writing. Students can share cherished memories or express wishes for the coming year. Don’t forget to play some holiday music while they write.
Using these cute digital templates make a great keepsake or gift, as well!
10. Host a Culminating Celebration with Christmas Activities
Wrap up the festive season with a bang by planning a classroom Christmas party. Include games, treats and activities that celebrate the spirit of the season. Consider showing a heartwarming Christmas movie, such as The Polar Express. It’s fun to serve hot chocolate while watching this one, as well!
Use these Editable Polar Express Tickets as a keepsake or gift for students. They make a fun gift tag, too! The editable tickets are already included in the Polar Express Escape Rooms or you can get them separately here.
For more information about using digital puzzles to boost math learning, check out this blog post.
It’s always fun to bring the festive spirit to your classroom! So, whether you are reading holiday books, writing letters, or being challenged with an escape room, these Christmas activities will leave a memorable and lasting impression on your students.
Want More Engaging Christmas Activities Ideas?
To read about more holiday ideas, check out these posts:
- 5 Holiday Math Games for Fun and Engaging Skills Review
- Engaging Holiday Activities for Students
- Christmas Worksheets to Bring Holiday Excitement to the Classroom
Save these Christmas Activities
Pin the image below to your favorite classroom Pinterest board so you can save these ideas for later! You will be able to quickly come back and fill your lesson plans with engaging holiday activities that your students will love!
May your holidays be bright and your classroom be filled with laughter, learning and magic!
