25 Fun Christmas Classroom Activities for Your Class (2024)

Discover 25 fun and engaging Christmas classroom activities that will excite your students while making learning festive and memorable.

Christmas is the perfect time to bring festive cheer into your classroom. Christmas-themed activities create a fun, engaging environment, helping students build language skills, develop creativity, and work collaboratively. From playing word games to doing Christmas crafts, each of these 25 activities brings a bit of holiday magic into the lesson plan, keeping students motivated and excited to participate.

So, incorporate these Christmas activities into your classroom to encourage meaningful learning and celebrate the season in style!

25 Christmas Classroom Activities

Here are 25 engaging Christmas classroom activities to make this Christmas memorable for your class. These fun activities will engage students, build holiday spirit, and even incorporate valuable English language learning!

1. Christmas Vocabulary Bingo

Create bingo cards filled with Christmas-themed words like “sleigh,” “reindeer,” and “chimney.” Call out words and have students mark their cards until someone gets “Bingo!” This activity helps build holiday vocabulary in a fun way.

How to Play:

1. Prepare bingo cards with Christmas-related vocabulary and hand them out to students.
2. Call out a word and have students mark it if it’s on their card.
3. The first student to mark a full line (horizontal, vertical, or diagonal) yells “bingo!” and wins the round.

Tips:

• Encourage students to use each word in a sentence after marking it for extra language practice.
• Offer small prizes to make the game even more exciting.

Benefits:

• Enhances vocabulary comprehension through interactive practice.
• Increases student engagement with a fun, competitive twist.

2. Holiday-Themed Charades

Write Christmas-related words or phrases on small pieces of paper. Have students take turns acting out the words without speaking. This game practices vocabulary and non-verbal communication skills, while everyone has a good laugh!

How to Play:

1. Write Christmas-related words on small slips (e.g., “snowman,” “gift-wrapping”).
2. Students take turns picking a word and acting it out for the class.
3. The first person to guess correctly earns a point, and play continues with a new actor.

Tips:

• Divide the class into small teams to ensure everyone is involved.
• Use a timer for each round to keep the game moving quickly.

Benefits:

• Promotes teamwork and encourages non-verbal communication.
• Helps reinforce vocabulary in a memorable way.

3. Christmas Crossword Puzzle

Provide a crossword puzzle filled with holiday words. Students can work individually or in pairs to complete it. This activity reinforces vocabulary and gives students a sense of accomplishment when they complete the puzzle.

How to Play:

1. Hand out crossword puzzles with holiday words as the clues.
2. Students can work individually or in pairs to solve the puzzle.
3. Review the words and their meanings once the puzzles are complete.

Tips:

• Allow students to use dictionaries to promote independent learning.
• Provide hints for more challenging words to keep students motivated.

Benefits:

• Encourages problem-solving and strengthens spelling skills.
• Promotes vocabulary retention through repetition.

4. Christmas-Themed Story Writing

Encourage students to write a short Christmas story. Provide prompts like “A Christmas wish that came true” or “The magical Christmas snow.” This activity enhances creative writing skills and holiday vocabulary.

How to Play:

1. Give each student a story prompt and a few minutes to brainstorm ideas.
2. Have them write a short story, including a beginning, middle, and end.
3. Once finished, students can share their stories with the class.

Tips:

• Provide a list of Christmas-themed vocabulary to inspire students.
• Offer extra time for brainstorming or pre-writing activities.

Benefits:

• Encourages creativity and enhances writing skills.
• Builds confidence as students share their ideas and stories.

5. Festive Spelling Bee

Host a spelling bee using Christmas words. Include words of varying difficulty, so all levels feel challenged. This game strengthens spelling skills and builds confidence in a fun, competitive setting.

How to Play:

1. Prepare a list of Christmas words at different difficulty levels.
2. Call out words for students to spell aloud.
3. Students who spell correctly stay in the game until only one “Spelling Bee Champion” remains.

Tips:

• Create a supportive environment by making it a team competition.
• Celebrate all participants to keep motivation high.

Benefits:

• Strengthens spelling skills in a fun, challenging way.
• Builds confidence in public speaking and spelling.

6. Write Letters to Santa

Have students write a letter to Santa, listing what they hope for this Christmas. This is a great way for younger students to practice letter-writing and use polite requests in English.

How to Play:

1. Provide students with paper and envelopes to write letters to Santa.
2. Encourage them to list their holiday wishes and politely make their requests.
3. Collect the letters or let them take them home as a keepsake.

Tips:

• Offer sentence starters for students who need help getting started.
• Use this activity to introduce letter-writing etiquette, like greetings and closings.

Benefits:

• Teaches formal letter-writing structure and polite request forms.
• Encourages self-expression and creativity.

7. Christmas Scavenger Hunt

Create a list of Christmas-themed items for students to find around the classroom. Use images or descriptions like “find a reindeer.” This activity builds reading comprehension and helps students work together.

How to Play:

1. Create a list of Christmas items for students to find, using images or descriptions (e.g., “find a reindeer”).
2. Hide items around the classroom or provide small replicas for students to locate.
3. Divide students into teams and give them time to search for each item.

Tips:

• Use festive prizes for winning teams.
• Consider adding clues or riddles for older students to make the hunt more challenging.

Benefits:

• Encourages teamwork and builds reading comprehension skills.
• Increases engagement through an interactive, hands-on activity.

8. Design a Christmas Card

Provide art supplies and have students design their own Christmas cards. For English practice, ask them to write a message inside, such as “Merry Christmas to my friend.” This activity is creative and teaches how to write friendly Christmas sayings and phrases and messages.

How to Play:

1. Provide students with blank cards and art supplies like markers, stickers, and glitter.
2. Encourage them to decorate the front of the card with festive designs.
3. Have them write a short holiday message inside, like “Merry Christmas to my friend.”

Tips:

• Display completed cards in the classroom as festive decor.
• Let students exchange cards to spread holiday cheer.

Benefits:

• Fosters creativity and teaches how to write friendly messages.
• Helps students practice writing and expressing holiday wishes.

9. Holiday Word Search

Create a word search puzzle with holiday words. This is a relaxing way for students to learn new vocabulary while enjoying a classic puzzle.

How to Play:

1. Hand out pre-made word search puzzles filled with holiday words.
2. Have students work individually to find and circle each word.
3. Once finished, review the words to reinforce their meanings.

Tips:

• Encourage students to work in pairs to help each other find words.
• Add a time limit for an extra challenge.

Benefits:

• Provides a quiet, focused activity that strengthens vocabulary.
• Encourages perseverance in finding each word.

10. Christmas Around the World

Research Christmas traditions in different countries and present each one to the class. Students can create a small poster or give a mini-presentation. This activity builds cultural awareness and public speaking skills.

How to Play:

1. Assign each student or group a different country to research.
2. Have them create a poster or prepare a mini-presentation on their country’s traditions.
3. Students present their findings to the class.

Tips:

• Encourage students to include visuals, like pictures or symbols.
• Use this activity to discuss similarities and differences between cultures.

Benefits:

• Increases cultural awareness and presentation skills.
• Fosters curiosity about global holiday customs.

11. Holiday Pictionary

Divide the class into teams and let them draw Christmas words for their teammates to guess. This activity encourages teamwork and helps students visualize vocabulary.

How to Play:

1. Divide the class into two teams and provide each with paper and markers.
2. One student draws a holiday word while their teammates try to guess it.
3. Award points for each correct guess, then rotate the drawer.

Tips:

• Use a timer for added excitement.
• Let students suggest words to keep them engaged.

Benefits:

• Reinforces vocabulary through visual association.
• Encourages teamwork and friendly competition.

12. Christmas Carol Karaoke

Print lyrics for classic Christmas carols, and let students sing along. This fun activity improves reading fluency and pronunciation in English. You can also discuss the meaning of song lyrics to build comprehension.

How to Play:

1. Print the lyrics to familiar Christmas carols for each student.
2. Play the music and have students sing along, focusing on pronunciation and timing.
3. Discuss the meaning of any unfamiliar words.

Tips:

• Encourage students to perform in groups for added confidence.
• Discuss the songs’ cultural significance for a deeper learning experience.

Benefits:

• Enhances fluency and builds confidence in reading aloud.
• Introduces students to holiday music and vocabulary.

13. Festive Mad Libs

Create Christmas-themed Mad Libs where students fill in the blanks to make a funny story. This helps them learn parts of speech, like nouns, verbs, and adjectives, in a fun way.

How to Play:

1. Prepare holiday Mad Libs templates with blanks for nouns, verbs, and adjectives.
2. Have students choose words to fill in each blank, then read the story aloud.
3. Enjoy the resulting funny stories as a class!

Tips:

• Provide lists of nouns, verbs, and adjectives for younger students.
• Let students create their own Mad Libs to share with classmates.

Benefits:

• Teaches parts of speech in a fun way.
• Encourages creativity and humor.

14. Gingerbread House Instructions

Bring in gingerbread kits or images of gingerbread houses. Have students write instructions on how to build one. This activity practices sequence words like “first,” “then,” and “finally.”

How to Play:

1. Provide students with images of gingerbread houses or actual kits (if possible).
2. Ask them to write step-by-step instructions for building one, using sequence words like “first,” “next,” and “finally.”
3. Have them share their instructions or even try following them if supplies allow.

Tips:

• Encourage students to think of qualities beyond appearance.
• Provide sentence starters to help them begin.

Benefits:

• Reinforces sequencing and descriptive language skills.
• Encourages clarity in instructional writing.

15. Secret Santa with Descriptions

Have students participate in a Secret Santa, but instead of gifts, they write a positive description of their chosen classmate. This teaches vocabulary for describing people and spreads kindness.

How to Play:

1. Have each student draw a classmate’s name at random.
2. They then write a few kind sentences describing that person without revealing the name.
3. Share each description aloud so the class can guess who is being described.

Tips:

• Encourage students to think of qualities beyond appearance.
• Provide sentence starters to help them begin.

Benefits:

• Builds vocabulary for describing people positively.
• Promotes kindness and inclusivity.

16. Christmas-Themed Spelling Race

Split the class into teams and give each group a list of Christmas words. The goal is to spell each word quickly and accurately. This reinforces spelling in a fun, energetic way.

How to Play:

1. Divide students into teams and give each team a list of holiday words.
2. One student from each team races to the board to spell the word you call out.
3. Award points to teams with correctly spelled words. Repeat until each student has had a turn.

Tips:

• Adjust word difficulty based on student level.
• Offer small prizes or holiday stickers as incentives.

Benefits:

• Builds confidence in spelling and memory recall.
• Adds excitement and energy to the classroom.

17. Make Christmas Ornaments

Let students make Christmas ornaments out of paper, yarn, or recycled materials. Ask them to write their names and a short message on their ornaments to practice writing skills.

How to Play:

1. Provide materials like paper, yarn, or recycled items for students to create ornaments.
2. Ask them to write their name or a short holiday message on their ornament.
3. Hang the finished ornaments on a classroom tree or display.

Tips:

• Allow students to take ornaments home as keepsakes.
• Set up a crafting station with holiday-themed materials.

Benefits:

• Encourages creativity and fine motor skills.
• Provides a visual reminder of student contributions to classroom decor.

18. Festive “Would You Rather?”

Create a list of holiday-themed “Would You Rather?” questions like “Would you rather build a snowman or decorate a tree?” This game encourages conversation and lets students practice expressing preferences.

How to Play:

1. Prepare a list of holiday-themed “Would You Rather?” questions, such as “Would you rather build a snowman or decorate a tree?”
2. Read each question aloud and have students vote or explain their choice.
3. Discuss the answers as a class to encourage conversation.

Tips:

• Create visual prompts for younger students.
• Encourage follow-up questions to deepen the discussion.

Benefits:

• Helps students practice expressing preferences and reasoning.
• Builds confidence in speaking and sharing opinions.

19. Christmas Idioms and Expressions

Teach students common English idioms related to Christmas, like “cold shoulder” or “deck the halls.” Discuss each idiom’s meaning and ask students to use them in sentences.

How to Play:

1. Teach a few holiday-related idioms, like “deck the halls” or “cold shoulder.”
2. Discuss the meanings and have students create sentences using each idiom.
3. Students can share their sentences or act them out in skits.

Tips:

• Show visual examples to explain idioms more clearly.
• Encourage students to identify idioms they’ve heard in songs or movies.

Benefits:

• Builds cultural awareness of language and expressions.
• Enhances vocabulary and comprehension of figurative language.

20. Christmas Word Chain

A vocabulary-building game where each word starts with the last letter of the previous word. Start with a Christmas word, and have each student think of a word that starts with the last letter of the previous one (e.g., “snow” → “wreath”). This game builds vocabulary and keeps students thinking on their feet!

How to Play:

1. Start with a holiday word like “Santa.”
2. Each student must think of a Christmas word beginning with the last letter of the previous word (e.g., “Santa” → “angel” → “lights”).
3. Continue around the circle without repeating words until someone can’t think of one.

Tips:

• Set a timer to increase the challenge.
• Allow students to work in pairs for support.

Benefits:

• Expands vocabulary and helps students think quickly.
• Strengthens connections between word sounds and letters.

21. Holiday Acrostic Poems

Have students write an acrostic poem for “Christmas” or “Holiday.” Each line should begin with one of the letters from the word and relate to the season. This activity encourages creativity and expands vocabulary.

How to Play:

1. Choose a holiday word, and write each letter vertically on the board.
2. Have students create a phrase or sentence that begins with each letter.
3. Share poems aloud or display them in the classroom.

Tips:

• Provide example poems for inspiration.
• Allow students to decorate their poems with holiday illustrations.

Benefits:

• Encourages creative thinking and expression.
• Reinforces vocabulary related to the holiday.

22. “Guess the Gift” Writing Activity

Have students imagine a gift they’d give to a classmate. They describe the gift without naming it, and others guess. This encourages descriptive writing and builds excitement in the classroom.

How to Play:

1. Have each student think of a gift they’d give a friend or family member.
2. They write a description of the gift without saying what it is.
3. Read the descriptions aloud, and let classmates guess the gift.

Tips:

• Provide sentence starters to guide descriptions.
• Offer small prizes for correct guesses.

Benefits:

• Develops descriptive writing skills and builds anticipation.
• Promotes creativity and language use.

23. Christmas Movie Clips and Discussion

Show clips from family-friendly Christmas movies and lead a short discussion on each scene. Ask students to share what they think will happen next or discuss how they would react in the scene. This activity helps improve listening comprehension and critical thinking.

How to Play:

1. Show short clips from family-friendly Christmas movies, pausing after each scene.
2. Ask students questions like, “What do you think will happen next?” or “How would you feel in this situation?”
3. Lead a group discussion on the themes and characters.

Tips:

• Choose age-appropriate clips with clear storylines.
• Encourage students to share movie recommendations with each other.

Benefits:

• Improves listening skills and critical thinking.
• Provides cultural context for holiday customs and stories.

24. English Christmas Traditions Discussion

Share classic British or American Christmas traditions, like decorating a tree or hanging stockings. Ask students to share similar or different customs in their culture. This discussion builds cultural awareness and vocabulary.

How to Play:

1. Share traditions like decorating a tree, hanging stockings, or having a Christmas dinner.
2. Have students discuss similar or different customs in their own cultures.
3. Let students ask questions about each other’s traditions to build cross-cultural understanding.

Tips:

• Prepare visuals or photos to illustrate each tradition.
• Encourage students to bring items or photos from their own holiday traditions.

Benefits:

• Builds awareness of cultural diversity and fosters respect.
• Expands vocabulary related to holiday customs.

25. Christmas Word Wall

Create a festive word wall by letting students write new holiday words they learn on decorative paper. Display these around the classroom to create a visual reminder of holiday vocabulary.

How to Play:

1. Ask each student to write a new Christmas-related word they’ve learned on a piece of decorative paper.
2. Display the words on a classroom bulletin board or wall.
3. Encourage students to review and use the words in sentences throughout the season.

Tips:

• Use colorful paper to make the word wall visually appealing.
• Review the words daily as part of a quick vocabulary check.

Benefits:

• Provides a visual aid for learning and remembering holiday vocabulary.
• Creates a sense of classroom community.

Conclusion

Each of these Christmas classroom activities brings the holiday spirit to learning, combining fun with skill-building in creative ways. Whether it’s teamwork, vocabulary building, or cultural understanding, these activities keep students engaged and make the holiday season a time for joyful learning.

Integrating these holiday-themed games and discussions will create a festive atmosphere, foster teamwork, and encourage language development, making this Christmas season both fun and educational for everyone involved.