24 Festive Holiday Activities for Upper Elementary Classrooms
When the holiday season rolls around, it’s the perfect time to bring seasonal fun into the classroom! Holiday activities can boost morale, encourage team building, and keep students excited about learning. Here’s a list of engaging, age-appropriate activities for 3rd, 4th, 5th, and 6th graders to celebrate the holiday season, from reading and games to class parties and morning meetings. Keep reading to spark ideas!
Holiday-Themed Morning Meeting Activities
Start each day with a special morning meeting to help students get into the holiday spirit. Morning meeting holiday activities can include:
Greeting Game: Each morning, greet students with a holiday-themed phrase like “Happy Holidays!” or “Season’s Greetings!” to set the mood.
Question of the Day: Try questions like, “What’s your favorite winter treat?” or “What holiday activity do you love most?” These help students get to know each other better and open up conversations.
Daily Fun Fact: Share a quick holiday-related fact each morning. For example, “Did you know that some people celebrate New Year’s by eating 12 grapes at midnight?” This will spark conversation and you will learn a lot about the traditions in your room!
Holiday Reading: Books for the Season
Holiday books are a fantastic way to capture students’ attention and foster discussions about different traditions. Some upper elementary-friendly options include:
“The Best Christmas Pageant Ever” by Barbara Robinson is a humorous book that is great for discussing kindness and acceptance. Use it to talk about friendships in the classroom and being kind to everyone.
“How the Grinch Stole Christmas” by Dr. Seuss – Read this classic and discuss the importance of generosity. Talk about what Christmas or the holidays mean to each student.
“The Nutcracker” by E.T.A. Hoffmann – This classic tale introduces students to ballet and different cultural celebrations. Play songs from the play as you read or show parts of it throughout the day.
Digital Reading Apps: Use platforms like Epic! or Bookflix for holiday-themed e-books that students can read independently. This is a great way to boost confidence with reading.
Festive Games and Puzzles
Games are a great way to practice skills while enjoying the holiday season. Here are some digital and printable games that upper elementary students will love:
Holiday Trivia Kahoot: Create or find a holiday-themed trivia game on Kahoot! with questions about winter traditions, holiday songs, and more. Each student will need a device, but the game is simple to set up.
Seasonal Bingo: Make a holiday bingo card filled with seasonal images or vocabulary words. This can be played digitally or printed out for students in class or at home. Once created, you can use the cards over and over.
Word Scramble and Crossword Puzzles: Use holiday-themed vocabulary to create word scrambles or crosswords. These can be customized on websites like Puzzlemaker or found as printables online.
Charades: Make a list of winter activities or holiday characters and let students act them out in small groups or as a class game. See if they can help make some of the categories!
Classroom Holiday Party Ideas
Hosting a holiday party at school is a fun way to end the semester and let students unwind before break. Here are some age-appropriate ideas:
Gift Exchange Game: A simple gift exchange where students bring a small item to trade (like holiday pencils or bookmarks). Make it memorable by wrapping all gifts and drawing numbers to see who goes next.
Craft Stations: Set up different tables with holiday craft activities, such as decorating snowflakes, making holiday cards, or crafting paper ornaments.
Hot Chocolate Bar: If allowed, a hot chocolate bar with toppings like marshmallows, whipped cream, and candy canes is always a hit. This can be a festive treat while students work on other holiday activities.
Holiday Dance Party: Create a fun playlist with holiday music, and let students take a break from academics to enjoy a little dance party together.
Digital Holiday Activities
With technology so integrated into today’s classrooms, upper elementary students can enjoy many fun digital holiday activities. Here are some virtual-friendly ideas:
Holiday-Themed Virtual Escape Room: Use Google Forms to set up a holiday escape room. This activity involves solving puzzles to “escape” the next clue, making it fun and educational.
Digital Holiday Card Making: Have students create digital holiday cards using tools like Canva or Google Slides. They can email these cards to family or friends, spreading holiday cheer.
Virtual Field Trip: Take a virtual tour of famous winter holiday events, like Christmas markets in Europe or the New Year’s celebrations in Times Square, to help students learn about global traditions.
Seasonal Writing Prompts
Encourage creativity and writing practice with holiday-themed writing prompts. Some ideas for upper elementary students include:
“If I Could Plan the Perfect Holiday Party, It Would Look Like…”: A fun descriptive writing prompt where students can describe their ultimate holiday celebration.
“The Best Gift I’ve Ever Given”: A reflective writing prompt, encouraging kindness and thoughtfulness.
“How Other Cultures Celebrate”: Encourage students to research and write about different holiday traditions worldwide. This can be part of a social studies lesson or a holiday activity to expand global awareness.
Try the Christmas Roll and Write Activities to get kids thinking outside the box as they write. They roll the dice to start their sentences and let their creative thoughts take the rest.
Art Activities and Decor
Add some holiday cheer to your classroom with simple, festive art projects. These holiday activities can be used for decor or sent home with students as gifts.
Classroom Mural: Work as a class to create a holiday mural on butcher paper. Each student can add a drawing or a written message, and the final product can be displayed in the classroom.
Paper Snowflakes: Classic and easy to make, paper snowflakes can add a wintery feel to your classroom decor.
Mini-Holiday Posters: Let students create posters featuring their favorite holiday traditions. Hide these around the classroom or in the hallway for a festive touch.
Wrapping Up Holiday Activities
The holiday season is a beautiful opportunity to introduce creative and engaging activities to your classroom. Incorporating morning meetings, books, digital activities, and parties into your curriculum will keep students excited about attending class each day. Try out some of these holiday activities this season, and you’ll build a classroom atmosphere that’s both fun and educational for your upper elementary students. Happy Holidays!
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