Christmas Resources
Here are some curriculum linked activities for all primary ages which will engage and excite children as Christmas approaches and heads are filled with nativity plays, Santa and presents.
Including interesting demonstrations to promote discussion, problem solving activities to plan a Christmas party, a survey on holly leaves and designing and making party hats and moving cards.
Festive Board Game
This Christmas themed game suitable for early years encourages basic counting skills in an engaging way. Players race to the presents along an icy path, following instructions as they land on various squares.
Christmas demonstrations
Make tinsel fly, liquidise jelly and watch a candle flame jump like magic. These short demonstrations can be used to promote interest and discussion around science concepts and to get children thinking.
Magic melting ice cubes could add a seasonal theme when looking at thermal insulators and conductors.
Christmas party planning
This topical maths activity could be adapted for planning the class christmas party or used as it is as a fun way of practical problem solving.Children look at different criteria to plan a christmas event. It has many links to other curriculum areas so could become the focus of a project carried out over a day.
If you like this resource try the others in the collection.
Christmas Lights
If you're learning about electrical circuits then this activity puts it into a Christmas context. Children use dice to select several components of electrical circuits from an ‘advent calendar’ showing 24 electrical symbols. They then predict whether their circuit will work and explain their reasoning.
12 Days of Christmas
An investigational maths activity which looks at the carol 'The 12 Days of Christmas'
Holly Leaves - Themes and Variations
What could be more festive than holly leaves? Designed for use outdoors or collect holly samples to adapt the activity for indoor use. Provides questions about holly leaves which help children investigate variation in the leaves. Investigations include:
How many prickles on a holly leaf?
Do only female holly trees have berries?
Are leaves left and right handed?
Shape Activities for Students Aged 3-5
A range of photocopiable worksheets from BEAM. Including the following Christmas activities:
Follow instructions to draw different coloured shapes on a christmas tree
Complete pattens on a christmas present
Could be extended into a traditional christmas card making activity.
Unit 1A: Moving Pictures and Science 1D: Light and Dark
Children design and make a collage on the theme of Christmas, and then to incorporate a simple moving part. A good way of incorporating Christmas into D&T which allows children to practise, designing, choosing materials, cutting and sticking.
The collage can be used to get children to think about light, dark and shadows as well as stimulate creative story telling.
Will your party hat be funny or fantastic?
Listed as a lower KS2 resource this activity could be adapted across the primary range. Design and make a party hat on a Christmas theme to be worn on Christmas day or at a class party.
Could also be used by classes to make head dresses for the nativity play e.g. donkey, sheep, cows, kings
SATIS 8-14: Green Box Book 8
An older resource with some great ideas! Pages30-40 have science challenges put into a Christmas context. They include:
Find out which child wrote which letter to santa by using chromatography.
Identify already wrapped presents with missing labels by thinking about the properties of materials.
Test the strength and durability of wrapping paper
Make santa's nose flash- it could also be rudolphs if you're feeling creative.
Maths Activity in the Early Years - Topic Booklets
Make christmas cards and help develop measuring, folding and cutting skills. These activities also improve children's ability to follow instructions. Younger children will need help making the fold out cards. This activity is suitable for children in KS2 as well, as it reinforce following instructions.
Shape Activity in the Classroom - Books 8 to 14
A KS2 activity where children produce christmas tangrams of candles, angels, nativity scenes. Would make a very colourful display. This activity is in Book 9.
Sigma Science Christmas Booklets
These two seasonally themed booklets support many aspects of science for primary learners. The activity sheets could form the basis of practical work in class or be used to revise various topics.
Christmas tree
An ideal plan for a Christmas themed coding lesson! This plan involves a Christmas tree that has sparkles lighting up as the baubles, but it is also possible to use other Christmas-related ideas (for example Christmas cards) that have the same code.
