December is magical in the classroom, but it can also be exhausting. Between assemblies, parties, and excited students counting down to winter break, we teachers need low-prep Christmas activities that keep learning going without adding more to our plates. These simple, festive ideas are easy to implement and perfect for busy elementary classrooms.
1. Christmas Sentence Building
Sentence building activities are a quick win in December. Provide your kiddos with holiday word cards and picture clues so they can build simple sentences independently. This works well for morning work, literacy centers, or early finishers and requires little to no prep.
If you want something print-and-go, theChristmas Writing Sentence Building Winter Center is a great option for reinforcing writing skills while keeping things festive. 🎄
2. Holiday Writing Prompts
Holiday writing is an easy way to combine creativity and learning. Simple prompts like “My favorite holiday tradition” or “If I were a snowman” help students practice handwriting, spacing, and sentence structure without overwhelming them.
For an engaging extension, the Holidays Around the World Journal for Kindergarten and 1st gradeallows students to explore different holidays while building early writing skills. ✍️
3. Christmas Math Review Pages
Low-prep math worksheets are perfect during the busy holiday season! Christmas themed pages can review number sense, addition, subtraction, and problem solving while keeping students focused and independent.
The Christmas Math and Literacy Worksheets combine both subjects, making them ideal for morning work or sub plans.
4. Fine Motor Christmas Activities
Tracing, coloring, and cutting activities are calming and easy to manage in December. These fine motor tasks help students settle into the day while supporting their writing development.
5. Christmas Literacy Review
Phonics, sight word practice, and simple reading activities can be quickly swapped for Christmas themed versions! These low-prep literacy activities keep routines consistent while adding seasonal fun. 🎁
Using low-prep Christmas activities for elementary classrooms will help you survive December while keeping students engaged, learning, and excited all the way to winter break!
Looking for more festive fun low-prep Christmas activities? I have you covered. 😉 Check out my post here!
