Winter is here which means schools are packing in fun-filled days of rehearsals, carol sings and festive fun leaving you with small chunks of time to fill with meaningful learning. As much as I like to plan out my days, there are times when my schedule gets completely tossed out the window. That’s when I whip out my sure-fire fun and engaging no prep Christmas activities my students love! Not only are they life savers for me, but they are also fun for my students. That’s a double win in my book! Here are some of my favorite Christmas activities you can try in your classroom today!
No Prep Christmas Activities for Literacy
Believe it or not, most of the literacy activities I do with my students feel more game-like than learning. But, they still allow me to target important literacy skills in a fun way my students love!
Christmas Crossword
Using crossword puzzles is a great way to sneak in some spelling practice during your busy winter days. I like to have these Christmas crossword puzzles available as a time filler or even as part of our literacy block.
For younger students, I have projected a list of the words with images on our whiteboard. This makes it easier for younger students to match the words to the spaces in the crossword puzzle.
Some of the Christmas words included:
- Santa
- candy cane
- hot chocolate
- Snowman
- stocking
- polar bear
- snowflake
- sleigh
- north pole
These words are perfect for your winter spelling tests. And, using the Christmas crossword will help your students get in some extra spelling practice too!
Unscramble the Words Christmas Edition
This was one of my favorite activities when I was a kid. I always felt like a secret agent deciphering a code. What makes this activity even more fun is all of the words are Christmas themed.
I have used this Christmas unscramble the words activity as part of our literacy centers, but it’s also great if you have enough time for a class game. It’s as easy as printing out the scrambled and unscrambled word lists. Then, I pass out the scrambled and unscrambled words to my students.
Next, it’s time for students to find their matches. It’s a great way to get students to work collaboratively to unscramble the words.
For younger students, I like to give them a list of the words with their corresponding pictures. These can be mini posters hung around the room, or use your whiteboard to project the words and pictures for the entire class to see.
No matter what you choose, this is a must for your no prep winter activities this year.
Santa’s Reindeer ABC Order
On Dasher, on Dancer, on Prancer and Vixen, on Comet and Cupid, and Donner and Blitzen. But, what if the famous poem had put those reindeer in alphabetical order? Could you recite them as quickly?
ABC order is something we hit hard in primary classrooms. So, what better way to get in some extra alphabetical order practice than with a Santa’s Reindeer ABC Order activity?
This is a winter activity you can ask your students to do independently, in small groups, or even as one of your winter activities during your classroom holiday celebration.
Turn this fun activity into a get the wiggles out activity after play or sing-a-long practice by assigning each of the reindeer names to 9 students in your classroom. Ask the “reindeer” to stand at the front of the room and have the rest of your class tell them where to stand so they are in alphabetical order. You can even tape a circle of red construction paper to the nose of one student who will be Rudolph. It’s a quick and easy way to get your kiddos up and moving even if you only have a few minutes in between holiday activities.
No Prep Christmas Activities for Math
Get in some fun math practice with these no prep winter activities perfect for those days when your schedule is tight.
What’s My Number Activity
Finding missing numbers on a hundreds chart is not only fun with a Santa head representing the missing number, but it’s great practice for counting to 100.
This is an awesome math activity for days when you aren’t sure if you will get an uninterrupted block of time for math.
These What’s My Number worksheets are easy to start and stop if needed and come back to whenever you have time.
I like giving my older students the option to complete the hundreds chart with the numbers shown. Or, to complete the hundreds chart with no numbers shown.
This is great for students who could use a little more practice writing their numbers.
Christmas Graphing
I love this no prep Christmas graphing activity as much as my students do.
Graphing activities like this help my students analyze data in different ways which is an important standard in primary grades.
I love using graphing activities for students to practice important math skills including:
- Learning to count items quickly
- Organizing information
- Recognizing patterns
- Analyzing data
This Christmas graphic activity is even more fun because it includes cute Christmas images.
This is definitely one of my go to center activities during December. It is a quick activity engaging enough for students to get excited to complete.
It’s the perfect way to sneak in some extra math practice before the long holiday vacation.
Send Your Students Home With No Prep Christmas Activities
When we are getting everything ready to go home for Christmas break, I like to staple together several pages of no prep winter activities my students can do at home. I have had families tell me they made copies and turned these worksheets into games for their family. How fun is that?
And, the best part is… you can be sure your students are reviewing important skills during their time off from school. Win-Win!
Looking for More Christmas Activities Your Students Will Love?
All of these fun and engaging no prep winter activities are included in my No Prep Christmas Activity Package. Plus, there are many more too! With 50 pages of no prep Christmas fun you will have everything you need to fill those December days! That means you will have holiday activities for early finishers, centers, games during class parties, time-fillers, as part of your December sub plans, and so much more! Grab this resource to use in your classroom today!
Pin it!
Be sure to save these awesome no prep Christmas activities to your favorite teacher Pinterest board today!
