The 2020 holiday
season is upon us. Unlike other years, most of us will celebrate these
occasions though Zoom or exclusively with members of our own household.
We may
cancel typical holiday outings this year, but that doesn’t mean the fun has to
end too. If 2020 has taught us anything, it’s that we need to respect each
other. One of the best ways to manage that is to learn the traditions of other holidays.
No matter
which holiday your family celebrates, they all have one quality in common—love
of friends and family. Whether exchanging gifts or preparing a feast, it all
comes down to spending time with our loved ones.
I’ve dug
through my teaching files and scoured the internet to help make this holiday
period a multi-cultural one for you and your little ones.
Image by Nietjuh from Pixabay
Here’s a
list of easy-to-do activities I’ve put together:
1. Holiday Seek
& Find
Add a twist
to your tree trimming this year! Hide your child friendly ornaments and send
your kiddos on a hunt to locate them. The one who discovers the most ornaments
gets to place the first ornament on the tree.
2. Drive By
Christmas Lights
Okay, I
recognize the title says At-Home activities, but this one requires you to leave
your house. Pile into your car and cruise around the neighborhood to admire all
the lovely Christmas lights. Here’s a checklist to use during your tour.
3. Gingerbread
House Contest
Buy a few
Gingerbread House kits or get creative like these gingerbread connoisseurs, then have a friendly competition.
The winner earns bragging rights until the next contest.
Image by RitaE from Pixabay
4. Holiday
Baking & Snacks
Bake Cookies
There are
countless recipes online. Here’s a link to a few.
Make Who Pudding and other Grinch-themed food
Drink hot
chocolate with marshmallows or whipped cream
Make Sufganiyots (A round jelly donut eaten by Jewish
families during Hanukkah.)
And Latkes (A potato pancake also eaten during
Hanukkah.)
Here’s a
link for Kwanzaa recipes.
5. Homemade Holiday
Ornaments & Decorations
There are so
many options for this one. You can order through Oriental Trading Company or
Michael’s, use paper and glue, or make a salt dough.
Here’s a few
suggestions:
Handprint Menorahs (The link has other Hanukkah crafts.)
Handprint Kinaras (The link has other Kwanzaa crafts.)
Handprint Reindeer (The link has other Christmas crafts.)
6. Write a
Christmas/Hanukkah/Kwanzaa Story Together
As a teacher
and writer, I’m partial to this one.
Here’s a few
story starter ideas:
Describe the
picture on a Christmas card
Pretend to
interview Santa Claus (I did this one, and it was a lot of fun.)
All I want
for Christmas is…
On the first
day of Hanukkah…
My favorite
Hanukkah tradition is…
On the first
day of Kwanzaa…
What Unity
means to me.
Image
by Judith Crowell from Pixabay
7. Write A
Letter To Santa
8. Write
Christmas Cards
9. Make a
December Alphabet Scrapbook
10. Rudolph
Hide and Seek
You can play
this with any stuffed animal or toy. Hide the toy while your child closes their
eyes, then have them find it.
11. Watch
Christmas movies
12. Read Holiday
books
Here’s a
list of a few of my favorites:
Snowflakes
With Sugar By Amelia
Griggs
Gingerbread
Baby By Jan Brett
The Great
Latke Cookoff By
Lauren Ranalli
Hanukkah
Bugs By David A.
Carter
My First
Kwanzaa By Karen
Katz
13. Sing
Christmas Songs
14. Turn Old
Christmas Cards Or Gift Boxes Into Puzzles
Cut them
into pieces and put them back together.
15. Have a
Christmas Song Competition Or Christmas Karaoke
16. Sort Christmas,
Hanukkah, and Kwanzaa colors
17. Have A Holiday
Parade
Put on your
merriest holiday attire, pump up the Christmas music, and march around your
house. You can even pull stuffed animals along in wagons/carriages and pretend
their floats.
19. Play the
Dreidel Game
20. Learn how
families celebrate Christmas in other countries
In Syria
they celebrate The Littlest Camel
In Sweden
they celebrate St. Lucia Day
Spain and
Latin America countries celebrate
Three King’s Day
For even
more ideas please visit:
https://www.pinterest.com/ellwynautumn/christmas-in-the-classroom/
https://www.pinterest.com/ellwynautumn/kwanzaa-in-the-classroom/
https://www.pinterest.com/ellwynautumn/hanukkah-in-the-classroom/
Do you have
a holiday tradition you’d like to share?
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