{"id":13052,"date":"2021-11-30T16:01:42","date_gmt":"2021-11-30T21:01:42","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.teacherlists.com\/blog\/?p=13052"},"modified":"2023-07-31T15:23:14","modified_gmt":"2023-07-31T19:23:14","slug":"celebrating-the-holidays-in-the-classroom","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.teacherlists.com\/blog\/celebrating-the-holidays-in-the-classroom\/","title":{"rendered":"7 ways to celebrate the holidays in the classroom"},"content":{"rendered":"

[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]When your classroom is full of 20 \u2013 or more \u2013 students, chances are when the holiday season rolls around there are a handful of different traditions being celebrated. This time of the year offers a wonderful opportunity for your students to learn about how different cultures celebrate holidays in December, the importance of giving back, and the value of sharing traditions.<\/strong><\/p>\n

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We\u2019ve rounded up seven ideas for the classroom that are sure to ignite holiday cheer, no matter what the celebration may be.<\/p>\n

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1. Holidays around the world flight.<\/strong><\/h4>\n

Take your students on an imaginary flight around the world to visit five countries with unique holiday traditions. Kids will create their own passports before they depart, and \u201cin-flight\u201d snacks will be served that mimic traditional holiday treats in different countries. (Tip: If you live near a Trader Joe\u2019s, they offer tons of seasonal holiday delights from all over the world!) Once you land in each country, pass out worksheets that explain their traditional holiday foods, songs, and customs.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

via Around the Kampfire<\/a><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

2. Family recipe book. <\/strong><\/h4>\n

Ask your students to think about their favorite food during the holidays. Is it Christmas cookies baked with grandma? A West African stew served during Kwanzaa? Print out blank recipe cards and ask each child to bring one home and have a caregiver help them write down the recipe. Once everyone returns their cards, make a holiday cookbook, and give every student a copy to keep.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

via Teachers Pay Teachers<\/a><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

3. Holiday food, toy, or clothing drive.<\/strong><\/h4>\n

No matter what you celebrate, a core theme of the holiday season is the spirit of giving. Create a community in your classroom by asking each student to bring in items of clothing that no longer fit them (in good condition), toys they no longer play with, or canned food items from their kitchens. Spend an afternoon visiting a local Goodwill or food bank and deliver what you collected as a class. Your students will quickly learn that there is no better feeling than knowing you helped put a smile on another child\u2019s face.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

<\/h4>\n

4. Handmade toys for shelter dogs.<\/strong><\/h4>\n

Here\u2019s another giving back activity that will have tails a-waggin\u2019. Ask each of your students to bring in a large sock or two (go ahead and steal an old pair of dads!). Students will tuck a tennis ball inside a clean sock and tie a knot at both ends so the ball stays in place. They can then decorate the sock toy with non-toxic markers and donate them to the local dog shelter. Ask if a shelter volunteer could take a few photos of the dogs playing with their new toys for you to hang up in your classroom.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

via Almost the Real Thing<\/a><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

5. Write holiday cards for troops.<\/strong><\/h4>\n

Brighten the holidays for soldiers overseas by having your class design and write holiday letters. Check out Doing Good Together<\/a> or Operation Christmas Cards 4 Troops<\/a> for details and deadlines on sending out cards.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

<\/h4>\n

6. Holiday creative writing prompt.<\/strong><\/h4>\n

Have each student answer the question, \u201cWhat does \u2018holiday spirit\u2019 mean to you?\u201d and share their responses. This is a great way for your students to learn more about each other\u2019s cultures and traditions around the holidays.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

7. Global holidays group activity.<\/strong><\/h4>\n

No other month of the year presents itself with as many global celebrations as December. Depending on the number of students in your class, break up the class into small groups of two or three and assign each group one of the following multicultural events:<\/p>\n

\u2022 Saint Nicholas Day (Christian)
\n\u2022 Fiesta of Our Lady of Guadalupe (Mexican)
\n\u2022 St. Lucia Day (Swedish)
\n\u2022 Hanukkah (Jewish)
\n\u2022 Christmas Day (Christian)
\n\u2022 Three Kings Day\/Epiphany (Christian)
\n\u2022 Boxing Day (Australian, Canadian, English, Irish)
\n\u2022 Kwanzaa (African American)
\n\u2022 Omisoka (Japanese)
\n\u2022 Yule (Pagan)
\n\u2022 Saturnalia (Pagan)<\/p>\n

Each group will research the traditions associated with their celebration and present their findings to the class. Later the class can compare which events share similar themes such as music, food, gifts, and rituals.<\/p>\n

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 <\/p>\n

Need more ideas for celebrating the holidays in the classroom? Check out 25 ideas for your classroom holiday party<\/a>.<\/p>\n

[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column][\/vc_row]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Activities for every celebration<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":54,"featured_media":15375,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[24,4206],"tags":[],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n7 ways to celebrate the holidays in the classroom - TeacherLists Blog<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"We\u2019ve rounded up 7 ideas for the classroom that are sure to ignite holiday cheer no matter what the celebration may be.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.teacherlists.com\/blog\/celebrating-the-holidays-in-the-classroom\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"7 ways to celebrate the holidays in the classroom\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"We\u2019ve rounded up 7 ideas for the classroom that are sure to ignite holiday cheer no matter what the celebration may be.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.teacherlists.com\/blog\/celebrating-the-holidays-in-the-classroom\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"TeacherLists Blog\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/teacherlists\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2021-11-30T21:01:42+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2023-07-31T19:23:14+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/www.teacherlists.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/11\/1121-celebrating-the-holidays-in-the-classroom-fullsize-1.png\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"406\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"236\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/png\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"lbayliss\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@teacherlists\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@teacherlists\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"lbayliss\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"5 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"NewsArticle\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.teacherlists.com\/blog\/celebrating-the-holidays-in-the-classroom\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.teacherlists.com\/blog\/celebrating-the-holidays-in-the-classroom\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"lbayliss\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.teacherlists.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/422c648fe6a3199622558f55094cff9e\"},\"headline\":\"7 ways to celebrate the holidays in the classroom\",\"datePublished\":\"2021-11-30T21:01:42+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2023-07-31T19:23:14+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.teacherlists.com\/blog\/celebrating-the-holidays-in-the-classroom\/\"},\"wordCount\":706,\"commentCount\":0,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.teacherlists.com\/blog\/#organization\"},\"articleSection\":[\"Classroom Ideas and Activities\",\"Teachers\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/www.teacherlists.com\/blog\/celebrating-the-holidays-in-the-classroom\/#respond\"]}],\"copyrightYear\":\"2021\",\"copyrightHolder\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.teacherlists.com\/blog\/#organization\"}},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.teacherlists.com\/blog\/celebrating-the-holidays-in-the-classroom\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.teacherlists.com\/blog\/celebrating-the-holidays-in-the-classroom\/\",\"name\":\"7 ways to celebrate the holidays in the classroom - 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