Best Middle School Christmas Activities

Finding middle school Christmas activities does not need to be a challenge. Look through this blog post to find Christmas activities that are broken into two categories: curriculum-related and fun activities. These activities are great for the whole month of December. You will also find ideas for Christmas reading activities and Christmas projects for middle school students.

Middle School Christmas Activities That Are Curriculum-Focused

I love celebrating all holidays and special occasions in my classroom. One of the ways I try to cover a variety of celebrations is by adding in non-fiction articles into my article of the week program.

I created these non-fiction articles about a variety of celebrations. This resource contains 12 non-fiction articles and reading activities to assist with reading comprehension, standardized test prep (EQAO), and cross-curricular learning. I use this resource all year long to help students gain information about these celebrations. During this holiday season, I have students read about Diwali, Hanukkah, and Christmas. After the holidays we read about the Chinese New Year.

This bundle of articles contains information about the following topics: Chinese New Year, Groundhog Day, Valentine’s Day, Daylight Savings, St. Patrick’s Day, April Fools’ Day, Earth Day, Ramadan, Halloween, Diwali, Hanukkah, and Christmas. Find this resource on Shopify CAD or Teachers Pay Teachers USD.

Christmas Projects for Middle School

To follow up with these non-fiction articles, I have my students select another celebration from this Global Holiday Celebrations Research Assignment to research. I want students to have an understanding of major global holidays and celebrations to help them get to know their classmates more. Students will work in pairs to research 1 of the 16 suggested holiday and/or cultural celebrations. Students could also choose to research a local holiday or cultural celebration. They will then create a visual presentation sharing their new knowledge with the class. Find this resource on Shopify CAD or Teachers Pay Teachers USD.

Christmas Truce of 1914 Lesson

If you like students to learn about historical celebrations – this assignment about the Christmas Truce of 1914 is a fantastic opportunity to study this event through a media literacy focus. This event took place during World War 1 between the British and German troops along the western front trenches in France. Students watch videos and analyze the events from a marketing perspective. Find this resource on Shopify CAD or Teachers Pay Teachers USD.

Christmas Reading and Writing Activities

I am always looking for fun and engaging activities that reinforce previously taught literacy skills. In this Christmas Unit, students participate in 6 different activities that will help reinforce your students’ reading and writing skills.

Students will learn about the historical background of Christmas traditions and prepare for a holiday-themed discussion about current Christmas customs. They will also read an article about Christmas trees and decide which one is better for the environment – a real or fake one. This resource is focused on the North American commercial Christmas – this is not a religious unit. Find this resource on Shopify CAD or Teachers Pay Teachers USD.

Unit Overview:

Lesson 1: History of Christmas Video & Readings
Lesson 2: Real or Fake Christmas Trees: Which One Should You Choose?
Lesson 3: Christmas Opinion Questions
Lesson 4: Christmas Opinion Fishbowl Discussion & Paragraph Assignment
Lesson 5: Christmas Food Traditions From Around the World Video + Graphic Organizer
Lesson 6: Christmas Creative Writing Assignment

Teacher Feedback

“My students loved using this resource, especially since the holidays are coming up. They especially enjoyed debating the topic of a real tree versus an artificial one! :)” – Michelle D.

Middle School Kwanza Lesson

This holiday season is a great time to use this Middle School Kwanzaa Lesson to help students learn about this important holiday. Kwanzaa is a celebration that celebrates and affirms African culture, family, and heritage. It is celebrated for seven days from December 26 to January 1.

Free New Year’s Goal Setting Lesson

Photocopy this free resource before you leave for the holiday break. In this New Year’s Goal Setting Activity and Reflection Sheets, students get excited and engaged during their first week back at school. Students will activate their reflection skills in a group setting and then transition to the independent task. Find this free resource here or on Shopify CAD.

Middle School Classroom Holiday Party Ideas

Traditionally in my district the day that holiday break/Winter Break begins we have an early finish day. We finish school at 1:45 pm whereas we normally end the day at 3:15 pm. We usually have a whole school assembly with a holiday sing-along and any presentations from our art and drama clubs. Then teachers have a few hours to fill – but the curriculum is not normally taught on this day. I have compiled a list of fun activities to do just before Winter Break.

White Elephant Exchange

Provide students with brown paper bags and ask them to bring in a book from home they no longer want that can be shared with another classmate. Provide strict parameters about what can be brought it – books must be in good condition and not have any damage. They also need to be appropriate for that grade level. Have students keep their books a secret, then place them in their paper bags. Have students make a circle with their chairs and put all of the paper bags in the centre of a circle.

Pass sets of dice and rotate them around the circle. Once a student rolls doubles they can pick any paper bag from the circle. They cannot open it until everyone has rolled doubles and selected a book. After everyone has a book, take turns opening the paper bags and showing off the book.

Then set a timer for a stealing round. Pass the dice out again and if students roll doubles within the time limit they can keep their book or trade their book “steal” with someone else. Trades are not consensual and this is all done in fun. To ensure that everyone can participate go to your local thrift store and find some great reads for students who forget their books in the morning. You can also say that if students forget their books then they can watch and not participate. It all depends on your class community and the rules of your school.

Variation

I have done this with real presents that are $5 max. Students bring in their $5 present wrap it before class or I give them a paper bag. Use the same process as above. Students love the stealing round.

Digital Escape Rooms

It is always fun to have students participate in a digital or physical escape room. Teachers Pay Teachers has a lot of options to purchase digital or physical escape rooms for your classes. I prefer digital escape rooms as the prep work for physical escape rooms or escape boxes can be too much. This Christmas-themed digital escape room provides students with the opportunity to work independently or with their peers to solve 10 Christmas/world geography-focused challenges.

Students must solve these required challenges to find the escaped gingerbread men as they travel around the world to avoid being captured. The clues are related to global Christmas traditions or world geography general knowledge. Find this resource on Shopify CAD or Teachers Pay Teachers USD.

Christmas Bingo

Create a list of popular Christmas songs. Then hand out a blank bingo sheet. Have students put the name of one carol/song in each box. Then play a small snippet of the song and students have to guess the correct title. They put the order number of the playlist in the bingo box. If they get 5 in a row they get a bingo – however, they have to get all 5 song titles correct.

Variation

Don’t just use or don’t use Christmas songs at all. You can play the same game with a playlist of popular songs. If your school has a Karaoke machine you can add this activity to your bingo game.

Design A Book-Themed Sweater or Ugly Sweater

Give students a sweater template and let them design a sweater based on a theme. They can select their theme and get designing. Have them keep their design a secret and then have a guessing game as a class. If students do not want to draw you can have a selection of adult colouring sheets for them to use.

Card Games Tournament

Spoons is a great game to teach your students. Check out this website for other great card games to teach your students.

Online Games

Students love playing online games like Kahoot. It can be a friendly competition between classmates and teachers. Other games like Kahoot are Quizlet, Gimkit, and Quizizz.

Read Holiday Picture Books

If your class has a “buddy” class with a younger grade, this would be a great time to make some hot chocolate (if allowed at your school) and have students read holiday-themed picture books together. The books can be about any winter holiday and do not need to be about Christmas.

Play Minute-to-Win-It Games

I found these two blog posts 12 Christmas Minute to Win It Games for Kids and Adults and 30 FREE Printable Winter Games & Activities that you could get ideas from and modify the games for your class.

Christmas Themed Family Feud

Here are some resources for a Christmas Family Feud-type game: Family Feud Instructions and Christmas Feud. If you do not want to go with a Christmas theme then create a Google Form asking students questions about pop culture that they can give their opinions on – best movie, drink, book, running shoe brand, etc. Then make those answers into your family feud questions.

Don’t forget to tag me on social media @2peasandadog if you are using any of these middle school Christmas activities in your classroom.