Christmas teaching ideas to get children excited for Santa

1. Write a letter to Santa

First up on our list of Christmas teaching ideas is asking the children to write a letter to Santa. It wouldn’t be Christmas without writing a letter to Santa about all the things you’re wishing for. This activity will help children with their writing skills. You could ask the children to read their letters out to the class, which will help improve their reading skills.

2. Interesting facts

One of the best ways to learn about Christmas is find out how it is celebrated around the world.  Teach your children about how kids around the world celebrate the special day we all love.

They’ll be fascinated to know what traditions other children have. Did you know children in Iceland place their shoes on the windowsill to be filled with sweets?

Test your children’s knowledge with a quiz.

3. Reading Christmas books

Next up on our list of Christmas teaching ideas is to promote reading in the classroom. Reading books is important for children because it:

• Promotes brain development and imagination
• Develops their language skills and emotions
• Allows them to learn new vocabulary.

Make the activity more festive by bringing in some Christmas books for the children to choose from. What will their favourite Christmas story be?

4. Draw Christmas characters

We still have more Christmas teaching ideas to come, so keep reading this blog. A great way to teach children about Christmas is to let them get creative. Ask the children to create their own Christmas characters. Perhaps they’ll draw an elf in a leotard or a reindeer that sings. Encourage them to be as creative as possible and show them just how magical Christmas can be.

Once the children have finished their pictures, hang them up around the classroom for everyone to see.

5. Christmas word searches

This next Christmas teaching idea is a fun one for the kids to enjoy. Get the children’s minds ticking with some Christmas word search puzzles. Word searches provide many benefits to children including:

• Improving their problem-solving
• Improving their spelling
• Expanding their vocabulary
• Helping with their reading skills
• Keeping their brains active.

Who will find all the words the quickest?

6. Playing instruments

Music is a great way to implement learning in the classroom. Not only will they learn how to play instruments, but they’ll have fun making noise. Grab the music box and let your children pick an instrument each. Let them explore the noises each instrument makes. As a class, have a go at recreating a Christmas song with the musical instruments. Some songs you could practise together include:

• We Wish You a Merry Christmas
• Joy to the World
• 12 Days of Christmas.

Once the class has perfected the song, put on an assembly to perform for the rest of the school.

7. An animated retelling of the story of the first Christmas

Sometimes children learn better with visuals than reading a book or listening to someone talk. That’s why this next Christmas teaching idea is great for children who are visual learners. Teach your children about story of the first Christmas with an animation. Once you’ve watched the video, ask the children questions to see what they have learnt. You could even ask the children to draw the famous nativity scene.

8. Read them an interesting story

Children become fascinated with an interesting story. Hearing you read a story improves their listening skills and sparks their imagination of what’s happening in the story. Do your pupils know the story of the Christmas tree?

9. Christmas spelling test

As a teacher, you probably task your children with a spelling test each week. Spelling tests help children learn to read, which is important for their development throughout their school journey. Spelling tests also help children to expand their vocabulary.

During the build-up to Christmas, put a festive spin on your spelling tests. You could introduce Christmas words such as ‘snowman’ or ‘reindeer’ for them to spell.

Reward the children for getting their spellings right with some Christmas stickers or pencils.

Do you need more ideas?

If you’re still looking for more Christmas teaching ideas, you should check out our activity packs? They are filled with fun and educational activities to get the children excited for Santa’s arrival. Choose from:

• Santa Academy
• Reindeer Recruit
• Elf Ed
• Fairy Fellow.

The Santa Academy app – coming 2022!

Are you ready for more festive fun? Get ready for the Santa Academy app!

Christmas is coming and Santa needs your little one’s help. Throughout December your child can help Santa prepare for Christmas Eve. They can choose to enroll into Elf Ed, Reindeer Recruit or Fairy Fellow and immerse themselves in Santa’s world.

From December 1^st to Christmas Day, your child will unlock new areas, buildings, and characters on Lacus Island. Enter a magical island that is filled with fantastic activities for your little ones to enjoy.

Download the app from November 1^st, 2022. School starts December 1^st, 2022.

 Santa Academy – the novel!

And there’s more! Get ready to read about Christmas on Lacus Island! In 2022, the Santa Academy Novel will hit the shelves.

Our creator, chief storyteller and author, Jill Newey, will tell the story of Christmas on Lacus Island. Your little one can join their favorite characters as they help Santa prepare for Christmas Eve.

What does it take for a huge operation like Christmas to run, year on year? Find out in the Santa Academy Novel. Coming Christmas 2022!