Creative Ways To Celebrate Christmas In School

Christmas is a widely celebrated festival that is observed by over a billion people worldwide on the 25th of December. It is a time for people to unite with their loved ones, exchange gifts, indulge in delicious food, and create lasting memories. Schools often partake in Christmas celebrations, infusing the spirit of joy and giving into their year-end festivities. While the specifics may vary across regions and cultures, schools commonly organise a range of activities to mark this special time of year.

Nativity plays and carol services

Choosing the Right Play

There are many nativity plays and musicals available that cater to different age groups and class sizes. Choose a play that suits your students' ages and the number of students in your class. You can find a variety of options online or create your own unique script! Plays can be classic and charming or creative and modern, with simple or more complex songs. Some popular options include "Stable by Starlight," "Honky Tonky Donkey," and "Follow the Star."

Involving the Students

Nativity plays are a fantastic opportunity for students to showcase their talents and build their confidence. Involve your students in the audition process, and ensure that everyone has a role, whether it's a speaking part or being part of the chorus. You can also encourage students to help with set design and prop creation, and even directing or musical direction if they are interested.

Practising and Preparation

Start practising early to ensure that students have enough time to learn their lines and songs. Make it enjoyable by incorporating games and icebreakers during rehearsals to build camaraderie among the cast and crew. Provide students with recordings of the songs to practise at home, and consider offering additional support for those who need help with their lines or singing.

Costumes and Props

Engage students in the process of creating or sourcing costumes and props. This can be a fun art project, and it ensures that everyone feels involved. You can also reach out to parents or the wider school community for donations or help with creating costumes and set pieces.

Performance and Inviting the Community

Once you have everything ready, it's time to perform! Invite parents, caregivers, and the wider school community to attend the performance. You can even live-stream or record the performance to share with those who can't attend. Consider hosting a small reception after the play, with refreshments and an opportunity for the audience to meet the cast.

Carol Services

In addition to the nativity play, you can organise a carol service where students sing traditional Christmas carols. This can be a beautiful, candlelit event with students holding candles (real or battery-operated) and singing classic carols like "Silent Night" and "Jingle Bells." You can also include readings and poems to add to the festive cheer.

By following these steps, your school can put on a wonderful nativity play and carol service that captures the magic of the holiday season and creates lasting memories for students, teachers, and the community.

Christmas tree crafts

Christmas is a wonderful time to bring students together and get them into the holiday spirit! Here are some Christmas tree craft ideas to celebrate the season:

Popsicle Stick Christmas Trees

This craft is a simple and creative way to make colourful Christmas trees. Start by having students paint the popsicle sticks green and let them dry. Once dry, glue three popsicle sticks together in the shape of a triangle and set them aside to let the glue dry. Then, it's time to decorate! Students can use miniature pom-poms, small silver bells, and glitter to adorn their trees. Don't forget to add a star to the top and a rectangle of brown construction paper for the tree trunk. Finally, glue a piece of yarn to the back of each tree so they can be hung up as ornaments.

Paper Straw Christmas Trees

For this craft, you'll need colourful paper straws, yellow construction paper for stars, and glue. Begin by gluing two full-length straws together to create the tree trunk. Cut the remaining straws into small pieces, with each piece slightly longer than the one before. You can cut the straws straight or at an angle. Glue the pieces onto the trunk in descending order, starting at the top. Add a star to the top with a dab of glue, and you're done! These trees can also be hung as ornaments by sliding a piece of yarn or string through the top straw.

Jewelled Paper Christmas Trees

This craft is a clever way to create a Christmas tree with a built-in stand. Pre-cut green triangles from construction paper, then let the students decorate them with gems, sequins, or glitter. A clothespin serves as both the stump of the tree and a handy stand. These trees look especially cute grouped together as a sparkly centerpiece.

Toilet Paper Roll Christmas Trees

For this recycled craft, trim a stack of empty toilet paper rolls to form a triangle, then glue them together. Paint the trees with washable, kid-friendly paint, and add a loop of string to turn them into ornaments.

Marbled Christmas Trees

This craft uses a simple paper marbling technique with liquid starch and green paint. Be sure to protect clothing with smocks or aprons before starting. Once the marbled paper is dry, cut it into triangular trees and add a construction paper stem.

There are many more Christmas tree craft ideas to explore, such as paper plate trees, pipe cleaner trees, and even Christmas tree-shaped treats! These crafts are a perfect way to add festive cheer to your classroom and get students excited about the holidays.

Gingerbread houses and biscuits

Planning and Preparation:

First, decide on the scale of your gingerbread house. A small to medium-sized house is a more approachable project, especially for beginners. You can find free gingerbread house templates online, which provide cut-out shapes for the walls, roof, and optional chimney. It's a good idea to print and cut out the template beforehand.

Ingredients and Dough Preparation:

The dough for gingerbread houses is typically a crunchy biscuit-like consistency, made with flour, sugar, butter or margarine, golden syrup, bicarbonate of soda, cinnamon, and ground ginger. You can adjust the spices to your taste preferences. It's essential to chill the dough before rolling and cutting, as this will make it easier to handle and prevent it from losing its shape during baking.

Baking and Construction:

When it comes to baking, roll out the dough to a thickness of around 0.5-1 cm. Use your template to cut out the shapes, and transfer them to baking sheets lined with greaseproof paper or silicone mats. Any leftover dough can be used to cut out decorative shapes like stars, trees, or people.

Baking time will vary depending on the size of your gingerbread pieces, but it typically ranges from 15 to 20 minutes in a preheated oven at 170°C. Keep a close eye on them to avoid overbaking. Once baked, gently push the edges of the biscuits with a palette knife to straighten them out if needed. Allow the biscuits to cool completely before beginning construction.

For construction, you'll need a sturdy icing that will act as the "glue" for your gingerbread house. Royal icing is a popular choice and can be made by mixing icing sugar with egg whites. Pipe or spread a thick line of icing along the edges of the walls, and use supports like mugs or drinking glasses to hold them in place while the icing dries. Repeat this process for the roof, and don't forget to add the chimney if desired. Allow the entire structure to dry completely before moving on to decoration.

Decoration:

The decoration is where creativity and individuality shine! There are no rules here; just have fun and get messy. You can use a simple buttercream frosting or royal icing as your base, and then go wild with candies, sprinkles, edible beads, coconut for "snow," cinnamon sticks, chocolate chips, and more. You can even create "icicles" by piping icing along the roof and pulling it down to create a pointy trail. Don't forget to add a winding path of sweets and any extra gingerbread trees around your house.

Final Thoughts:

Building a gingerbread house can be a fiddly process, but it's all part of the fun. Embrace the imperfections, and remember that any disasters can be easily covered with strategically placed icing or decorations. Get the students involved, and create some memorable childhood experiences.

Christmas cards and decorations

Christmas Cards

One way to celebrate Christmas in schools is by making Christmas cards. Students can be taught to make handmade gifts for their friends, family, or even those in need. This activity can be combined with letter writing, where students write friendly letters to Santa, wishing for something not only for themselves but also for the world, such as peace or help for endangered animals. This helps instil the spirit of consideration for others. Students can also set up a "post box" in the classroom to post their letters, adding to the excitement.

Decorations

Decorating the classroom or school with Christmas-themed crafts is another fun idea. Students can create their own Christmas trees using triangular-shaped paper pieces and other craft materials for decoration. They can also make snow globes featuring their photographs, drawings of Santa, reindeer, or snowmen, and fill them with water and glitter. These handmade items can then be taken home as keepsakes or used to decorate the school environment.

Another idea is to have students create gingerbread houses and biscuits using paper cutouts, glitter, pom-poms, and colouring pens. These can be joined together to make festive bunting, adding a personal touch to the classroom decorations. Students can also make wreaths from cardboard, paint, and decorations, which they can then take home and hang on their front doors.

Involving students from all faiths and backgrounds in these Christmas card and decoration activities can foster a sense of unity and diversity, as they study and celebrate their differences while also embracing the spirit of Christmas.

Christmas-themed games

Christmas is a great time to bring some cheer into the classroom and there are plenty of games that can be played to celebrate the season. Here are some Christmas-themed games to play at school:

Merry Christmas Word Game

Write "Merry Christmas" on the whiteboard and challenge students to make as many words as they can using the letters from the phrase. Set a timer for added pressure and have students count up the number of words they've created. Award prizes for the most words and the longest words. This game is simple, requires no preparation, and can be played individually or in small groups.

Pin the Nose on Rudolph

A Christmas twist on the classic party game "pin the tail on the donkey". Cut out a large picture of a reindeer and a red, circular nose from cardboard. Blindfold the students and have them attempt to stick the nose on Rudolph, guided by their classmates' instructions.

Holiday Picture Drawing Challenge

A fun drawing game where students place a paper plate on their heads and then try to draw something without looking at their paper. The best/most accurate picture wins. Keep it simple with Christmas characters like Santa or a reindeer, or a wintery scene of a snowman or a cup of hot cocoa.

Jingle Bell Toss

This game has a mathematical twist. Set up a set of paper cups with values written inside and place a piece of tape at a specific distance from the cups. Students take turns throwing a jingle bell into the cups, aiming for the higher-value targets. Add up the values of the cups that catch a bell and the group with the highest total wins.

Decorate a "Tree" Relay

Divide the class into teams and have each team designate one member to be the "tree". The rest of the team must decorate their "tree" with printed ornaments that have tape on the back. The team with the most ornaments in place by the end of the time limit wins.

Snowman Shake

Decorate white ping pong balls to look like snowman faces and fill an empty tissue box with them. Tape the box to someone's backside and have them shake out all the "snowmen" before the time runs out.

North Pole Pop

Players must pop 10 balloons using just their hands, which are covered in winter gloves. The first player to pop all 10 balloons wins.

Frequently asked questions