Seasonal Fun for All: Creative Classroom Ideas When Christmas Isn’t the Focus

Many schools do not celebrate Christmas, but there are other engaging topics to keep your students learning and, perhaps most importantly, having fun during this time of the year. Remember to always be mindful and teach your students to respect all students’ beliefs and traditions. 



Winter-themes activities related to snowmen, hot chocolate, and animals in snow are perfect topics during this time of the year that students who do not celebrate Christmas will enjoy.  Gingerbread is traditionally a holiday treat, but several stories are not holiday-related. Use gingerbread as a theme for creative writing, math problems involving baking and measuring ingredients, and an engaging design activity where students build a gingerbread house. Furthermore, you can add themes such as the Nutcracker, candy canes and poinsettias to your December classroom. 



Nutcracker dolls are often shaped like toy soldiers. In Germany, nutcrackers are believed to bring good luck, and they are often placed around the home during winter to protect the home from evil spirits. Today, these decorations are common, especially at traditional Christmas markets.  Traditionally, nutcrackers were often used to help with cracking nuts, such as hazelnut and pecans!

People began to collect the wooden toy soldiers, and makers began designing nutcrackers that could be used solely as decoration. You can also link the Nutcracker to a project about the popular Nutcracker ballet, which is a wonderful opportunity to explore music, dance and the story behind the ballet. 



Poinsettias are plants that originated in Mexico and Guatemala. This is a great way to add some interesting books and stories about the origins of this stunning plant and its link to the Christmas season. The Aztecs and Mayans valued the poinsettia for the red bracts, which were used to make a dye for clothing and cosmetics. The milky white sap wax was used to make medicine for fevers. This is a great opportunity to add geography, botanical significance, history, cultural significance, and medicine to your poinsettia theme.

If you have used Fact Booklets during Fall, your students will be familiar with the concept. Short paragraphs, pages for filling in their own research about the topic, space  for drawing and decorating, and last but not least fun craftivities. Reindeers are amazing creatures and this topic can be paired with holiday activities. But you can also use the booklets without focusing on the Christmas and the holiday season.

Candy canes with iconic red and white stripes are a loved Christmas tradition,  often used to decorate Christmas trees and cards. But beyond their festive appeal lies a fascinating history of the candy's interesting shape. Is it a shepherd staff or not, and why would someone shape a candy so strangely?  The story behind the candy is fascinating and can ignite interesting conversations about the sweet treats families enjoy during the holiday, making it a perfect topic for the December classroom.  

Several themes are available for your students who do not celebrate Christmas, and they are also great for students who do. Get ready for an amazing December in the Classroom! 

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