Christmas Lesson Ideas and Resources

The Christmas period gives teachers ample opportunity to bring some festive cheer into their lessons, while also creating something truly memorable for their pupils.

While it may be difficult for pupils to focus properly as a result of all that is going on throughout December, the month is also packed with excellent learning opportunities at every turn.

It’s a time when teachers can embed ideas with a festive twist and design lesson plans that weave in the magic of the season.

Here are a handful of lesson ideas for teachers as Christmas approaches, designed to take advantage of the excitement that is prevalent in the majority of classrooms.

Exploring customs and traditions

For those teaching younger pupils, Christmas offers a fantastic opportunity to introduce them to other traditions and customs from around the world.

From colouring sheets and word searches to delving into the history of Christmas, there are numerous lesson ideas that can help to create interactive and highly engaging lessons.

Teachers of older pupils can take a more in-depth look at different customs and explore how people celebrate in all corners of the world.

It may be possible to add a personal touch to lessons if pupils come from a range of different cultures and backgrounds by encouraging them to talk about their experiences, although it’s important to check that they are happy to speak first, as not all pupils love the limelight.

One popular option is to tell, or act out, the Nativity story, as the wide range of characters and elements involved means that youngsters have plenty of different ways of taking part.

Mixing Christmas and creativity

From rich festive colours to lights and celebrations, Christmas lends itself to getting creative in lessons and there are many ways to go about it.

Maths teachers, for example, may wish to look at symmetry by creating decorations and paper snowflakes, while language teachers may wish to create a lesson plan which focuses on the words associated with the season.

In English, the festive period could be used to create poetry which fits into a range of Christmas shapes or to write short stories that encapsulate what Christmas is all about.

Highly engaging lesson ideas mix creativity along with core messages, enabling teachers to get a point across but in a way that pupils will remember.

Lesson ideas and resources

Designed by teachers, Twinkl has an array of cross-curricular lesson plans for key stage 2 pupils which can provide an array of lesson ideas and inspiration.

In addition to these resources which cover everything from English and maths to the sciences, history, geography and art, the British Council also has a set of resources focusing on Christmas vocabulary that teaching may wish to weave into their lesson plans.

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