I have been the class Christmas lessons planner for many-many years. We have games, crafts, fun language activities, and an absolute blast with my students. I also always have printable games on hand, just in case I need to fill some time. Usually, though, we end up with way more fun than there is time for.
This year, I used most of the activities I have already written about, in older posts, and added few new ones…
In this post,I just wish to share some pictures, which prove how much fun we had, while learning new things about Christmas and practicing our English , at the same time!
For more details about most of them, please, feel free to read my earlier relevant blog posts, here , here or here.
This year, we made beautiful 3D crafts with my little ones, learning the Christmas vocabulary a, at the same time.
We played lots of fun games, with all classes!
We sang Christmas songs!
We even sang old-time-classic songs such as “The rainbow song”, using Christmas ornaments!!
We made Advent calendars!
We decorated our special Christmas trees!
We wrote Santa letters and met one of his best friends!
Here are some cool post-holiday classroom activities I have come across online and I have decided to use in my class next week!
I hope, they’ll work!
POST-HOLIDAY CLASS ACTIVITIES
We should try to avoid diving right into the schoolwork after break. Instead, I think we should make the adjustment a little bit easier by welcoming students back with fun activities that incorporate what they did over their holiday vacations.
Let’s get our students back on track and motivated to learn once again.
Create a Holiday Memory Book
Have students capture their best holiday moments in a memory book. Students will have more than enough to share, and a memory book is a great way to do that. Ask students to draw or bring in a picture of their favorite holiday outing or gift. Then ask students to write a few sentences about it. Once students have completed their memory book page, have them share it with the class or bind them all together to make a class book.
Returning from holiday break is the perfect time to teach students how to reflect upon the past year and to make positive changes for the new year. Tell students that the new year means a fresh start and they can make promises to themselves that are positive and realistic. As a class, brainstorm a few resolutions together. Give them the following prompts to get started.
- In 2015 I want to learn …
- In 2015 I want to get better at …
- My goal(s) for 2017 are …
Have a Show and Tell
As soon as students enter the classroom after winter break, they inundate you (and each other) with stories about what every student received from Santa, or all of the fun places that they went while on break. What’s a better way to share all of their experiences and new toys then to bring something in for a little old show and tell? For a different spin on the traditional activity, try having students guess who brought what item in.
Creative Writing Prompts
A creative and calm activity to get your energetic students back into the grind is to have them write about what they did and received over break. Students can get the opportunity to discuss their adventures in a fun writing piece. For instance, ask students to write about the best gift they gave and what made it so special, or describe their family’s holiday traditions in detail. Here are a few more creative writing prompts.
- What are you most grateful for this holiday season?
- What was your favorite holiday food that you had over break?
- Who was the person you spent the most time with and why? What did you do with them?
- Write about a place that you went over the Christmas break.
- Write about something you did with your family over Christmas break.
Play a Fun Game
Welcome your students back to school with a few fun games! Try to avoid piling on the schoolwork right away and instead try playing a few fun games to ease students back into the routine. Review games are a great choice for easing students back in. Try games like the “Hot Seat” where one student faces away from the board and chooses three people to give them clues about what is written on the board behind them. Another fun game is “Ping Pong,” where students are divided into teams of two and the team that gets the answer correct gets to throw a ping pong ball into a one of three cups to get a prize for their team. Prizes are things like a homework free pass or lunch in the classroom.
Host a Party?
Before you must get back to all the school chaos and your crazy school day routine, kick off the first day or two back to school with a party! Invite the classroom next to yours over for some cookies and hot chocolate. Allow students to share their holiday break stories over a warm cup of cocoa! Students will love the ease and flow of a relaxing day back to school.
Christmas break was a time for rest and relaxation, so it’s important to remember to ease students back into the school routine slowly and carefully. This will ensure that everyone will be motivated and ready to learn in no time.
ELT inspired 