Holiday activities and decorations for the classroom

As winter break approaches, your students are buzzing with excitement—and let’s be honest, you might be too. Instead of fighting the holiday energy, channel it into meaningful, creative learning. Below are updated ideas your students will love, along with tips to keep the activities aligned to academic goals.

Class Activities

STEM Advent Calendar

A modern twist on the traditional advent calendar, this activity builds anticipation while reinforcing STEM concepts. Each day reveals a mini-project—such as a Christmas catapult, melting candy cane experiment, or cookie science challenge.
How to integrate academically: Connect each activity to grade-level science or engineering standards. Encourage students to make predictions, record data, and reflect on outcomes.
Click here for activities and templates.

Kindness Calendar

This month-long Random Acts of Kindness challenge is perfect for building classroom culture in December, or use it in January to transition to the new year. Each day includes a simple act students can complete individually or together.
Integration tip: Tie the challenges to SEL competencies by having students journal about their impact or track class-wide progress. Consider a rewards system based on participation—not perfection.
Download the kindness calendar by clicking here.

Writing Prompts

Creative writing is a timeless December go-to. Use winter- or holiday-themed prompts to help students practice narrative structure, descriptive language, or persuasive writing.
Integration tip: Invite students to publish their writing in a class anthology or record themselves reading aloud.
Access 20 holiday-themed prompts by clicking here.

Sight Word Cookies

Perfect for early elementary learners, this activity turns sight word practice into a hands-on experience. Students decorate “cookies” labeled with high-frequency words and then “serve” them during partner reading practice.
Integration tip: Add movement by creating a cookie shop role-play station.
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Holiday Bingo

Holiday Bingo is already a fan favorite, but turning it into a quiz game boosts academic value. Instead of rolling dice, draw student names and ask curriculum-aligned questions. When a student answers correctly, they choose the square the class marks off.
Integration tip: Focus questions on content you want to review before winter break.
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Door Decorating

Door decorations spark excitement and create a welcoming classroom environment—plus, they can tie directly into content. For example, a “Winter Wonderland” geometry door where students identify shapes and symmetry, or a “Holiday Around the World” door that supports social studies lessons on global traditions and cultures.

Charlie Brown and Snoopy

A Charlie Brown theme can be great for all ages! It’s especially fitting for music teachers who want to teach their students songs from the classic A Charlie Brown Christmas movie. [source]

Penguin

This adorable penguin and igloo combination can connect well with lessons discussing biomes or climate. [source]

Snowman

This holly jolly snowman is a simple but seasonal door decoration. Making the snowman out of used plastic or Styrofoam cups is a great way to start a conversations with students about recycling. [source]

Gingerbread House

This gingerbread house is a great door choice for making students feel welcome in class. This decoration could be tied into nutrition lessons or chemistry classes when discussing changes in state (like lollipops experience when being made). [source]

Classroom Decor

Light Garland

This simple garland is a great way to add color and decoration in your classroom without creating too much of a distraction for students. Click here for the tutorial.

Kindness Garland

This double-duty decoration provides a SEL lesson and a visual reminder of students’ positive impact. Each “light bulb” asks students how they can “light up the world with kindness.”
Hang them afterward to reinforce classroom culture.
Get the download for this activity and a “The Gift of Kindness” activity by clicking here.

Gifts Students Can Make

These simple gifts are affordable and easy to make, perfect for the last day before break. Students can make these and take them home to gift to their families.

Candy Cane Trees

Use green felt to create a tiny holiday tree and decorate it as you wish. Then, cut slits into the felt and weave a candy cane through the slits so the tree becomes a candy cane holder or an ornament. [source]

Reindeer Lollipops

These Rudolph lollipops are a simple way to show students you care as they leave your classroom for holiday break. Check out the tutorial by clicking here.

Next Steps

Holiday excitement doesn’t have to derail learning—when you’re intentional, seasonal activities can strengthen academics, build classroom community, and create joyful memories for your students. Whether you’re embracing STEM challenges, encouraging kindness, or adding a splash of décor, these ideas bring structure and fun to the weeks before winter break.

Bringing joy into the classroom—whether through seasonal activities or a subject you love—creates an environment where students feel energized and ready to learn. When teachers show up excited, curious, and passionate, students feel that enthusiasm and are more inspired to engage deeply with the content. If you’re ready to bring that kind of impact to your community, become a teacher today through American Board.