Description
Keep your students engaged and excited in the days leading up to winter break with the 12 Days of Holiday Countdown Activities! This 70-page resource offers a festive mix of hands-on, print-and-go activities that span a variety of subjects, including literacy, math, and STEM. Perfect for grades 2-4, these activities are designed to keep your students motivated while reinforcing essential skills. All answer keys included!
This countdown includes a variety of formats to suit every classroom need—whole group, small group, partner, and independent activities. From reading comprehension activities to math puzzles and science investigations, each day offers a new, seasonal activity that will keep your students learning while celebrating the holiday season. The activities do NOT need to be completed in a specific order, and the teacher can determine how and when they are completed–or let the students choose from the interactive countdown display!
- Day 1: Four Holiday STEM Challenges: Students engage in 4 different timed activities that require collaboration and problem solving.
- Day 2: Three Christmas Themed Logic Puzzles: Students solve 3 different logic puzzles using deduction and charts/table to sort clues and solve mysteries!
- Day 3: Color By Number Context Clues Activity: Studnets read a holiday story and use context clues to determine the meaning of challenging words. Then, they use a special key to color a holiday picture based on their answer choices.
- Day 4: Christmas Trivia Jeopardy Game: This is a digital, interactive whole class Jeopardy game covering basic holiday trivia!
- Day 5: 8 Holiday Minute-to-Win-It Games: Students face off in 8 holiday themed Minute-to-Win-It activities (can be set up as stations) to challenge themselves.
- Day 6: Candy Cane Chemistry Science Experiment: Students use the Scientific Method to explore how candy canes dissolve in different types of liquids.
- Day 7: Build a GingerBuddy Math Activities: Students solve math problems covering a variety of skills (elapsed time, area/perimeter, subtraction, rounding, and multi-step word problems) to earn pieces of a gingerbread buddy that they cut out, color, and construct!
- Day 8: Elves are Such Characters Character Trait Activity: Students read a story about six different elves and then use text clues to describe their character traits.
- Day 9: 2 Holiday/Winter Mad Libs: Students practice parts of speech with two different Mad Lib activities with a holiday theme.
- Day 10: 5 Holiday-themed Reader’s Theater Scripts: The teacher is provided with 5 different holiday themed Reader’s Theater scripts for small groups to practice and perform!
- Day 11: Four Senses Holiday Activity: Students visit 4 holiday themed sensory stations to explore their senses by identifying mystery scents, objects, sounds (provided digitally), and tastes.
- Day 12: Snowman Read Aloud and Snow Paint Creation Activity: Students hear a snowman-themed read aloud text and then make ‘snow paint’ to create their own snowmen!
These activities are perfect for those last days of school before break, ensuring that students stay focused, engaged, and learning right up until the vacation. Whether you need a quick literacy activity, a math challenge, or a science experiment, the 12 Days of Holiday Countdown Activities will make your classroom merry and bright!
