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32+ School Holiday Craft Ideas Fun and Creative Projects for Kids

It’s the most wonderful time of the year! And what better way to celebrate than with some festive crafts? You’ll find over 32 School Holiday Craft Ideas to make this Christmas merry and bright. From color-matching Christmas trees to snowman puppets, you’ll be busy making arts and crafts that the kids will be proud to take home to their families. Get into the holiday spirit with these classroom-friendly crafts that are fun for kids from preschool through early elementary!

School Holiday Craft Ideas

Are you looking for creative ways to entertain your kids during school holidays? The holiday season is perfect for getting crafty with your children and creating fun memories together. With a little planning and some basic supplies, you can keep your kids engaged and entertained for hours on end.

Crafting is a great way to help your children develop their creativity, fine motor skills, and problem-solving abilities. Whether you’re looking for classroom ideas or activities to do at home, there are plenty of holiday craft ideas.

From making homemade ornaments to creating festive decorations, there’s no shortage of fun and easy projects your kids will love.

You will need basic crafting supplies like construction paper, glue, scissors, and markers to get started. You can also get creative with materials like felt, beads, and yarn to add flair to your projects. With so many options, you’re sure to find something that will keep your kids entertained and engaged throughout the holiday season.

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Fun School Holiday Craft Ideas

Christmas Tree Color Matching Craft

Practice color identification while keeping with the Christmas festivities. Kids will love that they can put the pom-poms on the velcro dots over and over again to decorate the trees. This is a great quiet time activity or busy bag idea.

Gingerbread Paper Plate Craft

This paper plate gingerbread man (or woman) is so adorable! With pom-pom cheeks, a cute little hairbow or bowtie, and a big smile, kids will love displaying these cute creations in the windows or on the wall.

Santa Binoculars

Kids know to keep watch for Santa on Christmas Eve, and now they can get even more excited for the event with these fun and furry Santa binoculars . They’ll be happy to take their special binoculars home to use during the holiday break.

Paper Plate Christmas Trees

Grab some paper plates, green paint, and pom-poms to get started on this bright and colorful Christmas tree craft . Not only are they fun to make, but they also add some whimsical decor to your holiday decorations.

Rudolph Popsicle Stick Ornaments

No craft stash is complete with lots of popsicle sticks. You can make so many cute things, like these reindeer ornaments . You’ll also need pipe cleaners for antlers, googly eyes, a button nose, and some jingle bells to attach to the bottom. 

Toilet Paper Roll Snowmen

Recycle some empty toilet paper tubes to make an adorable snow family. Don’t they look nice and cozy in their felt scarves and pom-pom earmuffs?

Birdseed Ornaments

We should always teach children to care for the earth and the creatures in it. One easy way to do this is by making birdseed ornaments to help feed birds through the winter. They’re super easy to make with birdseed, gelatin, and water, and they’ll look cute hanging from the trees outside.

Gingerbread Playdough

Whip up a batch of gingerbread playdough to make gingerbread men that you can cut, decorate, and then roll into a ball to do it all over again. This playdough recipe is soft, squishy, and smells terrific, thanks to the cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves. It’s perfect for a preschool classroom.

DIY Crystal Snowflake Ornaments

These beautiful borax crystal snowflakes are a great winter science experiment. And they make an excellent gift idea or homemade ornament.

Holiday Craft Ideas for the Classroom

The holiday season is a great time to bring festive cheer to your classroom with fun and engaging craft activities. Here are some easy and budget-friendly craft ideas that your students will love.

Clothespin Snowmen

Clothespin snowmen are a cute and easy craft that your students will love. To make a clothespin snowman, you will need wooden clothespins, white paint, black and orange markers, cotton balls, and glue.

• Paint the clothespins white and let them dry.
• Glue two clothespins together to make the snowman’s body.
• Glue cotton balls to the top of the clothespins for the snowman’s head.
• Use black and orange markers to draw the snowman’s eyes, mouth, and carrot nose.

Orange Peel Garland

Orange peel garland is a fun and festive craft your students will enjoy. To make orange peel garland, you will need orange peels, string, and a needle.

• Cut the orange peels into thin strips.
• Thread the needle and string the orange peel strips onto the string.
• Tie a knot at the end of the string to keep the orange peel strips in place.
• Hang the garland in your classroom for a festive touch.

Greeting Cards

Greeting cards are a simple and thoughtful way for your students to spread holiday cheer. To make greeting cards, you will need cardstock, markers, and decorations such as glitter and stickers.

• Fold the cardstock in half to make a card.
• Use markers to write a holiday message on the front of the card.
• Decorate the card with glitter and stickers.
• Encourage your students to give their cards to family and friends to spread holiday cheer.

These holiday craft ideas are a great way to get your students into the holiday spirit while engaging them in creative and educational art projects.

Learning Activities With Holiday Crafts

Holiday crafts are a fun way to engage children in learning activities during the holiday season. Not only do they provide a creative outlet, but they also offer an opportunity to learn new skills and concepts.

Here are a few ideas for learning activities with holiday crafts:

Advent Calendar

An advent calendar is a fun way to count the days until Christmas. You can make your own advent calendar using paper bags, cotton balls, scissors, and other materials. Each day, you can add a new item to the advent calendar, such as a small toy, a piece of candy, or a special note.

This activity can help children learn about time, counting, and anticipation.

Bird Feeder

Making a bird feeder is a great way to teach children about nature and caring for animals. You can use a variety of materials to make a bird feeder , such as pine cones , peanut butter , and birdseed. Children can decorate the bird feeder with paint, glitter, or other materials.

This activity can help children learn about birds, their habitats, and the importance of caring for the environment.

Holiday Printables

Printables are a great way to engage children in learning activities without requiring a lot of materials. You can find a variety of free printables, such as coloring pages , craft templates , and other fun educational holiday ideas . Children can work on these activities independently or in groups.

Easy Holiday Crafts to Make at School

Christmas Tree Corner Bookmarks from redtedart.com: This quick and easy Christmas party game is sure to be a hit with the kids. It’ll be a hit with you because it’s so easy to make! In about 30 minutes or less (excluding paint drying time), you can have a cute reindeer board that’s ready for your little partiers and their misguided noses.

Christmas Art with Pointillism from coffeeandcarpool.com: Use this festive craft to teach kids the pointillism art technique. Making art with tiny dots is a fun challenge, and you can start at even young ages with preschoolers and up. This Christmas tree is a simple one to try and is sure to be a fun craft for the kids.

Handprint Reindeer Ornament from buggyandbuddy.com: Help the kids make a cute keepsake for their parents. These handprint reindeer are super adorable and will be treasured year after year. 

Pin the Nose on the Reindeer from redtedart.com: The holiday break is the perfect time to catch up on some reading, so before it begins, make some adorable Christmas tree bookmarks. Kids can add the cute little Kawaii face or not; it’s a lovely bookmark either way.

Christmas Tree Paper Bag Puppet from simpleeverydaymom.com: These Christmas tree puppets would make a fun addition to morning songs like “O Christmas Tree” or the “Five Little Christmas Trees” song, with the kids taking turns holding up their tree puppets.

Christmas Tree Popsicle Stick Craft from acultivatednest.com: These popsicle stick trees will look great in the classroom, and kids will love taking them home to show off to their parents. They take hardly any time to make, so it’s great for little ones who get a little wiggly after a few minutes. 

School Holiday Craft Ideas for Kids

Block Ornaments from teachingideas.ca: With a bit of paint and creativity, you can turn ordinary blocks into Santa, a reindeer, a snowman, or a Christmas tree. Which one is your favorite?

Santa Claus Hat Craft from homespunhydrangea.com: For a super simple craft you can make in minutes, look no further than this Santa hat made of popsicle sticks and cotton balls. Aside from drying time, you can make it in 10 minutes or less with just about any age group. If you don’t want to paint, buy colored craft sticks instead. 

Christmas Tree Toss from redtedart.com: Get those wiggles out with a game of bauble toss! Build a Christmas tree toss game out of a large cardboard box, provide soft Christmas baubles to toss into the holes (like cornhole), and you’re all set. Kids of all ages will love this game.

Popsicle Stick Grinch Craft from simpleeverydaymom.com: He may be a mean one, but he looks pretty cute when he’s made out of popsicle sticks! This Grinch craft would make a great magnet for the fridge. Just add magnetic tape to the back when the paint is dry!

Reindeer Handprint Craft from kidsactivitiesblog.com: If you’re looking for an adorable craft for toddlers or preschoolers, this reindeer with handprint antlers is an excellent choice. 

Christmas Crafts for Kids

Christmas Tree Sponge Painting from buggyandbuddy.com: Cut simple shapes from sponges to stamp out creative Christmas trees. Triangles, squares, or circles all work, each one giving you a uniquely different tree. Decorate with circle stickers, tissue paper, or pom poms when you’re done. Which one do you like best? The tree made of squares is ours!

Christmas Tree Fingerprint Lights Craft from ourkidthings.com: Make a keepsake of those tiny little fingers that leave fingerprints everywhere with a fingerprint tree parents can keep forever. Print the template on colored cardstock or print it on white and let the kids color their pieces instead. If you’re prepping this for preschoolers or kindergarteners, you may want to draw the lines that will connect the lights.

Popsicle Stick Reindeer from artsycraftsymom.com: Your reindeer stories will be more fun with these charming little reindeer puppets. Made with basic supplies, this one is easy enough for your preschoolers or kindergarteners to try.

Printable 3D Christmas Craft from projectswithkids.com: Print, color, cut, and assemble this gorgeous 3D Christmas tree! It’ll make a great holiday craft for those in upper elementary grades and will look fantastic in the classroom until they’re taken home.

Creative Christmas Projects for Kids

Gingerbread House Paper Craft from nontoygifts.com: This cut and glue craft is easy as pie but is a super cute way to decorate the classroom windows for the holiday season. It comes with two template versions: one for the home and one for the classroom, which allows you to print all the pieces on colored paper to make this craft a little easier.

Paper Bag Grinch Puppet from ourkidthings.com: Make Grinch puppets to re-enact scenes from the classic Seussian tale. The kids will have so much fun playing with their puppets at school and home. 

Christmas Candle Craft from nontoygifts.com: This smiling Christmas candle is darling. Candles are very popular for the holidays but don’t pop up in crafts very often. This would be an excellent opportunity to talk to kids about fire safety, too.

Popsicle Stick Gingerbread Man from artsycraftsymom.com: These gingerbread man puppets are too cute to resist. This one is super simple, requiring only a jumbo craft stick, construction paper, googly eyes, and a couple of other materials. You can put them together quickly and have fun with the gingerbread man nursery rhyme.

Christmas Craft Ideas

Paper Straw Wreath Ornaments from projectswithkids.com: Paper straws are a handy addition to any craft closet. Use them to make cute necklaces, bracelets, or, in this case, wreaths. Decorative paper straws are perfect for this kind of project.

Printable Christmas Bookmarks from artsyfartsymama.com: Here’s another bookmark option to encourage kids to read during Christmas break. This one is as simple as print, cut, and color. 

Cupcake Liner Christmas Tree Ornament from abcsofliteracy.com: Turn cupcake liners into a lovely layered Christmas tree ornament. All kids have to do is fold and glue, so it’s easy peasy.

Popsicle Stick Snowman from artsycraftsymom.com: This is the cutest popsicle stick snowman ever. Doesn’t his striped pipe cleaner scarf look like it’s blowing in the wind?

Woven Christmas Tree from buggyandbuddy.com: Introduce kids to paper weaving with a simple Christmas tree craft. The contrasting greens make the tree pop, so it’s excellent as is, but kids can use stickers or markers to decorate the trees when they’re done as well.

Holiday crafts are a fun and engaging way to teach children about a variety of skills and concepts. Whether you’re making an advent calendar, Santa crafts, a bird feeder, or Christmas ornaments, there are plenty of ways to incorporate learning activities into your holiday crafting.

We hope these craft ideas have given you some inspiration for your classroom holiday craft projects. Many of these crafts use recycled materials , which is always a bonus because it helps teach kids about sustainability and how their actions can make a difference in the environment.

Some of the items on this list might be things you have lying around at home or can easily find at dollar stores or thrift shops- so there is no need to spend lots of money!

Happy holidays, educators. 

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100 Fun Things To Do On School Holidays With Kids

Posted on Last updated: September 6, 2023

Are you looking for some fun things to do on school holidays with your kids? Well, you’re in luck! We’ve put together a list of 100 school holiday activities that will help keep the boredom away. From things to do at home to things to free and cheap things to do when out and about, for summer break, winter break, spring break and everything in between!

This is your ultimate school holiday bucket list to help you create some memorable family moments over the school break together!

When Are The School Holidays?

Here in Australia, we have our end-of-school-year summer break from approximately mid-December to late January or early February, Easter break in March or April, winter break from June to July and spring break from September to October.

Each year these dates change slightly and they differ from state to state too. You can find the updated Australian school holiday dates here .

In the Northern Hemisphere, the seasons are opposite so the long summer break tends to fall from June to August when the weather is at its warmest. This also marks the end of the school year and the start of the next as Autumn prepares to arrive.

So, whether you are in the Northern or Southern Hemisphere, we have put together some great fun school holiday ideas for kids of all ages to help make your school break memorable!

School Holiday Activities At Home

There are so many fun things to do at home over the school holidays! Things that don’t require spending any money or even leaving your backyard!

Make sure you’ve got plenty of lunch ideas for kids at home ready and prepare for excitement!

Backyard Picnic

Put together a family picnic lunch and head outside to enjoy the sunshine! This is such a simple activity but one that the kids always love.

Sometimes the most simple change of scenery is enough to turn an average day at home into something special!

Movie Marathon

One of the all-time favourite things to do at home during the holidays is having a movie marathon! Whether it’s watching all the Harry Potter movies, a Marvel Cinematic Universe binge watch or bringing out some old Disney classics to introduce to the kids, it can be so fun!

Make some popcorn, get comfortable on the couch and enjoy some quality screen time together. This can be a single-day movie marathon or a movie a day to wind down your evening.

Build A Sheet Fort

This is a classic rainy day activity that can be enjoyed by the whole family! All you need are some bed sheets, chairs, clothes pegs and some imagination. The possibilities are endless with forts!

You could even make an indoor camping setup complete with sleeping bags and flashlights. Our kids sometimes make their own overnight sheet tent in the loungeroom and have their own indoor campout.

Backyard Camping

Take it to the next level by setting up your tent in the backyard and spending a night under the stars! This is a great activity to do in the warmer months. You could even roast marshmallows or make S’Mores over the fire pit or over the BBQ for some extra fun.

Plant A Vegetable Or Herb Garden

Keep kids busy outside and spend some time in the garden with this fun activity!

Plant a few different vegetables or herbs that they can then help to care for and watch grow. Not only is this a fun way to spend some time together, but it’s also educational and you get the added bonus of fresh produce.

This is great if you are looking for things to do during spring break especially as it’s perfect growing weather!

Play Board Games

Get some friendly competition going with your favourite family board game or take this opportunity to try out a new game instead.

These classic board games are always a great option. Other favourites we have are Rummy-O and Triominos, which are both relatively easy even for younger kids with a little extra help.

Backyard Stargazing

On a clear night, head outside and spend some time looking up at the stars. See if you can find the Southern Cross or Orion’s Belt.

If you have a telescope, this is the perfect opportunity to get it out and do some amateur astronomy together as a family!

Make A Time Capsule

This is a fun activity to do at the end of the holidays as a way to document what life was like during this time.

Get everyone to put together some items that represent their current interests, life events or anything else they want to remember about this time and then bury it (or store it away in your home) to be opened at a later date.

Play Dress Ups

Pretend play is such an important part of childhood development and there are endless possibilities when it comes to dress-ups.

You can either pull out some old clothes from your own closet or rummage through a local op shop for some fun costume ideas. If you want to get really creative, you could even make your own costumes for the kids to model in their fashion show!

Check out these homemade Halloween costumes for kids and book character costumes for plenty of inspiration!

Bake Something Yummy

What better way to spend some time together than by whipping up a batch of your family’s favourite treats?

Whether it’s cookies, cupcakes, brownies or something else entirely, this is a fun activity for all ages. It’s also a great way to teach your kids basic cooking and baking skills that will build their confidence in the kitchen.

Have A Cupcake Decorating Competition

Take your baking fun one step further with a cupcake decorating competition!

You could make some simple vanilla cupcakes and then set out a bunch of different toppings and decorations for the kids to choose from. Then let them get creative and see who can come up with the most creative or delicious design. The possibilities are endless!

Make Friendship Bracelets

This is such a simple activity for kids of all ages and one that can easily be done at home.

All you need is some colourful string or yarn and a few simple supplies like scissors, tape and a ruler or measuring tape. Then it’s time to get creative! Check out this tutorial for instructions on how to make multicolour friendship bracelets .

Set Up An Obstacle Course

If you have the space in your backyard, or even indoors, setting up an obstacle course is a great way to burn off some energy.

You can use whatever you have on hand to create the obstacles, such as jumping into Hoola hoops, climbing under tables and over chairs, and weaving between bricks. This is a fantastic way to develop your child’s gross motor skills as they move their bodies in different directions.

An indoor obstacle course might take them through each room of the house, with a different task to complete once they get there.

Rock Painting

This is a fun activity that can be done both inside and outside.

All you need is some rocks, paint and a few other supplies like brushes, sponges, and sealant (if you want to use them outdoors). Then it’s time to get creative!

You can either let the kids paint whatever they like or set up a specific design for them to follow. Then if you want to take the fun an extra step further, you can leave the rocks at local parks for other children to find, as a random act of kindness.

Make Playdough Or Slime

Messy play is always fun for kids, especially when they get to make their own play dough or slime!

There are plenty of recipes online for both of these activities and they’re usually quite simple to make. Just be sure to supervise your children closely if they are younger, as some of the ingredients can be dangerous if ingested.

Find loads of great homemade playdough recipes and homemade slime recipes to get you started.

Try Some Easy Science Experiments

Science experiments are not only fun, but they’re also educational.

You can find plenty of easy science experiments online that can be done with common household ingredients. Just a few things you might need include food colouring, vinegar, baking soda, and water.

Learn A New Skill From YouTube

Learning something new together as a family is a wonderful way to connect with your children.

There are YouTube videos on just about everything these days, so you’re sure to find a tutorial on whatever skill you’d like to learn. You could even make it a weekly activity to watch a new video and learn something new together.

Some cool ideas are drawing or painting tutorials, craft tutorials, playing a musical instrument or gardening tips.

Start A Puzzle

We often start a new jigsaw puzzle at the start of each school holidays. This is a simple activity that the kids and I can do between other things as a quick boredom buster .

You can leave the puzzle out on a table or dedicated space and then work on it whenever you have a few spare minutes. It can be a great way to keep the brain active too!

Make Sock Puppets

This is such a fun activity for kids of all ages and it’s one that can be done with items you probably already have around the house.

All you need are some socks, scissors, fabric glue or a hot glue gun, googly eyes, and any other materials you want to use to decorate your puppets. Afterwards, have the kids put on a puppet show to entertain you.

Decorate Your Own T-Shirt

This is a creative activity that can be done with items you may already have around the house.

All you need are some old t-shirts, fabric paint, and brushes. Then it’s time to get creative!

Another option is to get a tie dye kit and make your own tie dye shirts. We did this as part of a birthday party activity for my daughter when she turned 9 and it was so much fun for the kids to choose their own colours and how they rolled up the shirts. They all loved the end results!

Things To Do On Summer Break With Kids

Summer is the perfect time to get outside and enjoy the warm weather! There are so many fun things to do when the sun is shining and the water is warm. This is the ultimate time to make some memories with your kids!

Visit The Beach

Not much compares to a beach trip to combat school holiday boredom!

There are so many things to do at the beach – swimming, building sandcastles, playing beach cricket, flying a kite, and collecting shells are just a few.

Make sure you pack everything you need for a day at the beach , including snacks, sunscreen and shelter. This is sure to be a fond memory for the kids when they head back to school!

Have A Water Balloon Fight

Water balloon fights are always a hit with kids! They’re super easy to set up and only require a few supplies.

You will need water balloons (of course), a hose or tap, and something to put the filled balloons in. Once you have your supplies, simply fill up the balloons and get ready to have some fun.

For a quick fill option, check out these lots of balloons that allow you to fill bulk balloons in one go.

Or if you’re not keen on the balloon mess all over your backyard, you can also get some really cool reusable water balloons too. We love these ones . They are magnetic for easy sealing and can be refilled over and over again. They don’t hurt when they hit you either.

Make Homemade Popsicles Or Ice Cream

This is a delicious activity that the kids will love! And it’s perfect for cooling down on hot summer days!

There are lots of recipes online for both homemade ice blocks and ice cream, so you can experiment with your favourite flavours. You will need some popsicle moulds or an ice cream maker (or find no churn recipes), but other than that, you can just have fun with it!

Run Through The Sprinklers

Unless you have a backyard pool (lucky you!), a backyard sprinkler is a great alternative to cooling off at home!

It doesn’t require much set-up and you will soon have the kids squealing with delight as they cool down and get some fresh air!

Have A Water Pistol Fight

Get those super soakers ready for an all-out water fight! Do you dare take on the kids? Or leave them to their own fun as they squirt each other in their attempt at victory.

Go For A Swim

Head to a friend’s place, the local pool or a safe swimming hole near home and take a dip to cool off.

Swimming is great exercise, so it’s perfect for getting the kids moving during the holidays. Just make sure you pack your sunscreen, hats, and towels! And don’t forget those snacks. Swimming is tiring fun!

Go Kayaking or Canoeing

Get out on the water in a kayak or canoe and explore your surroundings. This is a great activity for families to do together as it gets them active and outdoors.

If you don’t have your own kayaks or canoes, many camping and sporting stores or water sports companies will hire them out by the day. Some also offer lessons if you are new to the experience.

Stand-up paddleboarding is another fun idea to try!

Spend A Day On A Boat

Whether it’s a hired boat, or you have your own, spending the day out on the water is a great way to relax and enjoy some quality time with the family.

Pack a picnic lunch and head out for a few hours. Make sure you have all the essential safety gear, including life jackets, for a day of safe fun in the sun.

This doesn’t need to exclusively be a summer activity, but there’s something about spending a day fishing that just feels like summertime fun!

If you don’t have your own gear, many tackle shops will hire out rods and reels by the day.

Visit A Waterpark

If you are lucky enough to live near a waterpark, make sure you add it to your list of things to do over the summer holidays!

With slides, pools, and water rides, there is something for everyone at a waterpark. Just make sure you pack sunscreen, towels, hats and swimsuits so you are prepared for a day of fun in the sun.

Free Things To Do During School Holidays With Kids

There are plenty of fun things to do that won’t cost you a cent! These are excellent ideas if you are on a budget or just looking for some free activities to do with your kids for some family fun.

Visit Your Local Library

Many public libraries offer free school holiday programs, such as storytime or book-themed activities for kids. This is a wonderful way to encourage kids to love reading more too!

It might even get them excited to read lots of books over the school break too if you borrow some exciting titles for them!

Have A Scavenger Hunt Or Treasure Hunt In Your Neighborhood

This is a great way to explore your local area and have some family fun at the same time!

Put hidden treasure around your own backyard for the kids to find or make a list of items for them to find on a nature walk around the block or through a local park. Things like an insect, a tree taller than you, and a smooth rock are easy for younger kids to spot.

Try Geocaching

Geocaching is a real-world, outdoor treasure hunting game using GPS-enabled devices. It’s a great way to explore new places with the family!

To get started, all you need is a phone or other GPS device and the free Geocaching app. Once you have the app, simply find a geocache near you and enter the coordinates into your device. Then, go find it!

Geocaches can be found all over the world, so there is a good chance there are some near you just waiting to be discovered. Often people leave little gifts, such as painted rocks or trinkets to be found so you might like to take some items with you to leave for the next person.

Play In The Park

There’s nothing like good old-fashioned playtime at the park! Kids will love to run around, explore, and play on playground equipment. And it’s a great way for them to burn off some energy too!

If you don’t have a park near you, any open space will do. A vacant lot, an empty soccer field, or even your own backyard can be transformed into a makeshift park. Grab the frisbee or football for some active activities together.

Go For A Bike Ride

Jump on your bikes and explore your neighbourhood or local area! This is a great way to get some fresh air and exercise while spending time together as a family.

If you have little kids, you might need a toddler trailer or bike seat attached to your bike to make it easy for them to come along for the ride. And don’t forget your helmets!

Visit A Free Museum Or Gallery

Many museums and galleries offer free entry or have at least one day a week where admission is free. This can make for an entertaining, educational activity during the school holidays!

Do some research online to see what’s available near you. You might be surprised at how many interesting places there are to explore in your local area.

Go For A Nature Walk Or Bush Walk

If your family loves spending time outdoors, conquering a new nature hike or walking trail at nearby National Parks might be exactly the day out you will all love.

Wear your comfortable walking shoes and sun protection, and bring plenty of water and snacks to keep the whole family happy as you enjoy your time in nature.

Fly A Kite In The Park

This is such a classic activity and one that the whole family can enjoy! All you need is a kite (they are often quite cheap to buy or make) and some open space. If there’s even a little bit of wind, you’ll be surprised at how well your kite will fly.

If you don’t have a park near you, any wide open space will do. A beach is a great place to fly a kite, or you might even try it in your own backyard on a breezy day.

Visit An Animal Shelter

If your family loves animals, why not spend a day visiting your local animal shelter? You can help socialise the animals by playing with them, or simply spending time cuddling them.

This is a great activity for kids as it helps teach empathy and responsibility. And you might even meet your new furry friend!

Our kids always want to adopt every animal they meet but even going home without a new friend always leaves them with the biggest smiles on their faces after meeting some new furry friends. It’s a lovely endorphin boost for the whole family!

Volunteer Together

There are many organisations that would love some extra help, and what better way to spend time together as a family than by giving back to your community?

Do some research online or ask around to see if there are any organisations near you that could use some volunteers. It’s a great way to make new friends, learn new skills, and feel good about giving back.

And there are so many different types of volunteering opportunities available, so you’re sure to find something that interests everyone in your family. This is especially a great idea if you have older kids who can assist with a lot of different tasks.

Other Fun Activities For School Holidays

There are so many fun things to do outside of the home that will cost a little but bring plenty of great memories and excitement! Things that will get you out and about exploring your local area or even further afield.

These are great ideas if you are looking for an exciting adventure during the school break.

An affordable way to spend the school holidays is to go camping ! You can either camp at a nearby campsite, or explore different camping spots around the state or country on a longer trip.

Camping is a great way to connect with nature, unplug from technology, and spend quality time with family and friends. And there are so many different activities to enjoy while camping, from hiking and swimming to fishing and campfire cooking.

Take A Road Trip

One of our favourite things to do as a family is to jump in the car and explore different parts of Australia. We love planning road trips , packing up the car, and hitting the open road.

There are so many beautiful places to see within your own country and taking a road trip is a great way to see them! It doesn’t need to be an overnight road trip either.

Take a day trip to a city a few hours away, stopping at places that look interesting along the way.

Visit A Trampoline Park

If your kids are bouncing off the walls with energy, why not take them to a trampoline park? There are now many different indoor trampoline parks and inflatable centres, and they’re super fun for all ages.

Spend a few hours jumping around and burning off some energy, then relax in the cafe with a well-deserved snack and drink afterwards.

Go Rock Climbing

Another active activity for kids (and grown ups!) is rock climbing. There are many indoor rock climbing centres around and they’re a great way to stay active during the school holidays.

Rock climbing is also a great workout for your mind as well as your body, and it’s something that everyone in the family can enjoy.

Play Mini Golf

Mini golf is always an enjoyable activity, no matter your age! It’s perfect for spending time with family or friends, and often an affordable activity that will keep you all entertained for an hour or two.

Visit An Indoor Play Centre

If it’s raining outdoors or on a really hot day, the air-conditioned comfort of an indoor play centre is a perfect option.

The best part is, if you are a working parent trying to get things done over the school break with kids at home, you can take your laptop and set it up at one of the tables while the kids get some fun. It might not be the most peaceful working environment, but at least you know the kids will be having a good time.

More Activity Ideas For School Holiday Entertainment

Still not sure how to keep the kids entertained when the end of the school term arrives? These school holiday activities are instant boredom busters!

• Ice skating
• Roller skating
• Arcade games
• Learn to sew
• Cooking classes
• Visit a farm
• Make homemade pizza
• Have a picnic in the park
• Build sandcastles
• Visit local attractions & theme parks
• Learn a new language
• Read a book
• Colouring in
• Write and illustrate your own story
• Create a music playlist of favourite songs
• Play balloon games
• Do a craft kit
• Chalk drawing on the driveway or footpaths
• Make homemade cards or wrapping paper
• Make a collage
• Play card games
• Building with Lego or blocks
• Have a play date with a friend
• Go to the cinema
• See a play or theatre performance
• Attend a free festival or market
• Start a journal
• Make a scrapbook
• Do leaf sketches
• Give your bedroom a makeover
• Declutter unwanted toys to donate
• Do a kids subscription box activity
• Make a family bucket list
• Feed the ducks at a local park
• Plant some flower seeds
• Bake cookies
• Do a random act of kindness for a neighbour
• Finish a family project that you’ve been meaning to do
• Play PokemonGo and see how many you can find on a walk
• Try a new food or recipe
• Learn about a new country
• Listen to a podcast or audiobook together
• Have a silly photoshoot
• Set up a sensory box or sensory activities
• Paint a picture (you can make your own paint at home)
• Learn origami
• Watch family home movies
• Film your own movie
• Practice photography
• Set up an I’m Bored activity jar
• Play a cleaning game
• Do household chores for pocket money
• Go on a colour hunt to find items of different colours
• Blow bubbles
• Have a pamper session
• Make a photo book
• Visit the zoo

Level up your holiday fun with this printable school vacation planner bundle available in my store:

No matter what your interests are, there’s likely an activity out there that will keep you entertained during the school holidays. With over 100 different school holiday activities to turn your school holidays into a blast for the entire family, you’re sure to find plenty of ways to keep the kids happy during the school break!

How do you plan on spending your school holiday break? Share what you’re most looking forward to below!

For more school holiday activity ideas:

• 101+ Things to do with kids at home
• 100 Things to do with kids in the backyard
• Screen-free activities for families
• Family date ideas for Valentine’s Day
• Free mindfulness colouring pages
• Best gratitude journals for kids
• Creative play ideas for toddlers
• Sensory play activities
• Water play activities for kids
• Homemade play recipes
• Snack ideas for kids

Holiday House Management Northern Beaches

Tuesday 4th of December 2018

There's so many things to love your bucket list. A lot of enjoying activities. This seems so fun. Thanks!

Denyse Whelan

Wednesday 27th of June 2018

Excellent ideas and as a retired teacher/principal many of these things are brilliant in helping kids learn.. but not in a formal way. Learning alongside Mum and other adults is a gentle introduction to many new ideas. I also liked that much of what you wrote could be done for free. Thanks for sharing. Denyse #teamIBOT

That was definitely a lot of my motivation - holiday activities that have learning opportunities as well as fun! My eldest is only prep aged so we try and squeeze in lots of extra learning.

Natalie @ Be Kind 2 You

I reallylike this idea. I often get to the end of the holidays and we haven't done muc (usually working but can still spare a few minutes here and there). I think I might challenge myself.

Oh yes, I hear you! Last holidays flew by and it feels like we did nothing! This time I plan to make it a total blast for the kids... and work less!

I'm always looking for some fun stuff to do with my nieces and nephews when they visit, and to be honest, I can't believe I've never thought of some of these! Gosh. Keep it simple, right? Pinned for later!

So glad to help! I'm planning to have 2 of my nieces come stay over the holidays too. A house full of 4 little girls calls for some planned fun!

• BookWidgets Teacher Blog

15 fun school holidays activities for students - The bucket list

Almost time for the next school holiday! Your students have some time to relax now, but we all know, they might get bored quickly.

This post isn’t about giving your students homework, it’s about giving your students challenges and fun activities they can do during the school holidays. This way they’ll have something to do when they get bored, and it will keep them motivated. Some of the activities they can do with friends or family, others they can do alone.

Bucket list activities for students

Let’s create a digital bucket list with holiday activities for your students!

Good news…you don’t need to do this, I already made one with the planner widget from BookWidgets .

Here it is:

How does it work?

I added a list of 15 fun activities to this digital planner. Some are completely digital, others ask your students to be creative, handy, and to go outside. The activities are perfect for primary school students and high school students. It depends on the activity they choose and if they get help or not. Just share the link with them.

Students can open the digital school break bucket list by clicking on the link. Now, they can put together their own vacation bucket list with activities.

They click on the + icon in the upper right corner and start adding the activities they want to do this summer. As a teacher, you could say they at least have to 10 bucket list activities.

Most of the activities ask students to take a picture from their work and send it to the teacher. For that, make sure to create a free BookWidgets account so students can send their work to your BookWidgets account so you can take a look at their work. Just go to the “Grades and reporting tab > Student work” to see the work they’ve submitted.

OR, create a digital bucket list with activities yourself using the BookWidgets Planner widget .

15 fun school holiday activities for students

Of course, I want to give you an overview of all the activities in the planner with, for some of them, the link to the digital exercise. You can use them in your own planner as well.

1. Colour hike

Students open this digital worksheet on their smartphone.

They have to take pictures and upload them to the digital worksheet. Of course, the pictures must relate to the assignment. Since they go on nature exploration, they must take pictures of nature representing different colors and the earth’s elements. When walking, students have to pay attention to their environment so they can take pictures.

2. The m&m game

Ask your students to bring some m&m candy. Then, when the time is right, they get together and open this digital game on their smartphones. It’s full of fun questions, based on the m&m colour they pick.

Check out the digital game and instruction right here:

This ice breaker game was digitized by Eva Robyn, a Belgian teacher.

3. School holiday video

Let them use the free Adobe Express video maker for that. It’s easy to use and has many different video templates available.

This version in particular encourages students to read and keep up with their problem-solving skills. And it’s fun too!

We’ve many different Cluedo game versions in different languages in this post . Find out how to create your own with BookWidgets as well.

5. Postcard time!

6. Create a birdhouse

If you are dealing with older students you could ask them to go beyond the plans… Let them design their own dream-birdhouse.

When finished, students can upload a picture of the image in the digital worksheet.

7. Guess who?

8. Make a board game

Check out this digital worksheet. Here they get a checklist that will help them with this project. When done, they have to take a picture of their board game and add it to the worksheet.

9. Play cards

10. Picture album

11. Keep a diary

Use BookWidgets’ timeline widget for that. Here, students can add an event for each new day and describe what they did. They can also add images of that day. You can ask your students to submit their dairy to you (if they want to).

I already created a dairy template for you. Just share the link with your students. Click on the image below to open it.

12. Digital artwork

Here’s this digital artwork template you can share with your students. It’s made with BookWidgets’ whiteboard widget.

Again, if you sign up for a free BookWidgets account, students can send in their work by clicking on the envelope in the upper right corner and type in the e-mail address of your BookWidgets account.

13. Grow a herb garden

This project is about being creative and crafty and getting knowledge about the herbs they want to add in their garden.

I already added a digital worksheet with tutorials on how to create a herb garden. Students can also answer a basic question about the herbs they chose for in their garden and they can upload an image of their garden.

14. Recycle and reuse

Share this worksheet with many fun ideas students can use as inspiration. They can also upload an image of their creation.

15. Geocaching

Geocaches are scattered all over the world, so students can do it anywhere, whether it’s in their neighborhood or on a vacation.

Time to create your own holiday bucket list for your students or let them create their own. Which activity was your favorite? Let us know on Twitter ! Can you think about a fun activity? Join the BookWidgets Facebook community and share your idea to inspire other teachers.

I’m Lucie Renard, and I’d love to connect with you on LinkedIn or Twitter .

Join hundreds of thousands of subscribers, and get the best content on technology in education.

BookWidgets enables teachers to create fun and interactive lessons for tablets, smartphones, and computers.

100 School Holiday Activity Ideas

This school holidays, I’m looking forward to lazy mornings, no school lunches and the flexibility to do things with the children when I want.  The trick to fun school holidays is to keep the kids busy with enough down-time so Mum isn’t worn out.

To help you get the most out of this school hoidays, I’ve put together this MASSIVE list of 100 school holiday ideas. I’ve broken the list down into categories to help you find ideas that will suit you and your kids.  If you want to plan the weeks out, The Organised Housewife has a free School Holiday Planner Printable . Have fun!

• Home: Inside

At Home: Outside

At home: arty and crafty, out and about, adventurous.

• When It’s Raining

At Home: Inside

1. Make an ant farm.

2. Bake cupcakes .

3. Make a cubby house under the table.

4. Invite friends over to play.

5. Make homemade pizza.

6. Dance to music.

7. Have a theme day. This may be butterflies, pirates, princesses, fairies, dinosaurs or a particular colour.

8. Make an inside obstacle course with cushions, pillows, boxes, chairs and blankets.

9. Ice biscuits.

10. Play dress ups and do a play.

11. Make a themed play space: in a large rectangle bucket or tray create your own play scene. For example: use a smaller container (like an empty margarine container) filled with water, and in the rectangle bucket place rocks, small twigs, bark or sticks from trees for an outdoor scene.  I love this one from Picklebums .

12. Go on a colour hunt in your house. Collect objects of a certain colour and take a picture of your finds to make a collage. Also an idea by Picklebums.

13. Buy a note book and get the child/ren to write a school holiday diary (or draw pictures every day for young children).

14. Reorganise the children’s room (with their help).

15. Make fruit Kebabs .

16. Write a letter to someone.

17. Hang a sheet from a tree to make an outside cubby house.

18. Fly (cut to length) crepe streamers in the wind.

19. Eat outside.

20. Do general gardening or plant a vegetable or herb garden.

21. Make an outside obstacle course. Click here for ideas.

22. Play Backyard games .

23. Blow bubbles. Frills in the Hills has a great recipe for homemade bubble mixture.

24. Do an outside treasure hunt.

25. Create an outdoor play garden. Create a small space of dirt and fill with pots, small rake, bucket, spoons, utensils and solid plastic toys like animal figurines. I like this one from The Imagination Tree .

26. Make a flower head wreath .

27. Make fairy wings .

28. Make a Zorro mask out of a strip of black material with two eye cut outs.

29. Create a family artwork on a large canvas.

30. Make recycled paper.

31. Collect flowers and press them inside book between baking paper.

32. Colour-in. You can print a variety of colouring in sheets online.

33. Face painting .

34. Make Photo Paper Dolls .

35. Make a robot out of cardboard boxes.

36. Make a treasure map out of brown paper.

37. Make a musical tree. See here for details.

38. Be crafty at home: knit, paper craft, play dough, cooking or painting.

39. Make up a travel drawing box .

40. Paint toe nails. (Boys like this too!)

41. Make boats out of milk bottle lids, a straw (for the mast), paper (for the sail) and blue-tack to stick the sail on to the boat.

42. Make a leaf collage picture.

43. Glue cut out pictures from a magazine or junk mail to a piece of paper.

44. Make a photo book: take photos of your favourite things and collate them into a book.

45. Make sock puppets by gluing wool on the top of an old sock and using a permanent marker to draw eyes, nose and a mouth.

46. Do a self-portrait. Stick a large piece of butchers to the wall (or lay on the floor) and trace around your body.

47. Make a long paper-clip chain.

48. Visit a museum

49. Go Geocaching .

50. Go window shopping and have a special morning tea.

51. Go see a movie.

52. Eat a big ice-cream.

53. Visit a library.

54. Fly a kite.

55. Have a picnic outside.

56. Visit a park or playground.

57. Look out for butterflies and birds for a day.

58. Go fruit picking.

59. Plan a day trip:

• animal farm
•  new town
• historical village
• environmental centre
• bush walking
• drive up a mountain
• visit the beach
• the country

60. Visit someone lonely.

61. Collect shells on the beach.

62. Go ten tin bowling.

63. Visit a planetarium.

64. Feed ducks at a pond.

65. Go fishing.

66. Look for organised school holiday opportunities at art schools, museums, shopping centres, national parks, libraries and councils.

67. Go swimming. (If Winter, look for a heated pool).

68. Visit and share something of your own childhood with your child/ren. This may be a home you lived in as a child, where you honeymooned or favourite place.

69. Look for free activities at a shopping centre.

70. Go for a walk.

71. Visit Dad or Mum at work.

72. Go Bike-riding

73. Catch a train.

74. Go Ice-skating or roller-skating.

75. Catch a bus.

76. Go on a bush walk or hike.

77. Go on a nature hunt .

78. Make a cubbyhouse from items from a second hand shop.

79. Catch a ferry.

80. Allow your kids to learn a new skill. Look for workshops in horse-riding, pottery, art, rock climbing and drama.

81. Have a quest. This may be photographing butterflies for a day, hunting for cool letterboxes, looking for street signs for the names of the people in your family or tasting 3 different types of cookies and cream ice-cream.

82. Look at the stars.

83. Walk on the beach at dusk

84. Go on a nature walk down your street with a torch.

85. Have a movie night. You can make your own popcorn cups by making a cone shape with a piece of paper and taping it together.

86. Toast marshmallows in the oven before threading them on to sticks (parent would do this).

87. Eat at a family restaurant.

When It’s Raining (also see At Home: Inside)

88. Go to an indoor play centre.

89. Play with umbrellas in the rain.

90. Collect rain in a bucket.

91. Play inside games like hide and seek or duck, duck goose.

92. Photograph the raindrops on the window and include them in a photo book.

93. Go for a drive in the car.

94. Visit a friend’s house (or invite a friend over to play at your place).

95. Play board/card games like Monopoly, Dictionary, Pictionary, Snap, Taboo, Hungry Hippo, Scategories, The Old Maid.

96. Watch a DVD at home.

97. Stay in your PJs all day.

98. Make a “city” with cars, toys and boxes for buildings.

99. Lie on the grass and watch the clouds.

100. Have “rest” time where everyone plays quiet games like reading or puzzles on their own bed.

If you have more ideas to add, leave them in the comments below.

Family holiday links.

Planning a Family Holiday

Entertaining Kids When Travelling

Printable Holiday Packing Lists

The Car Box List

About Kelly - Be A Fun Mum

Kelly loves life at both ends of the spectrum: wearing high heel shoes one day and hiking boots the next; sipping tea out of a pretty cup and slurping hot coffee from a camping mug; challenging herself physically and stopping for quiet unhurried moments to feel the wind on her face. Kelly and her husband Matthew seek to live a fun and adventurous life with their four children and pet bird.

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Activities & Lessons

14 Winter Holiday Activities for School

What holiday (or holidays) are you celebrating in December? There are plenty of winter holiday classroom activities that can you do with your students regardless of whether they typically celebrate Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, more than one holiday, or nothing at all.

In a season marked by singing cheery songs, eating traditional holiday foods, wrapping gifts, and doing fun crafts, check out our list of holiday activities for elementary and middle school students below to ensure your class has a great send-off before winter break.

Fun Holiday Activities for Elementary and Middle School Students

1. holiday crafts for the classroom (grades k–8).

There’s so much you can do when it comes to easy holiday crafts for the classroom—the list is endless. You can start by searching social media or consulting with your teacher BFF for ideas, but here’s a list to start you off:

• Making snowpeople out of cotton balls (and other supplies)
• Making snowflakes out of popsicle sticks or paper
• Designing holiday ornaments
• Writing and illustrating a book or story based on a holiday

2. Have a Holiday Music Listening Session (Grades 3 and up)

Have each student choose one or two winter holiday songs to add to a classroom playlist. These can be traditional holiday songs, like Jingle Bells, or popular songs that celebrate winter months.

Listen to the playlist at a holiday celebration in the classroom or use it to start a discussion with your students about the music. What makes it a holiday or winter song? Consider creating a Venn diagram of words and feelings associated with the holiday season and the sounds and words in the music. Have students share their thoughts in small groups.

3. The Year in Numbers (Grades 2–3)

Celebrate the New Year by inviting students to explore the upcoming year as a number. Is the new year odd or even? What number do you get if you add 100 to the year? What if you subtract 100? How many thousands, hundreds, tens, and ones make up the new year? Provide students a copy of the printable “ New Year's Math ” to complete these and other activities. Review their work as a class and invite students to explain what they wrote. Finally, challenge students to create a visual representation of the year using base-ten blocks, tallies, counters, a graph, number sentence, or drawings.

4. Create Holiday Cards (All Grades)

It’s time for your students to get creative! Have them create holiday cards for their loved ones—their parents or guardians, family members, or close friends—using construction paper, glue, glitter, markers, and any holiday decorations you can find.

For older elementary and middle school students, you can consider even turning this into a writing assignment. Perhaps they can write short poems about the holiday they celebrate in their cards, draft a letter to somebody wishing them a happy holidays, or thank someone for a kind act they did in the past year.

5. Make a Multicultural Calendar (Grades 6 and up)

For this middle school activity, download the printable PDF below. Students will research the traditions of different cultures and create a multicultural calendar. You will need to divide your students into groups, with each one assigned to a specific culture they would like to learn more about. They will then choose a month where at least one holiday is celebrated in that culture, research those holidays, and complete the assignment below.

6. Collect Food Donations (All Grades)

This can be done on a schoolwide or classroom level. Consider collaborating with other staff to make a schoolwide effort a reality. Make sure students know that bringing in food donations is not an obligation. Keep it fun and friendly in the spirit of giving.

7. Keep It Traditional With Gingerbread-House Making (All Grades)

For this activity, Katie Risolo Radovich, a first-grade teacher at the Diocese of Rockville Centre in Long Island, New York, explains that she spends a few days collecting milk cartons from her lunchroom and then washes them out so they can be used to build gingerbread houses. This is a great way to foster student collaboration (social-emotional learning!) and get your students to be creative. Radovich says:

We have white icing and graham crackers to help give the milk cartons a gingerbread house look. Then, the students get to work with decorating. They use all kinds of candy and snacks—peppermints, marshmallows, pretzels, M&Ms, Skittles, gum drops, and so on. It is a great way to bring families into the school to build that home-school connection and to celebrate the holidays. We do this the day before break starts as a wonderful send-off!

Another option is to decorate gingerbread cookies! You can invite parents into the classroom to participate and read a holiday book aloud.

8. Have a Classroom Holiday Celebration! (All Grades)

Another great activity holiday school activity is having a party. You may want to have students bring in food related to whatever holiday they celebrate, such as dishes specific to certain cultures or holiday-themed cookies. You can even invite family members to the classroom and have them read picture books and discuss the importance of each holiday. Get creative—how you structure this activity will depend on many factors, including student guest policies, food restrictions, and classroom limitations.

9. Modern-Day “’Twas the Night Before Christmas” Poem (Grades 5 and up)

Download the activity below and have your students write a version of the famous poem “’Twas the Night Before Christmas.” When the poem was written in the early 1800s, the details in the poem (sugar plums, stockings, nightcaps, chimneys) were all modern. Have them update the poem to align with the technological advances and societal shifts that have taken place since then.

10. Decorate the Classroom (All Grades)

You can have your students help you decorate your classroom so that it's themed for Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, and winter so it can serve as an ideal environment to host your winter holiday party! Have students wrap their desks and create their own decorations to be hung up on the walls and ceilings.

11. “Warm World Wishes” Writing Assignment (All Grades)

Jade Mackney, a teacher at P.S. 43, an elementary school in New York City, recommends that rather than focusing on what your students want for themselves for the holiday season, have them consider and share their wishes for the world. This writing assignment can be a good opportunity for students to write about something they are passionate about and want to see change in the new year —world peace, a cleaner environment, or virtually anything to better their community and society. Have them share with their classmates when they finish!

12. Polar Express Party (Grades K–5)

Consider winter holiday activities for elementary students related to the book The Polar Express and/or the 2004 movie! You can have your students participate in a Polar Express pajama party, where the week before winter break, they (and the staff) come to school in their pajamas. The teacher can read the book to the class (or the students can read it themselves, depending on their age) and then watch the movie in the classroom or the auditorium. You can even serve hot chocolate and cookies. If you want, consider assigning students to complete a writing piece explaining what they would do and where they would go if they had an opportunity to travel on the Polar Express.

13. Play Holiday Word Games (Grades 6 and up)

Use holiday-related phrases to play fun holiday word games. See how many words students can make out of the phrase “Happy Holidays” (or another word or phrase related to the holidays or a specific winter holiday). Turn this into a competition by dividing your students into groups and seeing who can come up with the most words!

If you want to do something a bit more advanced, create a word search, word scramble, or crossword puzzle using holiday words. You can search online for free tools to create crossword puzzles and other word games. Be sure to tailor the words and clues to the appropriate grade level. If you teach English language arts, get creative using vocabulary words tied to the curriculum. Or, download our winter word search template (complete with answer key!) and get your students started with this free activity.

14. White Elephant or Secret Santa (All Grades)

This holiday classroom game—which can be adapted across grade levels—can take different forms. For a secret Santa, you can have students randomly pick one of their classmate’s names out of a hat. Make sure they don’t reveal the classmate they selected! That is the student they will give a gift to. Try gifting free options, such as having students write stories or poems, make crafts for one another, or create voucher coupons for their classmate.

In a white elephant, students can make crafts for their classmates, wrap them, and place the items in a central location in the classroom as gifts. You should then determine the order by which students will choose a random present to open. The first student selects and opens a random gift (make sure everyone can see what it is!), and then each student can subsequently either unwrap another gift or swap one with another participant. The participant whose gift was taken can then open a different wrapped gift or, again, choose one from somebody else. Continue until all the presents are unwrapped! There are many variations of this game, but you can read about your options here .

Share Your Favorite Holiday Classroom Activities

Have any examples of holiday classroom activities or games that we missed? Share your favorites with us on Twitter ( @HMHCo ) or Facebook , or email us at [email protected] .

With that, we hope you and your students enjoy the winter holidays this year. Whether you decide to host a classroom holiday party or do simple crafts, ’tis the season to celebrate and recharge for the new year !

Find more lesson plans and classroom resources o n Shaped .

This blog, originally published in 2019, has been updated for 2023.

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• Activities & Lessons
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School holiday projects for kids

• 24 Jun 2021

Keeping kids entertained over the school holidays is no easy task, especially in winter.

WATCH: Dream and play space for kids

When the sun's out there are plenty of ways to keep the kids busy in the garden . But on a cloudy, rainy or stormy day it can be hard to peel them away from a screen. 

Even though screen time isn't as bad as you think , it's still better to fill their days with creative activities. While you could attempt a challenging craft project together like building colourful kids cafe , there are plenty of easier options to guarantee fun.

Start with this list of 10 clever ideas.  

1. Eggheads

When you’re next making boiled eggs, carefully remove the top of the eggs only and scoop out the contents. Wash the eggshells, let dry and use a marker pen and googly eyes to decorate the eggs with faces. Fill the shells with dampened cotton wool. Sprinkle birdseed or other plant seeds on the cotton wool. Place eggs back in the carton, in a well-lit spot (on your windowsill should do the trick) then watch the seeds grow into a head of hair for Mr and Mrs Egghead. Just remember to keep the cotton wool moist.

2. Beep, beep

You can easily turn a sturdy cardboard box into a racing car. Just tape up all four sides of a box, and the base, keeping the top open. Paint the box white using water-based paint. Add yellow-painted headlights, blue-painted wheels and a black-painted bumper. Don’t forget a cardboard windscreen and steering wheel, too!

3. Hey, green thumbs!

Let the kids look after their own little garden by planting succulents inside a large shell. A grown-up will need to carefully drill a drainage hole in the base of the shell (a diamond-tip bit will do the trick) then the kids can fill the shell with soil and plant their favourite succulent cuttings.

4. It’s show time!

Create a theatre for your kids to put on a show with their collection of hand puppets and soft toys. Just trim a cardboard box so that you are left with a u-shape, cut a square hole in the centre panel and then let the kids decorate the theatre water-based paint and fabric curtains on each side of the opening. Lights, camera, action!

5. Fairy wonderland

In a large terracotta pot , you can create a wonderland for fairies and other magical visitors to your garden. Fill the pot with soil and then let the kids add their favourite small plants. Place miniature toys among the plants to create the fairyland scene. 

6. Rocket man

Does your littlie love to play dress ups? Make them a pretend rocket pack using two silver-painted plastic bottles attached to a cardboard panel with arms straps. Add flames to the upturned bottle openings using coloured felt or cardboard, taped into position.

7. Fun fort

Raid your recycling bin for all kinds of cardboard tubes and boxes, then let the kids get creative by transforming the haul into a castle. Using the picture as a guide, a square cardboard box is ideal for the foundations and cardboard tubes make awesome towers. Tape the lot together using masking tape and paint the walls and towers in water-based grey paint. Add red-painted roofs, colourful paper flags and an arched doorway, too.

8. Let the games begin

If your kids love backyard games, you can make them medals to hang around their neck come the end of the day. Just loop circles of gold, silver and bronze-painted cardboard onto red ribbon. You can also make the medal ceremony podiums – at three different heights – using rigid cardboard boxes (well taped together) or a selection of timber crates.

9. Knock, knock

Turn a low hollow in a tree’s trunk into a magical doorway for fairies by covering the hole with a cute miniature door. A grown-up needs to cut the timber shapes to make the door, the little roof and the landing. Fit the door to the tree with small hinges. The kids can place fairies on the landing and check back every day for new magical visitors.

10. Outer space

Let the kids pretend to land on the moon by creating a rocket ship from cardboard boxes, taped together and spray-painted with shimmery silver paint. You can easily make the kids astronaut-style headgear by cutting the bottom out of a square box, then cutting a circle in the front for their faces to peek out. 

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Contemporary and Fun Christmas Art Projects for your Classroom!

Home » Blog » Contemporary and Fun Christmas Art Projects for your Classroom!

Description

I have many unique holiday art activities that I am sure your kids will love. I have made them easy (and virtually foolproof) for you as a teacher, and the results will leave a lasting impression, not only with the kids but with your school community at large. This collection of activities includes collaborative projects and smaller projects that kids could take home, there’s something for everyone!

Are you (and your kids) getting tired of the same old, old-fashioned art craftivities for the Christmas holidays? Looking for something fresh and contemporary to engage your kids and brighten your walls? Do you want to introduce some Christmas art projects that are fresh and new?

Well, you have come to the right place! I have many unique holiday art activities that I am sure your kids will love. I have made them easy (and virtually foolproof) for you as a teacher, and the results will leave a lasting impression, not only with the kids but with your school community at large. Doesn’t that sound like a recipe for a little holiday cheer?! Let’s get started.

Tessellated Christmas Trees

This one is a crowd-pleaser for young and old. Each student colors and cuts out a Christmas tree design (that I created). Then, each student’s individual tree fits perfectly with the trees made by their classmates, and together, all the individual pieces combine (tessellate) to form a class Christmas tree!

The final class tree can be displayed on your door (a popular choice), on your classroom wall, or in the hallway. Some teachers have even gotten the whole school involved and made a HUGE tree for the front entryway or auditorium. This makes for a truly unique, community-building Christmas project.

But whether you use it for your class, your team, or your school, the results will be incredible and have people excited all through the season! (Additional licenses are discounted at check-out if you’d like more than one teacher to use this project).

You can find my tessellated Christmas tree resource in my Teacher Pay Teachers store HERE .

Shaving Cream Marbelized Christmas Ornaments

Get ready to get messy! Okay, this perhaps is not the best opening line to describe a classroom Christmas art project, but…! I have taught this lesson literally hundreds of times to age groups ranging from 3 years to high school gifted programs. It’s fun, it’s messy, and it’s truly magical. I haven’t met a kid yet who didn’t get really excited when the magic is “revealed” at the end.

However, with that said, this lesson is not a quick print and run kind of activity. It takes a little time to gather all the supplies you need (shaving cream, liquid watercolors, thick paper). But, once you have the supplies and the know-how, you’ll be super excited and be looking for ways to show it all off—you’ll use it at school, at your nephew or niece’s Christmas party, or anywhere else you can!

I have made an instructional video to go along with this activity. Use it when you teach your kids. I’d show my students the video, and we’d go step-by-step together along with the video, pausing at each step.

I promise you and your kids will have a lot of fun with this one, not to mention the interesting looks you get from the check-out clerk at the grocery store when you come through the line with a bunch of cans of shaving cream! I get mine at the dollar store.

All the instructions you need to do this activity, including step-by-step descriptions, templates, lots of pictures, and the how-to video, are available for free HERE in my TPT store.

Christmas Around the World Agamographs

Who doesn’t love agamographs! Wait, what is an agamograph? It’s a picture that changes from one image to another as you look at it from one side and then the other. It’s hard to say, but fun to interact with!

Agamographs are super fun and contemporary activities to integrate art into your holiday classroom easily. There is a huge “wow factor” in this Christmas art project. The students love the surprise, and best of all, they did it themselves!! I have developed a unique set of Christmas Around the World agamographs that includes Christmas images from 12 countries. Countries included are America, Italy, France, Sweden, Brazil, Australia, Mexico, England, Netherlands, Canada, Germany, and Russia.

Use this activity for your anticipatory set for your Christmas Around the World studies. Use this activity as a final project when you are finished with any Christmas Around the World unit. Or use this project on its own for a memorable integration of art, culture, and geography!

The images have already been “spliced” together, and each space has been assigned a color. Students color them and then fold them. Once completed, students can walk from one side of the image to the other and watch it change! 

Making agamographs is a project often done by art teachers in the art room. However, I’ve taken out most of the “prep and mess” so that classroom  teachers can find this useful and fun. This project makes a big impression on children and the school community. It gives kids such a great opportunity to try and explain how they created them and all the steps and sequence involved.

My set of Christmas Around the World agamographs is available in my Teachers Pay Teachers store HERE . Or, if you are feeling ambitious and want to try to make your own agamographs, I have a step-by-step blog post to help guide you along available HERE ! Whichever way you do it, you’ll have tons of fun!!

DIY Christmas Card

I don’t know if you are like me or not, but I can’t seem to bring myself to throw away all the Christmas cards people send me each year for the holidays. I’ve been saving them for years–but a bit unsure why! Then (finally!) I came up with a fun way to use them in the classroom to help prompt kids to make their own unique holiday cards.

This idea is perfect for DIY Christmas cards or DIY holiday cards. It’s easy for kids because it takes the fear out of coming up with what to draw for a holiday card. The final results are certainly keepsake-worthy!

Basically, you cut out small but interesting pieces from your old Christmas cards, glue them to pieces of paper, and then have your students use their imaginations to “fill in” the rest of the picture. Then, sit back and watch the fun!

Full details about how to do this contemporary and fun Christmas art project with your classroom can be found in my blog post, DIY Christmas Cards for Your Classroom .

I’ve made a fun, easy, and inexpensive resource that you can use right away to do essentially the same thing with your students. I call this idea “Holiday card stARTers,” and they are available in my Teachers Pay Teachers store HERE . It’s been kid-tested and approved! And even if you DON’T save all your cards like me (I’m jealous) but still want to do this activity with your students, I have you covered there, too.

Christmas / Holiday Coloring Sheets

What kid doesn’t like doing some coloring for the Holidays? I have you covered here, too. But not with old-fashioned, boring Christmas-scene coloring pages, but rather with new, contemporary coloring activities and designs. For example, my “Pop Art”-style interactive coloring pages let the kids add their own patterns and doodles to their pages and encourage creativity and thought in the process. 

I have sets of my contemporary “Pop Art”-style interactive coloring sheets for the holidays featuring gingerbread men, Christmas symbols , and general snow/winter designs . I also have a set featuring “ugly sweaters” that kids love to design and color!

All my sets of interactive coloring sheets also come with appropriate writing prompts as well.

And recently, I’ve introduced another style of coloring sheets to my collection—”stained glass” designs. Teachers have been doing so many beautiful and creative things with them. From gorgeous bulletin board displays to making ornaments. 

These sheets feature images and designs reminiscent of stained glass that you may find in churches or other craft markets—things like wreaths, ornaments, nativity scenes, angels, poinsettias, holly, etc. Many of these “stained glass” sheets are designed so that the class collection can hang as a unified display that makes for a beautiful Christmas focal point for your room. You can find them all HERE.

3D “Pop Art” Christmas Ornaments

Another contemporary Christmas art project is assured to make the kids (and their parents) happy. This one is a teacher favorite too! My unique 3-D Pop Art Christmas tree ornaments are always a big hit as they make such a beautiful keepsake for the family tree.

My 3-dimensional Christmas ornament is made from one sheet of paper and is very easy! First, have your students decorate (color) the design of their choice. Then, cut out the ornaments. Finally, fold the paper into the final 3-D Christmas ornament. The entire ornament is cleverly folded from a single sheet of paper.

In my resource, you will get pages of detailed instructions, printables, handouts, etc. You also get a 5-minute how-to video and 3 different designs for your ornaments.

Trust me. Kids LOVE this project! You can find this 3-D “Pop Art” Christmas Ornaments resource in my Teachers Pay Teachers store HERE .

Directed Drawing

I also have some holiday-themed directed drawing activities. Kids love getting step-by-step instructions for how to draw. By the end, they figure out that they can, indeed, draw things that look like the stuff they didn’t think they could draw. Be they dinosaurs, cartoon characters, pets, or Christmas characters!

I have developed a collection of directed drawing instructions for Santa, elves, carolers, and nutcrackers with that in mind. This resource includes step-by-step drawing instructions for the kids. It also includes an example of my step-by-step instructions. This is for you, the teacher, to follow to help get the best drawing out of your kids!

You can find them in my TPT store HERE .

Once the kids have drawn their holiday pictures, you can take this activity further by having them color their holiday drawing. Or better yet (for the more ambitious), you can have them paint their final drawing.

This makes for a wonderful final product that has everyone feeling quite proud!

I have included examples in this resource. For more ideas on how to do this painting extension, you can check out my blog post on directed drawing. Simply apply the same concept and techniques to the Christmas images.

I have a How to Draw a Girl Elf freebie in my TPT store . This will get you and your kids started drawing holiday characters right away!

Table Posters

My holiday-themed “Table Posters” are small posters (think big coloring pages). You spread out on a table and have small groups of kids work together—or apart! They are immediately engaging, lead to great discussion and cooperation, and, most of all, they are fun! You can find them in my TPT store,  HERE .

Designed for pre-K, kindergarten, and 1st graders (but of course, older kids love them, too!).

My holiday set of table posters includes the following designs:

• Christmas Tree
• Gingerbread Cookie
• Star of David

I also have some really fun holiday sweater/ugly sweater table posters that your students will love. You can find them HERE .

That’s it!

I have many other resources that will infuse your Holiday lessons with art. Be that math, language arts, music, or nearly anything else! You can check them all out HERE .

As always, thanks for reading, and most importantly, thanks for making art with your kids!

Happy Holidays to all!!

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School Holidays Teaching & Learning Activities for Kids

Educational school holiday activities.

Our top 10 school holiday activities to keep the little people engaged and entertained

We get it, it's hard!

School holidays can be a challenging time. We’re a team full of parents, so trust us, we get it! That’s why we’ve prepared a list of our most engaging and fun educational activities for your kids to tackle these holidays. Safe and expertly designed by our education team, these resources will have your kids actively learning as they work through a broad range of topics, from sustainability to mental and emotional resilience.

Our top 10 activities for learning together

Schools tree day - how to plant a tree.

• Early Learning
• Year 1 - 10
• Environmental
• Biodiversity
• Citizen Science
• Conservation

Design Your Dream Car, (home learning)

• Humanities and Social Sciences
• Design and Technologies
• Sustainability
• Design Thinking

Oceans Of Rubbish (home learning)

Energy use in our world (home learning).

• Systems Thinking

Sustainability Board Game (home learning)

Colour a little happiness - creating rainbows (home learning).

• Health and Physical Education
• Physical Education
• Mental Health
• Physical Health
• Mindfulness and Meditation

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The Ultimate School Holidays Activities Guide: 100 Activity Ideas for the Holiday Season

School holidays activities are a Mum’s sanity saver. No kidding. I mean, I love my kids to bits but if I don’t have a bunch of activity ideas lined up for days when school’s off, I know they will go crazy at home and yep, drive me crazy too 😉

If, like me, you’re wondering how you’ll keep the kiddies entertained during the upcoming school hols, you’re gonna love what I have for you.

100 school holidays activities that are super fun, easy-to-pull together and are great for creativity, imaginativeness and family time.

Read through the list, print out the printable PDF and work your way through the list during the holidays. Don’t forget to share with us which ones were YOUR family’s fave!

Let’s get on to it now!

100 School Holidays Activities for Kids and Families

• Build a pillow fort… in the living room.
• Have an ice-cream sundae party… on a Sunday.
• Spend the day outdoors, hiking and walking.
• Be a tourist in your city. Hit all the popular tourist attractions and soak in your city’s culture.
• Make cards for friends and family members.
• Bake cookies or brownies for a neighbour.
• Pull out colouring books and pencils and colour away.
• Put on some 80’s music and have a dance party.
• Have a “dress up” day and let the kids dress up as whoever they want to. For added fun, let them choose your dress up outfit too!
• Invite school friends over for a play date.
• Head to the park for a picnic lunch.
• Try out a new dinner recipe together.
• Teach the kids a skill you know. Sewing, knitting, painting, gardening, take your pick.
• Pull out the board games and have an old-fashioned game night.
• Have a homemade pizza party night.
• Put on the sprinklers and let the kids run through them. Join them!
• Play hopscotch and other old-fashioned games on the driveway. Invite neighbourhood kids to join in.
• Have a neighbourhood block party. Everyone brings a dish and all the kids play together.
• Make a photo journal of the school holidays. Take a pic every day.
• Visit a farmer’s market or better still, a farm!
• Make a “ship” or “space ship” out of cardboard boxes. Let the kiddies have a free hand with the decorating.
• Visit the beach and collect seashells. Bring them back and put them into glass jars or use them for the card making activity.
• Build sandcastles at the beach and have a fun contest for the most creative castle.
• Write a story about the school holidays or anything else. Let the kids illustrate it, and then, read it out loud at the end of the holidays. Heartwarming!
• Volunteer! Find the nearest volunteering opportunity and sign up as a family, if you can!
• Have a Bubble-Blowing day .
• Visit the library and let the kids pick a book each.
• Have a family reading night. Every one reads a book they want to, sip on hot chocolate and eat biccies.
• Go biking on a trail. Don’t forget your helmets!
• Spend time in the garden. Don’t have one? Get potted plants and help the kids take care of them.
• Make shadow puppets on the wall and put up a show!
• Create sidewalk chalk art.
• Create leis or garlands with flowers and leaves.
• Pet sit for a friend.
• Make paper boats and have fun watching them float in the bath tub.
• Have a kids-and-you spa night at home. Run a bubble bath. . Diffuse essential oils and let the kiddies soak in. Let the kids go first so you can enjoy yours later.
• Paint toenails. More for the girls, this one.
• Play a backyard game every evening. Badminton, basketball, tennis… take your pick!
• Visit an amusement park or water park close to home.
• Write a letter, the old-fashioned way and let the kids mail it out as well.
• Go rock collecting and then, turn the rocks into pets by painting them.
• Collect fallen leaves and show kids how to press them and then, use them for crafts.
• Visit the local zoo or aquarium.
• Have a smoothie-and-shakes day and blend up yummy and healthy drinks.
• Make cupcakes, complete with fun frostings.
• Put together an “Our Family” recipe book. Include fave recipes for everyone and also, traditional family recipes too.
• Camp out in the backyard at night. Teach the kids to identify constellations.
• Have a movie marathon. Make popcorn and watch a bunch of classic family movies.
• Teach the kids to cook with or without the stovetop, depending on age.
• Declutter the house and hold a garage sale.
• Have a messy, eat-with-your-hands watermelon and mango party.
• Attend on outdoor concert.
• Take a road trip to a place that is close by yet away from home.
• Make fun family videos.
• Play in the rain or snow, depending on the weather.
• Play beach cricket.
• Hand out busy bags to all the kids.
• Have fun with string art.
• Put together floor or giant jigsaw puzzles.
• Have fun with origami. If you know it, teach the kids. Else learn to do it together.
• Learn or teach the kids quilling.
• Build a stick fort with a set of Stick-lets
• Have fun with beads and blocks.
• Organise a scavenger hunt or treasure hunt inside the house.
• Organise a scavenger hunt outside the house
• Hold a puppet show with the soft toys and dolls.
• Have a tea party for toys, complete with cake and ice cream.
• Create family footprint art.
• Have fun with face painting.
• Make a car or train track inside the house with tape.
• Put up a music show, complete with cymbals and ribbon rings .
• Bring out a family idea box and work your way through the ideas.
• Have fun with Lego and Lay-N-Go bags !
• Make sand structures, the mess-free and magical way with Kinetic Sand .
• Make hand or finger-painted gift wrapping paper.
• Make a set of sock puppets.
• Draw each other. Have kids lie down on large sheets of white paper and trace around their body.
• Go thrift store shopping and pick a treasure each for less than $5.
• Fly kites or watch kite flying.
• Plan a day trip to a planetarium.
• Feed ducks at the pond.
• Have a “work” day and let the kids pick who they want to be. Bring out pretend play toys to help them play doctor, teacher, restaurant owner, fireman.
• Take a train ride from one part of town to the other. Watch out for unique sights and sounds.
• Learn to make pottery.
• If it’s raining, play with umbrellas in the rain and then, get soaked to the skin.
• Have a “Stay in PJs” day and lounge at home, watching a movie, reading books and napping.
• Toast marshmallows in the evening in the backyard.
• Do some cloud watching and try to spot fun shapes and characters.
• Have a story telling session with story cards .
• Take a bus ride to a shopping center.
• Click funny face photos or selfies.
• Make drinking straw jewellery. Simply cut up coloured straws and let the kids thread them onto yarn or string.
• Host a slumber party for the kids and their friends.
• Set up a lemonade stand outside your house.
• Have a family photo shoot day.
• Organise all your photo albums with the kids and go down memory lane as well.
• Have a “Superheroes Saves the Day” day and let your kiddies don their superhero capes .
• Snuggle up on the couch and tell the kids cute stories from when they were little.
• Find out about free in-store kids activities in your area and attend a few of them.
• Do nothing. That’s right. Let the kids figure out what they want to do or let them do nothing. Boredom can be brilliant for inspiring creative thought and letting them come up with their own ideas.

ANGELA HENDERSON

Brisbane mother of two, and the brain behind Finlee & Me, a hub of content focusing on creating childhood memories through play, love and travel.

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Trauma-informed practices in schools, teacher well-being, cultivating diversity, equity, & inclusion, integrating technology in the classroom, social-emotional development, covid-19 resources, invest in resilience: summer toolkit, civics & resilience, all toolkits, degree programs, trauma-informed professional development, teacher licensure & certification, how to become - career information, classroom management, instructional design, lifestyle & self-care, online higher ed teaching, current events, 10 creative steam classroom project ideas for the holidays.

If you’re in the market for project ideas to bring to your classroom that celebrate the holiday season using STEAM (science, tech, engineering, arts, and math), this is your list. Below you’ll find projects that are perfect for students in elementary school, middle school, and even high school; volumetric decorations, anyone?

1) Christmas Tree Fractions

Who says fractions can’t be festive? Check out this STEAM project that combines math and art.

Materials: green paper, scissors, glue, marker

2) Crystal Candy Canes

Liquids, solids, science, crystals, decorations — they all come together in this crystal candy cane project from Little Bins for Little Hands.

Materials: borax (found in laundry detergent aisle), water, small mason jars (a wide mouth is preferable), pan, spoon, cup, and tablespoon measure

3) Instant Snow Project

Ever heard of snow dough? Your students will love this—especially if your area is lacking in wintry weather this time of year.

Materials : one cup of baking soda, glitter (as much or as little as you want), 1/4 cup of water

4) Snow Storm in a Jar

In this fun project from Lemon Lime Adventures — easy and safe for preschoolers or elementary-aged children — students learn how to whip up their own self-contained snowstorm while talking about weather science.

Materials : baby oil, white paint, water, glitter, Alka Seltzer, jar

5) Marshmallow Toothpick Snowman Challenge

Who doesn’t love a challenge? Task your students with engineering a freestanding marshmallow and toothpick snowman.

Materials : marshmallows, toothpicks, marker

6) Volumetric Christmas Trees

In this super smart STEAM project, you’ll teach students to create volumetric Christmas trees and snowflakes that can then be used to decorate your classroom with dimension.

Materials : paper, pencil, scissors, string, glue

7) Rudolph Balloon Races

Encourage your students to learn physics and have a little fun with Rudolph-themed balloon races. Winners get, say, an extra few minutes at lunch.

Materials : anchor points (chairs, desks, etc.), string or twine, straight straws, balloons, decorating supplies for Rudolph (red pompoms, construction paper, googly eyes, tape), tape, clips/clamps to keep the air in the balloon

8) Can You Turn On These Christmas Lights?

Let your little engineers try to solve this one—getting cut-up non-LED lights to turn on.

Materials : set of Christmas lights, 9 Volt Battery

9) Edible Dreidels

Mix creativity with engineering and end up with edible Hanukkah dreidels in this easy STEAM task.

Materials : Kosher marshmallows, pretzel sticks, frosting, Hershey Kisses, food-safe marker

10) Kwanzaa Woven Mat

The woven mat, or mkeka (em-KAY-kah), a traditional symbol, is where the Kwanzaa symbols sit. Let your kids work their engineering and artistic magic creating their own Mkeka mat with these directions from Fisher-Price.

Materials : black, red, and green construction paper or felt, scissors, glue or stapler, ruler

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55 Crafty Christmas Activities for School

October 24, 2023 //  by  Brittney Hallmark

The holiday season is full of fun craft ideas, especially those geared toward Christmas. Crafts are way more than just coloring sheets. There are many different types of crafts you can do with your students or your own children. Browse the list of homemade ornaments ideas, cute greeting cards, and other crafts for children. Whether a simple craft or adorable ornaments, these 55 craft ideas for the Christmas season are sure to bring tons of fun to your classroom.

1. Holiday Candy Jars

Making these adorable candy jars is a great way to make a cute craft that can also be used as a gift. These small bell jars are great sizes for creating tiny reindeer. Students can later fill them full of small chocolate candies.

Learn More:  Crazy Little Projects

2. Wooden Snowman Ornament

This is an adorable handmade ornament that will be a big hit with students. Using wood circle cuts is a great way to build the snowman. This holiday ornament makes a great keepsake to take home and put on your own tree.

3. Twig Snowflake Ornament 

After collecting a few twigs from the yard, help students bind them together to form a snowflake. They can jazz them up with some paint, sparkly glitter, or other decorations. These are great for decorating a classroom Christmas tree.

Learn More:  A Little Pinch Of Perfect

4. Nativity Collage Craft

This collage craft features a nativity scene and requires nothing more than paper and glue. Students can tear the small pieces or cut them and arrange them in a pattern to represent the scene. This is great to use when learning about the biblical story of Christmas.

Learn More:  OT Mom Learning Activities

5. Christmas Silhouette Art

This Christmas craft is more of an art project. With this festive craft, students will use shapes of Christmas ornaments or stars to create the outline as they use color around the shapes. It ends up being a colorful craft that makes great decorations for the holiday season.

Learn More:  Arty Crafty Kids

6. Fingerprint Christmas Tree

Fingerprint art is fun and simple. You could do this with your whole class following along, creating their own trees. This one allows for some freedom in creativity as well. Let students make their trees and after they dry, add some decorations. A little colored paint and some papers are all you need.

7. Angel Ornaments

Perfect for a parent gift, this sweet angel ornament craft is just right! These will require a little hot glue, so parent or teacher supervision and assistance are needed. Overall, it is a simple and easy craft to make that is super affordable.

Learn More:  Prudent Penny Pincher

8. Tealight Snowmen Ornaments

Cute ornaments always make for great Christmas crafts! These snowmen are easy to make, using battery-powered tealight candles. Add some eyes and a mouth with a marker. If you want to really take it up a notch, add some accessories, like earmuffs or a hat and a scarf.

9. Paper Cut Snowflakes

Simple and easy, this craft only requires paper and scissors. Students can fold the paper, make cuts and designs, and then display their newly made creations. These are fun to use as decorations in your room by handing them from the ceiling to represent falling snowflakes!

Learn More:  Handy Little Me

10. Salt Dough Ornaments

Salt dough ornaments are easy to make and fun to decorate. Students will enjoy making the dough and cutting out shapes with cookie cutters. Let them dry and then let students paint and decorate them. Don’t forget to leave a hole to attach string for hanging.

11. Grinch Christmas Ornaments

Grinch Day is beginning to be a regular thing in classrooms around the holidays. Here are three Grinch-themed ornaments that keep it simple, and fun, and result in super cute, finished products! Finish each ornament with bright ribbons tied at the top.

Learn More:  Happiness Is Homemade

12. Christmas Puppets

Paper puppets are easy to make and can keep little ones busy being creative! You can use this printable template or just let students create their own reindeer or Santa. Other puppet ideas may include a snowman, Grinch, or elf.

Learn More:  Easy Peasy And Fun

13. Clothespin Snowmen

Another super simple Christmas craft, this clothespin snowman is easy for when you want students to create a craft independently. They can paint the clothespins. After they dry, they can add their own decorations to make them unique and personalized.

14. Egg Carton Jingle Bell Ornaments

Egg carton jingle bell ornaments are a great little craft to add some jingle into your classroom. Students will need a jingle bell and pipe cleaner, plus their choice of colored paper. Students can fold and form the ornaments and include the bell inside.

Learn More:  Powerful Mothering

15. Craft Stick Reindeer Ornament 

This reindeer ornament craft is easy peasy! Color or paint the craft sticks, glue them together, add wiggly eyes and a red nose. You can attach a ribbon or sting for hanging it on the tree, or you can just hang it directly on the tree.

Learn More:  The Kindergarten Connection

16. Craft Stick Nutcracker Craft

All you need for this one is a large craft stick and two small ones! Students can create their own artwork to represent a nutcracker. These make a nice addition to Christmas decor around the classroom or school.

Learn More:  Taming Little Monsters

17. Christmas Tree Tessellation Craft

If you need something geared more toward the older kiddos, this is a great option! Involve math in your Christmas craft with this tessellation tree. This is a more involved project but totally worth the time and effort for your kiddos to put in while they are finding a pattern that works!

Learn More:  Little Bins For Little Hands

18. 3D Christmas Tree

This craft is a STEAM activity and encourages deeper thinking and critical thinking skills from students. They will use this paper Christmas craft template to build their tree. These are good for group or partner work, or they can also be done independently.

19. Clothespin Christmas Star

Another beautiful Christmas ornament idea, this snowflake is super easy. Simply glue the clothespins together in the center and paint. You can sprinkle it with glitter to give it a little something extra. Then, add a string for hanging on your Christmas tree!

Learn More:  Woman’s Day

20. Winter Ice Wreath Bird Feeders

These frozen circles are beautiful winter bird feeders. Add in fruits and berries and seeds or other small edible items for birds to eat. Add a pretty ribbon and hang it from trees near your classroom so you can watch as the birds come.

21. Beaded Snowflakes

A bit more advanced, this Christmas ornament craft is adorable but probably better suited for older students. String beads in a pattern or just put random ones to create a variety of colors. These can take a bit longer to create but make wonderful gifts!

22. Christmas Ornaments for the Birds

This is another bird feeder ornament. These are made from bird seed and form shapes made from cookie cutters. These are to hang outside and draw in the birds so you can see them. These won’t melt so they should last a while.

Learn More:  Kitchen Counter Chronicle

23. Eiffel Tower Ornament 

Paired with Madeline’s Christmas book, this Eiffel Tower craft is perfect for any grade. You can dress it up by adding crafted Christmas lights as well. This is a great way to explore other cultures and the way they celebrate holidays as well.

Learn More:  Kitchen C ounter Chronicle

24. Winter Snow Globes

Making these winter snow globes is a fun way to make your own Winter Wonderland! Students can design their snow globes to reflect their interests and preferences. It will be fun to collect small items for this crafting project!

Learn More:  The Every Mom

25. Bow Tie Pasta Wreath 

Dye some pasta green and use them to form a wreath. Add a cute little ribbon and you have an adorable, tiny wreath. Students can glue these to a piece of cardstock or choose to make a homemade Christmas card.

Learn More:  Crafty Morning

26. Paper Weaving Christmas Card

Paper weaving is an easy task that can turn out to look very nice. You can use small papers to weave a Christmas tree on the front of these cards. Students can make these for family and friends or for soldiers, people in nursing homes, or neighbors.

27. Curly Beard Santa Card

Santa crafts are tons of fun but this one has a little twist! Use this Santa template to craft an adorable St. Nick. But then help your students with the scissors to use them to curl the ribbons and make a full and fluffy, curly beard.

Learn More:  Best Toys 4 Toddlers

28. Button Christmas Tree Card

Collect a variety of green buttons. Students can use these to form a Christmas tree. It may be easiest to draw a tree first and color it in and then add the green buttons to the tree. These are unique and make great homemade Christmas cards.

Learn More:  Adventure In A Box

29. Photo Elf Craft

The photo elf craft is awesome because you can literally picture yourself as an elf. Tiny brads help the arms and legs of the elves to move. Students will have fun making these and then playing with these elf crafts.

Learn More:  Simple Everyday Mom

30. Reindeer Hat

Students love to make cute paper hats to wear around the school. This reindeer hat is a fun one that is perfect for young students. The special touch with this one is the red nose made of glitter!

31. Salt Dough Christmas Tree Ornament

Another salt dough Christmas ornament is super cute! Add the year on the bottom stem and fingerprints to decorate the tree as colored, Christmas lights. Use a marker to draw in the string for the lights and it is ready to hang on the tree.

Learn More:  The Bump

32. Paper Plate Grinch Craft

Another great Grinch craft, this paper plate craft can be for younger students. They can paint the paper plate and then construct the Grinch face and add a hat. This would be a great craft to use after watching the movie!

33. Potato Stamping Ornaments 

Potato stamping is a great sensory craft. Use potatoes to stamp onto paper. Paint them with designs or use solid colors and add designs after they dry. This is a fun craft and can even be used to make homemade gift tags or Christmas cards.

34. Ribbon Made Christmas Tree Craft

The base of this project is literally a tree branch! Tie a vast variety of green ribbons to form the tree branches on this craft. Trim it to shape into a groomed tree. Add a brown ribbon on the bottom for the stump or a yellow ribbon up top to represent the star if you would like!

Learn More:  Craftsy Hacks

35. Plant Pot Gingerbread Houses

Turn that flowerpot upside down and create your own tiny gingerbread house. Students can really showcase creativity and artistic skills! Have them pay attention to and add details and plenty of colors. This would be a great craft to pair with a writing assignment.

36. Mistletoes Footprint Art 

A classic Christmas craft, this Mistletoes painting is great for small children. Dip their toes in green paint and press them into the cardstock or canvas to form mistletoe. This can even be done on a plate that parents will enjoy displaying in their homes.

Learn More:  Holidappy

37. Footprint Snowmen Art 

Another adorable Christmas footprint craft is this snowman version. Use light blue paper to represent the night sky and add some painted snowflakes afterwards. Let students add decorations to their footprint snowmen once they dry.

38. Paper Plate Christmas Tree

Paper plate Christmas trees are easy to make and fun to display! Have students paint paper plates green and after they dry, form them into little trees. Glue them together and allow students to decorate with pom poms as ornaments. Small paper plates may work best!

Learn More:  Creative Family Fun

39. Gingerbread Houses

Messy but fun, gingerbread houses are always a great way to let students work in cooperative groups and practice communication and cooperation skills with one another. Students can work together to design a plan, build their house, and decorate it.

Learn More:  The Spruce Crafts

40. Sock Snowmen

Sock snowmen are the best! Students will enjoy creating these adorable little crafts. They can add as many decorative props and little items to dress up the snowmen. Students can really make these their own by choosing how they want to decorate.

41. Melted Beads Ornament

Melted bead ornaments are fun to make but will definitely require assistance. They end up really cute and can be good gifts for family members, friends, or even teachers. Plan ahead for this craft and allow time for students to place their beads where they want them to go.

Learn More:  Red Book Mag

42. Painted Dish Towels

If you are looking for the perfect homemade gift, look no further! These hand painted dish towels are a big hit! Grandparents will love the q-tip painted stencil work from their favorite kids at Christmas time.

Learn More:  Mom Secrets

43. Paper Plate Angel

Paper plate angels are a fun craft to make at Christmas time. You can change it up a bit by offering different materials for students to choose from as they pick the head and hair. They could paint the angel wings and body and add some shimmer if needed.

Learn More:  RD

44. Orange Peel Garland

Take small cookie cutters and use them to cut out shapes on orange peelings. Carefully use a needle and string the pieces together, forming a garland of orange peels. These not only smell good, but they are also adorable as well.

45. Gingerbread Craft

This is a gingerbread man that won’t run away! Use a paper plate to create this guy. Students can paint the paper plate and decorate his face to be whatever they choose. A variety of expressions would make for an entertaining classroom display.

Learn More:  Glued To My Crafts Blog

46. Christmas Countdown Craft

This Christmas countdown craft is a great way to have an advent calendar that will help students keep track of the upcoming holiday. The paper chain creates a great visual for students to see the holiday getting closer and closer.

47. Tissue Paper Craft

Try this tissue paper craft for something a little different. Fold white craft paper in half and cut out the shape from the middle. Fill it back in with contact paper and tissue paper. These make very cute Christmas cards as well.

Learn More:  Pure Wow

48. Snowman Block Ornament 

Recycle old wooden blocks with this Christmas craft. Students can paint the block white, add some small paint details by creating a face for the snowman. If you want to use them as ornaments, add a hook and string to the top.

Learn More:  Homemade Heather

49. Wooden Reindeer Ornament

This wooden reindeer ornament craft is super cute! You need small wooden rounds, a red nose, some wiggly eyes, and twigs for the antlers. Students can place the eyes and nose wherever they want to make their reindeer unique!

50. Cardboard Gingerbread Craft

Another good recycling craft, this one-use toilet paper rolls and paper. Let students create their own gingerbread men by decorating with whatever colors they want to add and let them design their faces for their gingerbread boy or girl. This craft works well with some of the fractured fairy tales for The Gingerbread Man.

Learn More:  Mod Podge Rocks Blog

51. Christmas Rock Painting

Instead of just making cute, Christmas ornaments, you can also do some rock painting! Students can paint fun holiday objects on rocks and give them as gifts or hide them for others to find. This is a handmade gift that requires little more than just finding a rock and grabbing some paint.

Learn More:  Lil Tigers

52. Cardboard Tube Elf Craft

These adorable little cardboard elves are sure to bring on the holiday cheer! Adding some personalized details to their faces is a great way to make each one unique. Use recycled toilet paper rolls and some paint to create the base and add the head atop.

53. Shredded Paper Snowman

This crafty snowman is perfect for a paper craft in the classroom. Using recycled paper scraps, this snowman is built and decorated as your little learner prefers! They can add a hat, nose, eyes, buttons, arms, and any other accessories they want to cut out and paste on!

Learn More:  Thriving Home Blog

54. Marble Paint Snow Globes

This paper snow globe craft is fun and will keep little hands busy for a while. Use marble rolling to paint the snow on a blue circle and add on your snowman and base. This would pair well with some snowmen picture books or use this to go along with a writing assignment.

55. Paper Plate Christmas Tree Hat 

The perfect addition to your class Christmas party is this paper plate hat. Students may need help with the cutting, but they can decorate and wear the hats when it is complete!

Learn More:  The Imagination Tree

• Our Mission

Meaningful Learning to End the Year Strong

These end-of-year activities for elementary and middle school can help ensure that all students continue to learn while having fun.

As we approach the end of the school year, it’s important to continue to provide students with rich learning experiences. While the weeks are winding down, every minute counts to deepen learning and relationship building for all students. We need to keep offering high-quality instruction to accelerate learning while holding high expectations and beliefs that all students can reach grade-level standards.

UnboundEd is an organization that partners with teachers and school districts to improve instructional approaches with a focus on historically marginalized students, so that all students are successful and thrive. In this article, I use UnboundEd’s GLEAM to offer suggestions for activities that encompass Grade-Level standards and are Engaging, Affirming, and Meaningful and can add much to the end of the year. 

The GLEAM framework hypothesizes that if teachers collaborate with a certain mindset to plan grade-level instruction that’s engaging, meaningful, and affirming, teacher and student actions lead to impactful learning experiences.

Teacher mindsets encompass a knowledge of how to incorporate students’ identities and experiences into rigorous grade-level learning. Teachers hold a belief that all students can meet or exceed grade-level standards and are empowered by choosing from a variety of ways of showing their learning. Here’s how GLEAM instruction helps accomplish this.

GL : Is designed toward grade-level standards and rigor.

E ngaging: Encompasses students’ interests and hopes and dreams. 

A ffirming: Acknowledges and honors students’ identities.

M eaningful: Has a purpose, including helping the community and the world.

In the suggestions that follow, I incorporate the elements of GLEAM instruction to promote ongoing learning at the end of the school year.

My students find great excitement in designing a class book at the end of the year. I begin this project by inviting each student to write a piece for the book: a poem, song lyrics, an annotated illustration, a story of a favorite or meaningful activity during the year, etc. Because they have a choice of what to write for their contributions, they find the project empowering and engaging. This is meaningful and relevant because it celebrates our year together and will be shared with the entire class, so the audience is authentic.

To meet grade-level standards, I provide (or we co-create) a rubric with four to five success criteria; students know the expectations from the beginning so that they can self-reflect, receive peer and teacher feedback, and revise. When the project is finished, we have a celebration to share each student’s contribution and provide a copy of the book for every student. During the celebration, it’s important for students to reflect on growth and what worked well in their writing/creation process.

Getting Outside 

Spring weather provides an excellent opportunity to go outside for some fresh air, exercise, and learning. One easy way to incorporate outside time is to have a “Partner Walk and Talk” where student partners walk and discuss an academic or social and emotional topic with a focus on speaking and listening standards.

One year, students planted a perennial garden outside our school to create a space for students for years to come. Vegetable gardens are another option. Garden projects provide an opportunity for students to plan, collaborate, and learn about plant growth, which encompasses social and emotional and science standards.

Another activity is to infuse math standards into playground study: Students can measure and map the playground, plan their dream playground considering use of space, or measure time by engaging in races or obstacle courses on the playground.

Still another outdoor activity revolves around birds. This year, our first graders are extremely excited about a bird study. They’re learning about birds and bird nests through observation, discussion, reading, and watching videos; then they will write opinion pieces about why we should care for birds. 

Standards as a Passion Project

Is the end of the year rapidly approaching and you still have standards to cover? Select three to four key standards, and develop success criteria for them. Then have students, alone or in pairs, select an area of interest to infuse into the project. Students write a proposal for their projects, receive teacher and peer feedback, and then begin working on the project. A celebration could include inviting other students, families, or community members to show off the learning.

For example, a student with a passion for animals may decide to design a zoo by creating a map and describing the habitat and food needs for a variety of animals. Another student might wish to write a song to demonstrate their expertise in playing the piano, using symbolism in their writing, a recent topic in the classroom.

This is an excellent opportunity to invite younger students in to see what they can expect in years to come; for example, a second-grade class can invite first graders in to see their passion projects. This provides an authentic audience and helps first graders feel excited about transitioning to second grade.

I have found the GLEAM framework useful in designing experiences for students throughout the year and feel that it is a lens through which end-of-the-year planning can be as impactful as possible. I am asking myself: Instead of expecting students to be engaged, how will I develop experiences that are meaningful for them to engage in?

• Grades 6-12
• School Leaders

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The Big List of School Holidays and Special Days To Celebrate in 2023-2024

From Labor Day to summer break and everything in between!

I think we all know February is Black History Month, but how many of you know when Say Something Nice Day is? This calendar of 2023-2024 school holidays and special days offers a variety of monthly celebrations for your classroom. We’re also linking to activities, lesson plans, resources, books, and more for each event.

Want to download our 2023-2024 calendar with all of these school holidays and special days? Get an editable file by submitting your email here so you’ll always have the calendar available.

Go to: August | September | October | November | December | January | February | March | April | May | June | July |

Daily observances and celebrations:

• August 9: Book Lovers Day [Read More: Reading Lists for all Grades ]
• August 13: Left-Handers Day [Read More: Help Left-Handed Students Succeed ]

Monthly observances and celebrations:

• Hispanic Heritage Month [Read More: Books To Celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month | Celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month With These Activities  | 20 #OwnVoices Novels ]
• National Yoga Month [Read More: Virtual P.E. Resources | Best Apps to Combat Stress & Anxiety ]
• 1st Monday: Labor Day [Read More: Classroom Activities To Teach Labor Day ]
• September 11: 9-11 Remembrance Day [Read More: Websites and Books To Teach Kids About 9/11 ]
• September 17: Constitution Day [Read More: Classroom Activities for Constitution Day ]
• September 23: First Day of Autumn [Read More: Fall Books | Fall Picture Books | Fall Art Projects | Leaf Art Projects | Fall Bulletin Boards  | Fall Poems ]

• National Arts & Humanities Month [Read More: Drawing Books | Music Books | Collaborative Art Projects | Art Projects With Basic Supplies | Directed Drawing Activities | Kindergarten Art Projects | First Grade Art Projects | Second Grade Art Projects | Third Grade Art Projects | Fourth Grade Art Projects | Fifth Grade Art Projects | Online Art Resources | Virtual Art Museum Tours | Painting Ideas | Famous Museums Kids Should Know ]
• National Bullying Prevention Month [Read More:  Anti-Bullying Books | Anti-Bullying Posters | Ideas To Stop Bullying ]

Weekly observances and celebrations:

• October 1-7: Banned Book Week [Read More: Banned Books To Read Before 12th Grade ]
• October 8-14: National Fire Prevention Week [Read More: Free Resources for National Fire Prevention Week | Activities for Grades Pre-K–2 | Activities for Grades 3-5 ]
• October 8-14: Teen Read Week [Read More: YA Books to Read Today ]
• October 23-31: Red Ribbon Week [Read More: Teen Vaping Guide ]
• October 9: Indigenous Peoples’ Day [Read More: Books by Indigenous Authors | Honoring Indigenous Peoples’ Day ]
• October 31: Halloween [Read More: Halloween Books | Pumpkin Books | Books About Monsters | Educational Halloween Videos | Halloween Math Word Problems | Halloween Poems | Frightfully Fun Halloween Games, Crafts, and Learning Activities for Kids | Halloween Candy Experiments | Halloween Decorations on a Budget | Literary Halloween Costumes for Teachers | Halloween Group Costumes for Teachers ]

• Academic Writing Month [Read More: Best Writing Apps for Kids | Writing Anchor Charts | Writing Center Ideas | 100 Creative Writing Prompts | Writing Prompts for High School ]
• American Indian & Alaska Native Heritage Month [Read More: Books by Indigenous Authors for the Classroom ]
• November 11: Veterans Day
• 4th Thursday (Nov. 23, 2023): Thanksgiving [Read More: Thanksgiving Books | Thanksgiving Crafts | Leaf Projects | Thanksgiving Poems | Thanksgiving Bulletin Boards |  Thanksgiving Lesson Plans | Books by Indigenous Authors | Thanksgiving Food Experiments | Thanksgiving Paper & Gratitude Prompts ]

• Winter Holidays [Read More: Our Favorite Kwanzaa, Hanukkah, and Christmas Books for Kids | Favorite Videos for Teaching Kids About Christmas, Hanukkah, and Kwanzaa |  Holiday Crafts | Holidays You Didn’t Know About | School Holiday Countdown | Virtual Holiday Classroom Celebrations ]
• December 7: Letter Writing Day
• December 7: Pearl Harbor Day [Read More: Pearl Harbor Facts for Students of All Ages ]
• December 7, 2023: Hanukkah Begins [Read More: Kwanzaa, Hanukkah, and Christmas Books ]
• December 21: First Day of Winter [Read More: Winter Picture Books | Educational Winter Videos | Winter Crafts | Winter Songs | Winter Poems | Winter Jokes | Winter Outdoor Learning | Winter Science Experiments | Winter Classroom Doors | Winter Classroom Decorations ]
• December 24 and 25: Christmas Eve and Christmas Day [Read More: Classroom Door Ideas To Welcome Winter and the Holidays | December Bulletin Board Ideas ]
• December 31: New Year’s Eve

Get My 2023 School Holiday Calendar

• January 1: New Year’s Day
• 3rd Monday (Jan. 15, 2024): Martin Luther King Jr. Day [Read More: Meaningful Martin Luther King Jr. Activities for the Classroom  | Classroom Books for Teaching About Martin Luther King Jr. | Martin Luther King Jr. Quotes for the Classroom ]
• January 24: Compliment Day [Read More: Compliment Cards To Encourage Staff and Students  | Teachers Share Best Thank-You Notes | Teachers Share Funniest Compliments ]
• Black History Month [Read More: Black History Month Activities | Picture Book Biographies To Celebrate Black History Month | Black History Month Poems | Black History Videos for Students  | Black History Month Posters  | Black Scientist Posters  | Black History Month Door Ideas ]
• National Bird-Feeding Month [Read More: Easy Ways To Get Kids Into Birding ]
• National Dental Health Month [Read More: Easy Science Experiments (one with teeth!)]
• Heart Health Awareness Month [Read More: Heart & Anatomy Activities ]
• Library Lover’s Month [Read More: Inspiring School Libraries  | Start a Free Take-Home Library ]
• 100th Day of School [Read More: Ways To Celebrate 100th Day | 100th Day Videos To Celebrate in the Classroom  | Hundreds Chart Activities! ]
• Lunar New Year [Read More: 10 Lunar New Year Activities ]
• Super Bowl (Feb. 11, 2024) [Read More: Football and Super Bowl Activities ]
• February 2: Groundhog Day [Read More: Groundhog Day Activities ]
• February 2: 2s Day [Read More: Celebrate 2s Day in the Classroom ]
• February 11: International Day of Women and Girls in Science [Read More: Inspiring Women Scientists ]
• February 13: Galentine’s Day
• February 14: Valentine’s Day [Read More: Virtual Valentine’s Day Activities | Books To Celebrate Valentine’s Day | Valentine’s Day Poems | Valentine’s Day Jokes | Valentine’s Crafts for the Classroom | Easy & Inexpensive Valentines to Send to Students | Educational Valentine’s Day Videos ]
• February 17: Random Acts of Kindness Day [Read More: Free Kindness Posters | Create a Wave of Kindness in Schools  | Kindness Books for Kids | Ways To Teach Kindness to Kids  | Bucket Filler Activities | Teach Kids To Pay It Forward ]
• 3rd Monday: Presidents’ Day [Read More: Presidents’ Day Activities | Teach Presidents’ Day in a Socially Conscious Way | Best President Books for Kids | Presidents’ Day Videos ]

• March Bulletin Board Ideas!
• Women’s History Month [Read More: Women’s History Month Activities | Women’s History Month Books | Women’s History Month Facts for Kids | Women’s History Month Bulletin Boards | Podcasts to Celebrate Women’s History Month | Inspiring Women Scientists ]
• National Nutrition Month [Read More: Educational Nutrition Information | Teach Healthy Eating | Fun Food Facts | Food Books for Kids | Books That Teach Healthy Eating Habits ]
• Music in Our Schools Month [Read More: Free Music Resources | Creative Music in the Classroom ]
• March 2: Read Across America Day [Read More: Reading Lists for all Grades ]
• March 14: Pi Day [Read More: Pi Day Activities | Pi Day Jokes ]
• March 17: St. Patrick’s Day [Read More: St. Patrick’s Day Activities  | St. Patrick’s Day Poems | St. Patrick’s Day Books ]
• March 19: First Day of Spring [Read More: Free Spring Posters | Free Spring Writing Paper | Best Spring Books for Kids | Weather Activities for Spring | Poems for Spring ]
• March 20: Very Hungry Caterpillar Day [Read More: Very Hungry Caterpillar Day Activities ]
• March 22: World Water Day [Read More: Crafts Using Water Bottles & Recycled Materials ]
• March 31, 2024: Easter [Read More: Cool Ways To Use Plastic Easter Eggs for Learning, Crafts, and Fun ]

• April Bulletin Board Ideas!
• Financial Literacy Month [Read More: Financial Literacy Books | Hands-On Banking |  Teach Money Skills | Online Apps and Websites to Teach Money Skills  | Adventures in Math ]
• Math Awareness Month [Read More: All Things Math! | Adventures in Math ]
• National Autism Awareness Month [Read More: Books for Teaching Kids With Autism | 7 Things Your Students With Autism Wish You Knew About Them | Books About Autistic Kids ]
• Poetry Month [Read More: Poetry Games & Activities | Must-Share Poems for Elementary School | Must-Share Poems for Middle/High School | Best Poetry Books for Kids  | Haiku Poems for Kids | Write a Found Poetry Essay  | Poems for Spring ]
• School Library Month [Read More: Inspiring School Libraries ]
• Volunteer Month [ Virtual Volunteering | Volunteering With Children & Teens ]
• April 1: April Fools’ Day [Read More: Pranks for Teachers ]
• April 7: World Health Day [Read More: Educational Nutrition Information | Teach Healthy Eating ]
• April 15: Tax Day [Read More: Tax Saving Strategies for Teachers ]
• April 22: Earth Day [Read More: Crafts Using Recycled Materials | Meaningful Earth Day Activities | Earth Day Books for Kids | Free Recycling Resources for the Classroom ]
• April 23: Shakespeare’s Birthday [Read More: Shakespeare Activities | Favorite Videos for Teaching Shakespeare ]
• April 24: Secretary Day [Read More: 7 Ways School Secretaries Are a Secret Weapon for Good Communication ]
• Last Friday: Arbor Day [Read More: Easy Nature Crafts & Activities  | Books About Nature | Plant Life Cycle Activities | Gardening Books ]

• Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month [Read More: 20 #OwnVoices Nonfiction Books |  20 #OwnVoices Novels ]
• Mental Health Awareness Month [Read More: 10 Steps for Building a Mental Health Program at School | How To Talk About Mental Health ]
• National Pet Month [Read More: Adorable Classroom Pets | 5 Reasons Why High School Classrooms Need a Pet ]
• Physical Fitness Month [Read More: Virtual P.E. Resources | Social Distancing P.E. Activities | Ways To Sneak in Exercise ]
• 1st Saturday (May 4, 2024): Kentucky Derby
• May 4: Star Wars (May the 4th Be With You) Day [Read More: Star Wars Bulletin Boards ]
• May 5: Cinco de Mayo [Read More: Critical Thinking About Cinco de Mayo ]
• 2nd Sunday (May 12, 2024): Mother’s Day [Read More: Mother’s Day Crafts for Kids | Mother’s Day Surprises for Kids | Mother’s Day Books  | Free “All About My Mom” Printable ]
• Last Monday (May 27, 2024): Memorial Day

• National Safety Month
• Pride Month [Read More: Articles on Making an LGBTQ-Inclusive Classroom ]
• June 1: Say Something Nice Day [Read More: Bring Positive Language Into the Classroom ]
• June 6: D-Day
• June 14: Flag Day
• 3rd Sunday (June 16, 2024): Father’s Day [Read More: Father’s Day Crafts for Kids | Father’s Day Books |  Free “All About My Dad” Printable ]
• June 19: Juneteenth [Read More: Ideas for Teaching Juneteenth ]
• June 20: First Day of Summer [Read More: Summer Activities | Get Kids to Love Summer Reading  | Poems for Summer ]
• June 21: International Yoga Day [Read More: Virtual P.E. Resources | Best Apps To Combat Stress & Anxiety ]
• National Ice Cream Month
• July 4: American Independence Day [Read More: 4th of July Activities | 4th of July Books ]

Are we missing any 2023-2024 school holidays or observances? Share in the comments below.

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The 30 Most Fun Holiday Activities for Kids

If you’re looking for some holiday activities for kids, we’ve got ’em! The fun-filled items on our list are sure to keep them from climbing the walls.

The holiday season is a special time of year for most families. We reminisce fondly on the traditions our parents and grandparents performed, almost ritually, each year. Whether it’s reading a holiday book by the fire with hot cocoa, baking Christmas cookies, making gingerbread houses, or donning matching pajamas, most families have something that makes Christmas Christmas. 

While we love the old traditions and want to keep them alive, we also love building new memories with this generation of kiddos! When children are out for school holidays, they need something productive to pass the time. Every parent awaits the dreaded words, “I’m bored!” Where boredom is, trouble usually follows.

If your family is anything like ours, when all those cousins get together at Christmastime, you need a few holiday activities for kids, to at least keep them occupied and not climbing the walls of Grandma’s house! Be prepared this season and have a few tricks up your sleeve for when those inevitable words come out!

Looking for a Unique and Fun Gift for Kids?

Send the kiddos on a scavenger hunt ! Let’s Roam offers hundreds of city scavenger hunts all over the world, as well as in-home hunts for those who prefer to “ roam from home !” Participants are assigned roles to play during the event and everyone can compete to top the leaderboard. Gift cards and e-certificates are available!

Holiday Activities for Kids

Let’s get to it. Here’s this year’s ultimate guide to keeping the kid’s entertained this holiday season!

1. Make Homemade Holiday Cards

While the curated Christmas card has become standard for most families, there is something sweet and nostalgic about a homemade card from your favorite kid. Many people still won’t be comfortable with big gatherings and travel this year, so an update from family by mail is just the ticket. Use blank construction paper or get a printable template from a free design website like Canva and print them on card stock. Let the kids make their own sweet card for each family member. Whip out the glue, pom-poms, glitter, markers, and googly eyes, and let them go to town. Grandma will love it! You can go ahead and include your best holiday family photo too! This is a great idea for Easter or mother’s day as well!

2. Pick Out Family Gifts

An awesome and hilarious family tradition is to take your kids to the local Dollar Tree, or equivalent store, and allow them to do their own shopping. Give them a list of loved ones to buy for and let them choose whatever item they want. It can be anything. There are no rules! We assure you that when they buy grandpa a teddy bear nightlight or their uncle a spatula and green, glitter duct tape, the room will be filled with joy and laughter. Small children always have a great reason for why they bought what they bought, and it makes for the most memorable and heartwarming gifts ever received. We guarantee it is a tradition your family will love and will want to continue every year! This one works particularly well with small children. It passes a day of time. It costs next to nothing, and it exemplifies, perfectly, the true holiday spirit. It’s really is fun for the whole family.

3. Decorate an Elderly Neighbor’s Home

With age comes an inability to do some things, but that doesn’t mean that the desire fades. Many of our elderly neighbors would love to have a fancy doorscape, yard decorations, Christmas lights, or just a beautiful wreath. They may even still have the decorations and are just unable to hang them. Visit a neighbor and ask if you and the kids could help them decorate this year. Perhaps they will say yes; perhaps they will say no, but they may have other things that need to be done instead. If you know the neighbor well, maybe you surprise them with the finished product! We love this activity because it keeps the kids busy. It provides a service to a needy population, and it brings joy to the elderly to spend time with children. 

4. Make Your Own Wrapping Paper

Making your own wrapping paper is not only economical, but it’s a fun holiday activity for children. Large rolls of thick paper can be purchased on Amazon or at your local teacher’s coop. Purchase some cheap acrylic or tempera paint at Walmart or Hobby Lobby, and guide each child to make footprints and handprints on the paper. Handprints can easily be turned into moose, footprints into reindeer and Christmas trees, and fingers into snowflakes. It makes for the cutest and most personal wrapping paper. Older children can even write special notes to each family member. You can keep it neat and tidy with a theme, or throw out the glue and glitter and let them have a free-for-all. The possibilities are endless. After it dries a few days, move on to activity number five.

5. Wrap Family Gifts

Okay, okay. You will definitely have to let go of your need for perfectly coordinated Christmas gifts for this one. If you are a wrapping paper neat freak, this one isn’t for you. However, if your kids have already purchased random, weird gifts from the Dollar Tree and made their own wrapping paper, you might as well make the package complete, so to speak, and let them go on and wrap it themselves too! Your loved ones will appreciate how much work the kids put into it, and the kids will be so proud of what they have created! It’s a win-win for everyone. Plus, you can still wrap the gifts you bought in that perfectly coordinated fashion you love!

6. Decorate Their Own Tree

Many people don’t necessarily want all the kid’s homemade, kindergarten, Christmas ornaments on the primary tree. We get it. They generally are not the classiest of ornaments. One solution is to buy the children a small tree for their room. Then, let them decorate it as they please. Their little faces will beam with pride when they are finished, and you can hide the pitiful little trees behind closed doors. You can either let them hang things they made at school, or consider taking an afternoon and trying out number seven on this list!

7. Make Popcorn Garland and Ornaments

Since the kids now have their own trees, they will need some decorations. One cheap and easy way to spruce up their trees is with popcorn garland. Simply pop some popcorn and string them together with a needle (or toothpick) and string to make as much garland as needed. For another fun activity, pull up a Christmas movie, and make some DIY, Playdough ornaments. Playdough ornaments are an easy holiday craft for children of all ages. Have the kids mold and create whatever they want by hand or with a cheap set of holiday cookie cutters. Once their designs are finished, pop them in the oven at 200F for 5-10, and let them cool. Remember to poke a hole for the hook or ribbon before you bake them! Revert to number 6.

8. Holiday Movie Night With Cocoa Bar

Children love to be in the kitchen (even when you don’t want them there). Tonight is the night to let them in. Put on their Christmas jammies, let them sit on the counter, and craft their own cocoa dreams. Gather cocoa powder, peppermints, whip cream, marshmallows, and any other sweet treat you like. Once everyone has created their masterpiece, just the way they like it, head to the living room. To make the night even more special, make a pillow fort in the floor before you make the hot chocolate. Under your sheet fort, your favorite holiday movie is sure to be even more magical! 

Pro Tip:  You can extend the activity to take up an afternoon as well. Grab a few mason jars, some chalkboard stickers, and some cute ribbon. Have the kids prepare hot chocolate concoctions for all their little friends or family members.

9. Pull Out  A Classic

Instead of Christmas movies, you might want to get a little extra reading time in. Hop in your pillow fort and read a section each night from a classic like A Christmas Carol or The Night Before Christmas. These classics have been around for generations, but they still hold up. Your kids will appreciate the extra time with you, and the memories they make in their fort will last a lifetime. One day, they may read them to their own kids.

10. Have an Indoor Scavenger Hunt

Let’s Roam has amazing indoor scavenger hunts to keep the kids busy for hours. Turn your phone into a world of exploration with specially designed challenges. We will have you up and moving and rolling with laughter. Our hunts are a great way to not only pass the time but to create some incredible family bonding moments. Families of any size can play, and once downloaded, you can use your scavenger hunt any time! It’s a great option to have in your pocket for that cold, rainy winter day.

11. Make an Advent Calendar

Advent Calendars are a great way to count down the 24 days until Christmas. There are literally thousands of tutorials out there for making an Advent Calendar. You can also buy completed sets almost anywhere online. Some common ones include a piece of candy each day or a small toy each day. We suggest you use your Advent calendar to put a holiday craft or activity in each day. Kids love opening their box or envelope each day and seeing what surprise awaits them. It’s like a little bit of Christmas morning every day, for 24 days!

12. Collect for a Toy Drive

If you are lucky enough to be able to give new toys to your kiddos every Christmas, birthday, etc, then they probably have more than they need. Christmas is a great time to have your kids go through the toys they have outgrown or don’t use anymore and give them (if in great shape) to a local toy drive, foster home, or family in need. Not only does it clear out space for the new toys they will inevitably receive, but it also teaches kids to remember those who are less fortunate and give something of themselves to make Christmas a little better for a child in need. They might wine at first, but at the end of the day, they will feel proud of their gift. Christmas is about giving right? Let’s start them out young!

13. Go Christmas Tree Hunting

Buying a live tree from a Christmas Tree Farm might be one of the most fun Christmas activities. Not only do you get to hunt the rows of trees, searching for the perfect one, but tree farms are generally very festive places! We have seen Christmas tree farms with petting zoos, outdoor games, scavenger hunts, hot cocoa stands, and even ice skating rinks. You can usually take a tractor-pulled hayride through the trees, experiencing their beautiful smell, while you sip your cocoa. Perfect! You can spend a whole day at some of these places, and at the end of a fun-filled afternoon, you get to take home your hand-picked tree for decorating. It’s way more fun than fighting the fake one out of the attic! Plus, it smells much better.

14. Feed the Birds

Take advantage of the cold temperatures by making an ice wreath. Gather a few beautiful holiday fruits or natural ingredients like cranberries, pine needles, or bits of seeds. You will need a bundt cake pan. Place an inch of water in the pan, fill with a few of your ingredients, and let it freeze. When frozen, add another inch of water and repeat until you have the thickness you desire. When thoroughly frozen, run a bit of warm water over the pan until the wreath releases. Hang it from the porch eaves as a beautiful decoration. As the wreath melts, the birds will come and perch for a quick snack! They will be glad for the easy winter food. 

15. Christmas Game Night

Invite over some of your favorite friends for a night of fun. Have everyone wear their Santa pajamas and bust out the Christmas games. Go old school with Twister, White Elephant, or Charades. Even better, if you have snow, start an epic snowball fight or have a snowman-building competition. Once you have declared the ultimate winner, head inside for hot cocoa and mulled wine. Pull up a family-friendly holiday movie and snuggle up for the end to a perfect night. Game night might just become your favorite new holiday tradition. 

16. Fill December With Games

Check out Santa Tracker ! We love this website by Google. For the whole month of December, you can tune in and see what Santa Claus and the elves are up to. Kids can learn basic coding from the elves, play all kinds of virtual holiday-themed games, and even learn common Christmas words from languages all over the world. There are so many games on this website for kids of all ages, and it comes with a handy family guide! Plus, on Christmas Eve, you can log in and track Santa and his reindeer from the North Pole to your home, as they drop off gifts to children all around the world! How fun is that?

17. Prepare For the New Year

It’s never too early to teach kids to set goals and make plans to accomplish them. Grab some cute paper and markers and have your kids make a few goals for next year. These should be age-appropriate and fun! They shouldn’t be stressful or too complicated. For instance, for four-year-olds, goals could be:

• Learn to color in the lines
• Read a book with mom before bed each night
• Make something creative every week
• Put my own toys away at the end of the day

You can even break your goals down into categories: a learning goal, active goal, craft goal, and a chore goal.

18. Virtual Game Night

No room in your apartment for tons of board games or crafts? No problem! Try a Virtual Family Game Night on our easy app and let us entertain you with our specially designed trivia, geography, pop culture, and more. Compete against your own family or include others over a virtual connection. Either way, it’s an awesome night of fun for all involved.

Pro Tip: Add an virtual party pack to allow up to six households to connect to your game night session!

19. Find a Place to Volunteer

Charity organizations and NGOs are in hyper-drive during the holiday season. Soup kitchens, toy drives, Thanksgiving and Christmas meal deliveries, and community cleanups are all working at max capacity. Whether you organize your own event or join up with a church or NGO, you will for sure find value in giving back. Plus, the organization will certainly appreciate the extra hands! Pack up your family and spend a Saturday or weeknight evening volunteering and experience the true spirit of the holidays.

20. Take a Holiday Light Tour

We adore those crazy neighbors who go all out during the holidays. They string millions of lights and program them to dance to music. They have every known blow-up character, and some even serve hot cocoa. Plus, many get in (friendly) competitions, with the other crazy neighbors, to see who can create the most insane holiday scenes. These people may have too much time on their hands, but they sure make Christmas a little brighter for the rest of us. It works out great because we get to enjoy all the spectacle and do none of the work. Pack up your kiddos with some snacks and scour the neighborhoods near you for the most awesome Christmas light displays. 

21. Send Some Love to Our Troops

Many of our military men and women won’t make it home this holiday season. A note of appreciation and a Christmas card from a fellow American can truly make their Christmas Day. While there are several companies that can arrange this, one of the best is through the USASOA: Christmas Cards for Troops . They begin collecting cards in September and accept them by mail up until December 5th. You make the card and submit it by mail, and they will take care of the rest, getting it to one of our servicemen who is away for the holidays.

 It costs the NGO around $45 to ship a box of 200 cards, so if you want to help, even more, consider dropping a donation through their online forum. We love this activity because it not only blesses others but gives us a chance to talk to children about the bravery of civil servants of all types and how much they do for our country.

Pro Tip: Other options along this line include: dropping off cookies and cards to a local hospital or nursing home, as those workers don’t get the holiday off either. Firefighters, police officers, paramedics are all at work on Christmas Day. A sweet gift from your kids might be just what they need to make it through the day without their own families.

22. Decorate the Driveway

Pull out the red and green sidewalk chalk and make your outdoors merry. This holiday activity is great because it’s easy. It takes up several hours, especially if you challenge your kids to cover the whole driveway, and it washes away easily. That means you can reuse this one a time or two… or three!

23. Set up a Hot Cocoa Stand

Lemonade Stands are popular in the summer, but what about a hot cocoa stand! Let your kids decorate their own refrigerator box or just set up a table and chairs outside on a warm day. This one is probably for those in the South, as it will be too cold in many places. You make that call, but this activity will not only keep the kids busy, it will also let them make a little extra holiday money! 

24. Take a Virtual Museum Tour

Almost all major museums have a virtual tour, especially since we are almost 2 years into this pandemic. You can explore The Louvre in Paris, The Smithsonian Museum of Natural History in Washington, DC, or the Boston Children’s Museum . You and your kids can literally travel all over the world, and see the most amazing artifacts, without ever leaving your cozy living room. They will be amazed, and they might actually learn something too. Win-win!

25. Candy Cane Hide and Seek

This one is great if you have multiple kids. Have one child hide candy canes all over the house. Then, set them loose to see who can find the most. Once they are all found, do it all again with a different child hiding the candy. If you only have one child, hide the candy canes for them, and then set a timer and see how many they can find in the allotted time. At the end of the game, everyone gets to choose one candy cane as a special treat! It’s simple, cheap, reusable, and the kids love it!

26. Have a Dance-Off

Christmas music. You either love it or hate it, but either way, this game is fun. Make a playlist of some upbeat holiday tunes. Set up a dance space in the living room. Let everyone show off their best moves and see who lasts the longest without falling down. Alternatively, set it up as a wacky dance challenge. Let each family member show off their best crazy dance and see who can pull out the weirdest moves. We guarantee, if nothing else, you will waste some time and get some good laughs, like those real deep “laugh-until-you-cry” laughs.

27. Make Your Own Ugly Sweaters

What started as a weird party novelty for college kids has now become a holiday tradition all over the world. While you used to have to go dig for hours at the Goodwill or Savers to find your ugly sweater, you can now buy them at Walmart or wherever. That takes a bit of the fun out of it, we think! This Christmas, have your kids make their own ugly sweater. Go grab some cheap plain sweatshirts and some fabric glue, and let the chaos ensue. We guarantee your kids can come up with some ugly designs. If you really want to go all out, take a Hobby Lobby run and let your kids pick out a few things to decorate their sweaters with from the Christmas and craft sections. You might be surprised what they come up with! 

28. Festive Fingernails

Grab a few colors of green and red nail polish and have a painting party. With a different color on each finger and toe, your kiddos will feel super fancy for their holiday festivities. Go ahead and let them paint your nails too. Not only will you have the most unique manicure at work, but you will also have some incredibly cute bonding moments with your little ones, or even your teens. We love the look of accomplishment on the three-year-olds face when they have finished their masterpiece. It’s priceless. You might want to do this one outside or lay down an old towel first!

29. Make an Indoor Obstacle Course

This one is not for the faint at heart. You better be ready for complete chaos. However, it just might keep your kids busy all day and in bed, completely worn out, at a decent time! Use masking tape to make hopscotch squares or points on the floor to jump from spot to spot. Make a balance beam or hula hoops to jump through. Use a blanket for tug of war. Set up your bar stools as a tunnel. Just take a look around your house, you will find plenty of things to use! It’s free. It’s fun! They will love it!

30. Bless Your Amazon Man

Have the kids decorate a bucket and several paper bags. In each bag, place a bottle of water and a treat. Have the kids make a homemade sign instructing the FedEx, Amazon Prime, UPS, or USPS man to take a treat! It will make the delivery man’s day. It also decorates your porch and keeps your kids busy for a few minutes! 

Closing Thoughts

We know you are still guaranteed to hear the dreaded words, “I’m bored,” at some point over your kid’s holiday break, but hopefully, with this list, you will have the answer to their boredom! The possibilities are limitless.

Whether you are into virtual games, arts and crafts, cultural learning opportunities, or volunteerism, we hope this list will be helpful this holiday season. Let us know in the comments which idea you are going to try!

If you run out of ideas, remember that this time of year is perfect for getting

The holiday season is a special time of year for most families. We reminisce fondly on the traditions our parents and grandparents performed, almost ritually, each year. Whether it’s reading a holiday book by the fire with hot cocoa, baking Christmas cookies, making gingerbread houses, or donning matching pajamas, most families have something that makes Christmas Christmas. 

Frequently Asked Questions

Holiday breaks can be hard on parents and kids. While there are plenty of great holiday activities for kids , some of the best are taking a virtual museum tour, making your own Christmas cards, or taking a holiday lights tour.

There are many great holiday activities for kids , but one of the best is to download a Virtual Scavenger Hunt . Kids can hunt all day with these professionally designed indoor games!

Christmas can get very expensive! A few free holiday activities for kids include dance-offs, volunteering, making an indoor obstacle course, and setting goals for the new year.

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Exciting, engaging ideas to end the school year

A s the 2023-2024 school year comes to an end for many districts around the US and Canada, we wanted to remind you of some fun and engaging activities to keep your students motivated to get you through the final countdown!

Whether you have used Book Creator throughout the entire year, or you’re just beginning your Book Creator journey, have no fear, as the activities that I’m about to share with you are infused with creativity to keep your students engaged in independent learning as you wrap up the final days before summer vacation.

See also: End of Year best practices for Teachers and Admins

Activity Journals

Our May Activity Journal is out now - the latest instalment of our monthly activity books that not only teach students about some amazing national holidays, but also allows students to use the accessibility features and creative tools that make Book Creator a go-to educational resource.

There are hundreds of activities in these books - so even if you've missed the previous ones, you could still go back and remix them! Here's the full library - take what you need and give your students some engaging, independent activities to try out throughout the rest of the year and into summer. Also, be sure to be on the lookout each month, as we will be sharing them throughout the rest of the calendar year!

Don't forget you can also translate these into multiple languages now too!

Yearbooks are popular this time of year, but sure are an expensive industry!  If you'd prefer to go with an excellent (and free!) hack then use Book Creator to create a digital yearbook instead.

What makes a Book Creator yearbook even more special is that it can be collaborative so that each student, or even class, is able to add in their own information and pages that can then be shared out with family and friends with one quick published link! Check out these yearbook examples for some more ideas.

Summer Reading Journal

We are so excited to offer an independent reading journal for students this summer. As you'll know, keeping students engaged in reading and writing, even once per week over the summer months, drastically decreases the amount of “summer slide,” or learning loss, that takes place.

Research conducted by Harvard professor Jimmy Kim shows that, "Similar to prior research on summer learning… I found that the volume of summer book reading was positively related to Fall reading achievement independent of prior reading and writing skills and student background characteristics…. The benefits of reading books during summer vacation were also consistent for all ethnic groups. In particular, reading four to five books had significantly larger effects than reading three or fewer books." ( 2004 )

What does this mean? The more you read over the summer, the better your reading achievement will be in the Fall. Furthermore, this statistic is true across all ethnic groups and socio-economic statuses.

Another popular end-of-year project is the school year reflection. Have students reflect on the past year. What was successful? What wasn’t? What was their favorite subject and why? Make sure they make use of audio and video for reflection as well as just text. Below are a couple of examples of ways to have your students reflect on the past year, and the year to come (these are remixable templates).

Goals for next year

As the year is winding down and students are reflecting on their learning and growth throughout the year, it is important to leave “legacies” or things for future students to know about their classroom, teacher, or grade. Using Book Creator, students can write letters to future students or even write a letter to their future self .

They can even create digital portfolios of the awesome projects and learning experiences that helped make their year so great! Using an editable template, such as this one , can help kickstart this awesome end-of-year project!

Do you have everything you need?

There’s never a dull moment this time of year, and at Book Creator, we want to make sure that you have everything you need to end the school year with students more motivated and engaged than ever before.

Check out this end-of-the-year library for more ideas that will spark enjoyment in your students! Thank you for all you do each and every day for students and as always, happy bookmaking!

Let us know in the comments what projects you do in Book Creator at this time of year.

Randi Ahrndt is Book Creator’s Head of Literacy Learning. With over 15 years experience in education as a Principal, Literacy Coach and Elementary Teacher, Randi brings a unique perspective to our team. She is a wife and boy mom x3, who loves reading, tacos and travel.

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35 Best Law School Graduation Gift Ideas to Celebrate the New Lawyer in Your Life

We've got practical presents, personalized gifts, and unique finds for him or her.

Every item on this page was chosen by a Woman's Day editor. We may earn commission on some of the items you choose to buy.

Not sure where to begin when it comes to graduation gift ideas ? Relax. We’ve got you covered. We’ve rounded up some of the best law school graduation gifts on the internet — trust us, it’s not up for debate. The lucky law school student in your life will be so honored and delighted that you took the time to commemorate their academic and professional milestone with a thoughtful gift.

From leather-bound portfolios to self-heating mugs, this robust roundup has a variety of graduation gift ideas for your lucky recipient. After all, your soon-to-be lawyer will need something to hold their files and keep their favorite caffeinated drinks warm as they pore over depositions. Plus, if you’re looking for inexpensive graduation gift ideas or some that are a bit more on the plush side — we’ve included options that suit just about all budgets and tastes — regardless of the type of law the recent grad is thinking of pursuing.

Want to make your law school graduation gift complete? Be sure to add a nice personal note or graduation card for guaranteed gratitude. Whether personal, practical, or professional, these law school graduation gifts are sure to please. Case closed.

Need inspiration for other graduates in your life? Check out more of our graduate gifts below:

Gifts for College Graduates | Nurse Graduation Gifts | Gifts for High School Graduates | Doctor Graduation Gifts

'New Yorker Book of Lawyer Cartoons'

Swap your average lawyer jokes for something a little more sophisticated with this hard-cover book featuring lawyer cartoons from The New Yorker .

Personalized Monogrammed Notepad

Every lawyer needs some sort of personalized stationery to level up their communication game. Get started with this monogrammed notepad.

Rocketbook Smart Reusable Notebook

An eco-conscious law student or lawyer will certainly appreciate this smart notebook, which transfers handwritten notes to the cloud before the pages are wiped clean for repeated use.

SNAK Decision Maker Desk Spinner Paperweight

When faced with "tough" decisions, there's no second-guessing that this light-hearted paperweight will come in handy. This comical gift is guaranteed to garner laughs and look good on desks.

Etching Memories A Lawyer's Prayer

Being a lawyer is not for the faint of heart, but this thoughtful, wooden plaque will be their reminder to keep the faith. It can be hung in their firm or home office.

RELATED: More Gift Ideas That Lawyers Will Love

Thomson Reuters Black’s Law Dictionary

Make no mistake, this dictionary is the gold standard for the language of law. For more than a century, this law dictionary is what attorneys have thumbed through to get the answers they need. It defines more than 55,000 law-related words and phrases with clarity and rigor. It's the perfect gift for the law-loving wordsmith. You have our word.

The Constitution of the United States of America: The Declaration of Independence, The Bill of Rights

They might have studied The Constitution and The Bill of Rights in law school, but do they actually have a copy of them? Gift them this leather-bound copy for their office.

Democracy Coasters

Available as individual $18 coasters or as a set of four, each of these marble coasters showcases a different document (the Declaration of Independence, the Constitution, the Bill of Rights, and the Civil Rights Act) and is sure to delight any legal geek.

Blue Leaves Makeup Pouch

So cute, right? It stores all her beauty essentials ensuring that she's putting her best face forward. One reviewer notes its roominess. "Perfect gift for my granddaughter's graduation. I filled it with makeup items and a gift card. Good size makeup bag and good quality."

Scales of Justice Personalized Notecards

Every law school grad needs monogrammed stationary. Gift them these personalized note cards that can be used for thank you cards and more.

RBG Catch All Bag

This RBG bag is perfect for storing pens, pencils, or anything else a new lawyer might need in a pinch.

Ruth Bader Ginsburg Socks

Say what you will about socks, but they make an awesome gift — especially when they come printed all over with the legendary RBG.

See You Later Litigator Glass

Serve up a celebratory drink in a glass that is sure to put a smile on the law school grad's face.

Scales of Justice 3D Personalized Crystal Sculpture

This crystal 3D paperweight keeps papers in place and looks good doing it. Featuring the scales of justice and your graduate's name, it's a catchy eyepiece for any desk.

Dayspring Pens Personalized Cross Pen

Your soon-to-be-lawyer will take note of your thoughtfulness with this engraved ballpoint pen. The classic black ink will leave a lasting impression.

Tears of Opposing Counsel Mug

Even future lawyers can appreciate a good gag mug, whether it holds their pens or coffee.

Wooden Gavel and Block

Order in the court or right in the office with this wooden gavel and block. Your new grad will love testing out his or her judging potential with this fun gift.

Jacob Erez JD 'Haikus for Lawyers'

"Haikus for Lawyers — Read it soon, it will give your practice — a big boon." They can read these short but sweet poems to put a bit of humor in their billable day.

Women in Law Sweatshirt

Show them that the future is female with this Women in Law sweatshirt. Available in four colors and extended sizes.

The Sill ZZ Plant

This easy-care plant can tolerate low indirect light and only needs to be watered every 2-3 weeks — making it the perfect choice for both beginner plant owners and busy new lawyers.

RELATED: Best Gift Ideas for Plant Lovers

Corinne Sullivan is an Editor at Cosmopolitan , where she covers a variety of beats, including lifestyle, entertainment, relationships, shopping, and more. She can tell you everything you need to know about the love lives of A-listers, the coziest bedsheets, and the sex toys actually worth your $$$. She is also the author of the 2018 novel Indecent . Follow her on Instagram for cute pics of her pup and bébé. 

Christina Montoya Fiedler is a Los Angeles-based freelancer with over 15 years of experience writing for online publications. Her work can be seen in Good Housekeeping and Woman's Day, where she covers everything from gift guides to personal essays. She holds a B.A. in English from Chapman University and is working toward her Early Childhood Education teaching credentials.

.css-2lr79s:before{top:1.4rem;left:calc(-50vw + 50%);width:100vw;height:0.0625rem;z-index:-1;content:'';position:absolute;border-top:0.0625rem solid #CDCDCD;} Best Holiday Gifts 2023

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KL Sentral redevelopment project to commence end-2024, says Loke

Friday, 10 May 2024

Related News

Unclogging the KL Sentral jam

Kl sentral station redevelopment project to commence year-end - loke, ktmb provides two additional ets services ahead of first term school holiday.

KUALA LUMPUR: The physical redevelopment project for the Kuala Lumpur Sentral area to address traffic congestion and increasing commuter use will start by the end of 2024, says Anthony Loke.

The Transport Minister said negotiations over the redevelopment plans under the Public-Private Partnership Unit (Ukas) were still ongoing.

"In principle, we received Cabinet's approval last year.

"We are expecting the physical project to start by year-end," he said in a press conference after launching the opening of Menara Sentral Railway Assets Corporation (RAC) here on Friday (May 10).

Loke added that KL Sentral had experienced rapid growth over the past 20 years and congestion had become an issue.

"Not only will it add value to KL Sentral but there is an urgent need (to redevelop)," he said.

In his speech, Loke suggested that Menara Sentral RAC developers build a pedestrian link bridge to the nearest train station.

"We want public transport as the main catalyst to redevelop the area.

"This is being developed in collaboration with Ukas while the land is owned by RAC. We will leave it to the private sector to develop the area.

"What we hope is that the (new) developed area is integrated with the larger KL Sentral area with access to public transportation," he said.

Tags / Keywords: KL Sentral , Redevelopment , Transport Ministry

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40 Facts About Elektrostal

Written by Lanette Mayes

Modified & Updated: 10 May 2024

Reviewed by Jessica Corbett

Elektrostal is a vibrant city located in the Moscow Oblast region of Russia. With a rich history, stunning architecture, and a thriving community, Elektrostal is a city that has much to offer. Whether you are a history buff, nature enthusiast, or simply curious about different cultures, Elektrostal is sure to captivate you.

This article will provide you with 40 fascinating facts about Elektrostal, giving you a better understanding of why this city is worth exploring. From its origins as an industrial hub to its modern-day charm, we will delve into the various aspects that make Elektrostal a unique and must-visit destination.

So, join us as we uncover the hidden treasures of Elektrostal and discover what makes this city a true gem in the heart of Russia.

Key Takeaways:

• Elektrostal, known as the “Motor City of Russia,” is a vibrant and growing city with a rich industrial history, offering diverse cultural experiences and a strong commitment to environmental sustainability.
• With its convenient location near Moscow, Elektrostal provides a picturesque landscape, vibrant nightlife, and a range of recreational activities, making it an ideal destination for residents and visitors alike.

Known as the “Motor City of Russia.”

Elektrostal, a city located in the Moscow Oblast region of Russia, earned the nickname “Motor City” due to its significant involvement in the automotive industry.

Home to the Elektrostal Metallurgical Plant.

Elektrostal is renowned for its metallurgical plant, which has been producing high-quality steel and alloys since its establishment in 1916.

Boasts a rich industrial heritage.

Elektrostal has a long history of industrial development, contributing to the growth and progress of the region.

Founded in 1916.

The city of Elektrostal was founded in 1916 as a result of the construction of the Elektrostal Metallurgical Plant.

Located approximately 50 kilometers east of Moscow.

Elektrostal is situated in close proximity to the Russian capital, making it easily accessible for both residents and visitors.

Known for its vibrant cultural scene.

Elektrostal is home to several cultural institutions, including museums, theaters, and art galleries that showcase the city’s rich artistic heritage.

A popular destination for nature lovers.

Surrounded by picturesque landscapes and forests, Elektrostal offers ample opportunities for outdoor activities such as hiking, camping, and birdwatching.

Hosts the annual Elektrostal City Day celebrations.

Every year, Elektrostal organizes festive events and activities to celebrate its founding, bringing together residents and visitors in a spirit of unity and joy.

Has a population of approximately 160,000 people.

Elektrostal is home to a diverse and vibrant community of around 160,000 residents, contributing to its dynamic atmosphere.

Boasts excellent education facilities.

The city is known for its well-established educational institutions, providing quality education to students of all ages.

A center for scientific research and innovation.

Elektrostal serves as an important hub for scientific research, particularly in the fields of metallurgy, materials science, and engineering.

Surrounded by picturesque lakes.

The city is blessed with numerous beautiful lakes, offering scenic views and recreational opportunities for locals and visitors alike.

Well-connected transportation system.

Elektrostal benefits from an efficient transportation network, including highways, railways, and public transportation options, ensuring convenient travel within and beyond the city.

Famous for its traditional Russian cuisine.

Food enthusiasts can indulge in authentic Russian dishes at numerous restaurants and cafes scattered throughout Elektrostal.

Home to notable architectural landmarks.

Elektrostal boasts impressive architecture, including the Church of the Transfiguration of the Lord and the Elektrostal Palace of Culture.

Offers a wide range of recreational facilities.

Residents and visitors can enjoy various recreational activities, such as sports complexes, swimming pools, and fitness centers, enhancing the overall quality of life.

Provides a high standard of healthcare.

Elektrostal is equipped with modern medical facilities, ensuring residents have access to quality healthcare services.

Home to the Elektrostal History Museum.

The Elektrostal History Museum showcases the city’s fascinating past through exhibitions and displays.

A hub for sports enthusiasts.

Elektrostal is passionate about sports, with numerous stadiums, arenas, and sports clubs offering opportunities for athletes and spectators.

Celebrates diverse cultural festivals.

Throughout the year, Elektrostal hosts a variety of cultural festivals, celebrating different ethnicities, traditions, and art forms.

Electric power played a significant role in its early development.

Elektrostal owes its name and initial growth to the establishment of electric power stations and the utilization of electricity in the industrial sector.

Boasts a thriving economy.

The city’s strong industrial base, coupled with its strategic location near Moscow, has contributed to Elektrostal’s prosperous economic status.

Houses the Elektrostal Drama Theater.

The Elektrostal Drama Theater is a cultural centerpiece, attracting theater enthusiasts from far and wide.

Popular destination for winter sports.

Elektrostal’s proximity to ski resorts and winter sport facilities makes it a favorite destination for skiing, snowboarding, and other winter activities.

Promotes environmental sustainability.

Elektrostal prioritizes environmental protection and sustainability, implementing initiatives to reduce pollution and preserve natural resources.

Home to renowned educational institutions.

Elektrostal is known for its prestigious schools and universities, offering a wide range of academic programs to students.

Committed to cultural preservation.

The city values its cultural heritage and takes active steps to preserve and promote traditional customs, crafts, and arts.

Hosts an annual International Film Festival.

The Elektrostal International Film Festival attracts filmmakers and cinema enthusiasts from around the world, showcasing a diverse range of films.

Encourages entrepreneurship and innovation.

Elektrostal supports aspiring entrepreneurs and fosters a culture of innovation, providing opportunities for startups and business development.

Offers a range of housing options.

Elektrostal provides diverse housing options, including apartments, houses, and residential complexes, catering to different lifestyles and budgets.

Home to notable sports teams.

Elektrostal is proud of its sports legacy, with several successful sports teams competing at regional and national levels.

Boasts a vibrant nightlife scene.

Residents and visitors can enjoy a lively nightlife in Elektrostal, with numerous bars, clubs, and entertainment venues.

Promotes cultural exchange and international relations.

Elektrostal actively engages in international partnerships, cultural exchanges, and diplomatic collaborations to foster global connections.

Surrounded by beautiful nature reserves.

Nearby nature reserves, such as the Barybino Forest and Luchinskoye Lake, offer opportunities for nature enthusiasts to explore and appreciate the region’s biodiversity.

Commemorates historical events.

The city pays tribute to significant historical events through memorials, monuments, and exhibitions, ensuring the preservation of collective memory.

Promotes sports and youth development.

Elektrostal invests in sports infrastructure and programs to encourage youth participation, health, and physical fitness.

Hosts annual cultural and artistic festivals.

Throughout the year, Elektrostal celebrates its cultural diversity through festivals dedicated to music, dance, art, and theater.

Provides a picturesque landscape for photography enthusiasts.

The city’s scenic beauty, architectural landmarks, and natural surroundings make it a paradise for photographers.

Connects to Moscow via a direct train line.

The convenient train connection between Elektrostal and Moscow makes commuting between the two cities effortless.

A city with a bright future.

Elektrostal continues to grow and develop, aiming to become a model city in terms of infrastructure, sustainability, and quality of life for its residents.

In conclusion, Elektrostal is a fascinating city with a rich history and a vibrant present. From its origins as a center of steel production to its modern-day status as a hub for education and industry, Elektrostal has plenty to offer both residents and visitors. With its beautiful parks, cultural attractions, and proximity to Moscow, there is no shortage of things to see and do in this dynamic city. Whether you’re interested in exploring its historical landmarks, enjoying outdoor activities, or immersing yourself in the local culture, Elektrostal has something for everyone. So, next time you find yourself in the Moscow region, don’t miss the opportunity to discover the hidden gems of Elektrostal.

Q: What is the population of Elektrostal?

A: As of the latest data, the population of Elektrostal is approximately XXXX.

Q: How far is Elektrostal from Moscow?

A: Elektrostal is located approximately XX kilometers away from Moscow.

Q: Are there any famous landmarks in Elektrostal?

A: Yes, Elektrostal is home to several notable landmarks, including XXXX and XXXX.

Q: What industries are prominent in Elektrostal?

A: Elektrostal is known for its steel production industry and is also a center for engineering and manufacturing.

Q: Are there any universities or educational institutions in Elektrostal?

A: Yes, Elektrostal is home to XXXX University and several other educational institutions.

Q: What are some popular outdoor activities in Elektrostal?

A: Elektrostal offers several outdoor activities, such as hiking, cycling, and picnicking in its beautiful parks.

Q: Is Elektrostal well-connected in terms of transportation?

A: Yes, Elektrostal has good transportation links, including trains and buses, making it easily accessible from nearby cities.

Q: Are there any annual events or festivals in Elektrostal?

A: Yes, Elektrostal hosts various events and festivals throughout the year, including XXXX and XXXX.

Elektrostal's fascinating history, vibrant culture, and promising future make it a city worth exploring. For more captivating facts about cities around the world, discover the unique characteristics that define each city . Uncover the hidden gems of Moscow Oblast through our in-depth look at Kolomna. Lastly, dive into the rich industrial heritage of Teesside, a thriving industrial center with its own story to tell.

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9 places to nosh on bagels in southern Maine

From old-school spots to foodie favorites, there's a 'hole' lot to try.

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Bread and bagels at The Works Cafe in downtown Portland. Photo by Aimsel Ponti

From New York-style boiled bagels to Montreal-inspired wood-fired ones, there’s lots of great bagels in southern Maine and several shops have the accolades to back that up.

In 2023, Bon Appetit named bagels from Rose Foods and Rover Bagel among the best in the country.

Two years before that,  Food & Wine Magazine put Rover, Forage and Scratch Baking Co. on its list of best bagels in the U.S.

Whether you like yours toasted with cream cheese or as the bread for your breakfast sandwich, you can find plenty of styles and flavors from Biddeford to Brunswick.

BEACH BAGELS

The offerings at Beach Bagels include a French toast and marble bagel, and the cream cheese menu comprises spreads like strawberry, olive and honey walnut. Along with breakfast sandwiches, Beach Bagels has hearty breakfast options like omelets and pancakes. Best of all, you’re steps away from a beach stroll. Just don’t let the seagulls steal your bagel. Advertisement

WHEN: 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. daily WHERE: 34 Old Orchard St., Old Orchard Beach. beachbagels.yolasite.com ______________

Dutchman’s opened in 2022 as a pop-up housed at Nomad pizza in Brunswick’s Fort Andross building. It’s since become a permanent fixture there and uses the pizzeria’s wood-fired ovens to bake its bagels. The hand-shaped, honey-boiled bagels come in plain, roasted garlic, poppy and a bagel-of-the-day flavor.

WHEN: 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. Thursday to Sunday WHERE: Fort Andross, 14 Maine St., Brunswick. dutchmans.me ______________

FORAGE MARKET

Making bagels at Forage Market involves a two-day aging process. The bagels are naturally leavened with wild yeast starter and baked next to a hardwood fire. There are usually five flavors available, including sesame and garlic. Breakfast sandwiches (including vegan options) are available. Forage also has a location in Lewiston. Advertisement

WHEN: 7 a.m. to 1 p.m. Monday to Friday, 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday and Sunday WHERE: 123 Washington Ave., Portland. foragemarket.com _____________

MISTER BAGEL

There are 10 or so Mister Bagel locations in Maine, including South Portland and Falmouth. It all began with the Portland location, which was the first bagel shop to open in Maine. The late Rick Hartglass started Mister Bagel in 1977, and it is still a family business. Music fans will appreciate the breakfast sandwich menu, which includes The David Bowie (bacon, egg and American cheese), the Jimmy Buffett (egg with roast beef and cheddar) and The Lady Gaga (avocado, salt and pepper, with or without egg).

WHEN: 6:30 a.m. to noon Monday to Friday, 7 a.m. to noon Saturday and Sunday WHERE: 599 Forest Ave., Portland. misterbagelforestave.com ______________

At Rose Foods, the menu varies depending on the day, but there are usually six to eight flavors available. For example, should you pop in on a Friday, you’ll find a poppy and onion bialy (a cousin of the bagel that is not boiled). Rose Foods also makes a number of bagel sandwiches, including the Classic Nova with Nova lox and the Classic Whitefish. Advertisement

WHEN: 7 a.m. to 2 p.m. daily WHERE: 428 Forest Ave., Portland. rosefoods.me

______________

ROVER BAGEL

At Rover Bagel, you’ll find wood-fired plain, poppy, sea salt, sesame and everything bagels available most of the time, and the spread game here is strong with cream cheese options like lemon-thyme-honey cream and chili-garlic.

WHEN: 7 a.m. to 1 p.m. Wednesday to Friday, 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday, 8 a.m. to noon Sunday WHERE: 10 West Point Lane Suite 10-204, Biddeford (Pepperell Mill). roverbagel.com

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SCRATCH BAKING CO.

You haven’t lived until you’ve experienced the line of devoted fans waiting for Scratch Baking Co. to open, especially on weekend mornings. Along with the popular Maine sea salt, plain and other everyday flavors, Scratch has a daily special bagel. There’s honeyed rosemary on Wednesday and jalapeno cheddar on Thursday. Scratch is also famous, at least to locals, for its P-Cheese spread. It’s a pimento cheese recipe made with cheddar, mayo, roasted red peppers and seasoning and was passed down to co-owner and head baker Allison Reid by her grandmother, Mern.

WHEN: 7 a.m. to 1 p.m. Wednesday to Saturday, 7 a.m. to noon Sunday WHERE: 416 Preble St., South Portland. scratchbakingco.com ___________

THE MAINE BAGEL

The Maine Bagel is a drive-thru with several breakfast and other kinds of sandwiches available. With a bagel list that features egg and bialy among the standards, the family-owned spot is the perfect place to stop on your way to Pine Point Beach. The Maine Bagel really shines with a dozen kinds of cream cheese spreads, including raisin-walnut, lox, strawberry, cranberry-nut and bacon-chive.

WHEN: 6:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. Tuesday to Friday, 7 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday. WHERE: 117 Route 1, Scarborough. themainebagel.com Advertisement

THE WORKS CAFE

The Works Cafe is an institution on the edge of the Portland’s Old Port. It opened in 1990 as Bagel Works before it changed its name in 2002. The original shop in this regional chain opened in Manchester, Vermont, in 1988, and there are 11 locations around New England, though just the one in Maine. Gone are the ’90s-era banana-walnut bagels and cold pizza cream cheese, but The Works Cafe is still a reliable place to grab a salt, multigrain or cinnamon raisin bagel, among others. The menu also has bowls, sandwiches and smoothies.

WHEN: 6 a.m. to 7 p.m. daily WHERE: 15 Temple St., Portland. workscafe.com

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