The holidays are coming, and let’s face it—your students are more focused on Santa’s list than your lesson plans. The weeks leading up to Christmas break can feel like a whirlwind in the classroom. With students buzzing with holiday excitement, it’s tough to keep them engaged and focused on learning. Luckily, I’ve put together a collection of eleven festive and fun Christmas activities for upper elementary! Thankfully, these aren’t just time-fillers; they’re easy-to-implement, skill-packed activities that help your students review important concepts while still soaking up the holiday spirit.

#1 Christmas No Prep Review Pack

Squeezing learning in the last few weeks before a break can be chaotic, to say the least. With assemblies, special events, and holiday celebrations filling the schedule, it’s more important than ever to make the most of every available learning minute. Luckily, the Christmas No Prep Review Pack is a game-changer for keeping students learning and focused during the holiday season.

Students learn so many new skills in upper elementary. Thankfully, this Christmas packet for upper elementary combines fun and meaningful skill review. Specifically, there are 17 different holiday activities to choose from. Students can show what they know by reviewing math and reading skills.

Whether it’s tackling main ideas with Sweet Traditions or solving Reindeer Riddles with multi-step word problems, students will love this festive-themed packet! With activities like Festive Figurative Language and Frosty Math Challenges, you’ll have stress-free, academically rich options ready to go. Perfect for centers, morning work, or independent practice, this packet ensures every precious minute is packed with enriching and engaging learning!

#2 Christmas Nonfiction Texts

Honestly, finding engaging nonfiction reading passages for upper elementary can be tough! Many nonfiction texts can be dry and boring. Thankfully, these Christmas Nonfiction Texts bring energy, cheer, and a festive atmosphere to your classroom!

Designed to spark curiosity, this resource helps students practice finding the main idea and supporting details. Topics like “Why was Rudolph’s nose red?” or “Why do we leave cookies and milk for Santa?” are not only intriguing but also make it easy for students to dive into reading to find the main idea. 

Each Christmas-themed passage challenges students to find the main idea appearing in different parts of the text. Paired with graphic organizers, these activities guide students in identifying the main idea and choosing supporting details. Truly, it’s the perfect balance of rigor and fun! 

#3 Christmas Around the World

Let’s be honest, the last thing students want to do before the break is practice writing. However, reviewing those essential writing skills before a long holiday is crucial. That’s where Christmas Around the World Writing comes in! 

This writing resource shares how Christmas is celebrated in places like Mexico, Sweden, and Australia! Each passage highlights unique traditions, and students will love learning about the different ways people celebrate the holiday. This will easily become a student favorite! 

Each passage includes questions that help students practice finding and using text evidence. Specifically, students will use the RACES writing strategy to answer one big question for each passage. Additionally, there are also three shorter questions to help students restate and answer clearly.

Students will learn so many neat holiday traditions that are different from those in their country. As students learn about differences, this is a fantastic time to also introduce random acts of Christmas kindness. You can find everything you need to teach students about empathy, compassion, and generosity in this blog post’s Christmas Kindness Calendar.

Learning how other countries celebrate the holidays excites students and makes learning fun! Students will be eager to sharpen their writing skills while enjoying how Christmas Around the World is celebrated. 

#4 Christmas Math Activities 

The weeks before Christmas can feel like a whirlwind, but that doesn’t mean math has to take a back seat! Students love practicing essential math skills when it involves Christmas-themed printables. 

Thankfully, this Christmas Math Activities packet has twelve no-prep worksheets to keep your math lesson running smoothly. Students will practice mastering multiplication facts with Multiplication Magic, tackle telling time with Holiday Events, and crack fun Christmas codes! Additionally, there are critical thinking puzzles like La-La Logic and a review of important skills like fractions, measurement, and long division.

Truly, this packet has everything you need to make math merry and bright! 

#5 Christmas Reading Activities

The holidays are busy, so no prep resources are a must! Luckily, this Christmas Reading Activities packet has twelve festive reading comprehension worksheets that are print-and-go. You won’t need to prep a single thing!

In this ready-to-use resource, students will practice using context clues, identifying authors’ purpose, and finding the main idea and supporting details. Students will also practice other essential skills that are important to review before a break. 

A fantastic way to bring holiday cheer into your classroom each morning is to choose one of the twelve reading passages for morning work. Honestly, this will excite students as they wander in, guessing which festive topic they will learn about each day.

Of course, reading is just as important as math! Honestly, right before a long break, students need to review all the skills they have learned so far this year. This is why the Christmas Survival Packet gives you the best of both worlds! This resource bundles together the Christmas Math and Reading Activity packs. The best part is that you can save money and get everything you need in one single resource!

#6 Christmas Doodle Bookmarks

From decorating Christmas trees to adorning fun gingerbread houses, the holidays offer so many opportunities for creativity. Luckily, with Christmas Doodle Bookmarks, students can use that inspiration in a creative way!

These fun bookmarks are more than just a placeholder. Each black and white bookmark has its own little holiday theme for students to color. Additionally, a full-color version is included that is completely ready to print! 

Here are a few creative ways to use them:

• Early Finisher Activity: Let early finishers personalize their own bookmarks for a festive activity. 
• Calming Station: Allow students to color after a busy assembly or holiday party. 
• Classroom Rewards: Use the full-color version to hand out as prizes or incentives during the busy holiday season. 
• Student Gifts: Print and laminate bookmarks for an easy Christmas gift for students. 
• Bookmark Exchange: Let each student decorate a bookmark and then do a fun gift exchange with a friend!

No matter how you choose to use the Christmas Doodle Bookmarks, they are sure to spread cheer and inspire a love for reading!

#7 December Book Reviews

By December, students have more than likely read many books! This makes December the perfect time for students to reflect on their favorite (or not-so-favorite) books. Conveniently, this December Book Reviews activity allows students to reflect while sharpening their reading comprehension and writing skills.

With colorful templates, step-by-step guides, and even a ready-to-use rubric, this activity makes it easy for students to craft thoughtful book reviews. They’ll learn how to express their opinions, develop their writing voice, and include essential elements of a strong review. 

Plus, their work can be transformed into stunning classroom displays that inspire others to pick up a book and dive into reading. So, whether you turn their reviews into a bright bulletin board, a hallway showcase, or a binder of reading recommendations, this resource is as versatile as it is engaging.

#8 Candy Canes Close Reading

During the holiday season, magical elves, colorful lights, and sweet holiday treats seem to fuel upper-elementary students! One of those treats is candy canes! But did you know that the classic candy cane isn’t just a sweet holiday treat but also has a fascinating history hiding behind its sugary stripes?

Thankfully, this Candy Canes Close Reading activity provides a week-long lesson on Candy Canes: The History Behind the Hook! This Christmas activity for upper elementary turns a simple holiday treat into an engaging story packed with skills to practice. 

Students will practice making inferences, citing text evidence, and drawing conclusions—all while learning fascinating facts about candy canes! Plus, this resource makes it easy to support students at their level with differentiated passages and graphic organizers! 

#9 Fruitcake Close Reading

During the holiday season, I was always surprised as to how many students had never had the historic holiday treat, fruitcake. It’s been around for centuries, but love it or leave it—it’s earned its place as the most debated dessert of the season.

Luckily, its quirky history makes it the perfect topic to teach essential reading skills. In this Fruitcake Close Reading resource, students will dive into the article Fruitcake: The Story Behind this Holiday Treat. This close reading lesson will give you a full week’s worth of plans!

In particular, students will practice logical inferences, citing evidence, and drawing conclusions—all while learning the fascinating backstory of fruitcake. Spoiler alert: It’s way more interesting than it tastes! 

By the end of the week, your students will be expert fruitcake historians. Plus, you’ll have managed to sneak in some rigorous reading practice before the holiday chaos begins. You can even wrap up the close reading activity with a fun fruitcake taste test—the perfect Christmas activity for upper elementary!

#10 Christmas Trees Close Reading

Using high-interest readings right before the holidays is a must! Students are buzzing with holiday energy and need something that will capture their attention and make them forget they are learning. 

Fortunately, this Christmas Trees Close Reading will engage and keep students focused on academics. Students will read all about another age-old debate, Real vs. Fake Christmas Trees: Which is the greener choice? With leveled passages and a ready-to-use digital option, it’s easy to differentiate and keep your classroom humming with productive learning.

#11 Christmas Digital Stickers

Between projects, printables, book reviews, and more, the weeks before Christmas are packed with student’s hard work. Thankfully, these Christmas Digital Stickers make it easy to connect with your students during the holiday season. 

These Christmas-themed digital stickers bring festive cheer to teacher feedback, digital badges, or classroom rewards. Plus, using these stickers couldn’t be easier. Just copy and paste them onto student work in Google Slides or Docs, or use the camera tool in Seesaw to add a touch of holiday magic.  

Teachers will have so much fun choosing the perfect digital sticker from a selection of candy canes, Santa hats, merry snowmen, and more! Students faces are sure to light up with every click!

As the holiday season approaches, keeping your students engaged can feel like herding Santa’s elves. However, with these Christmas activities for upper elementary, teachers can bring some fun and festive learning into the classroom without the stress. So, don’t let the holiday chaos overwhelm you—grab these festive activities and make the last few weeks before the break both fun and productive!

Grab this FREE Christmas resource!

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Make sure to save these Christmas activities for upper elementary to your favorite Pinterest board. You will be able to come back to this list when you are ready to prep for the holidays!