Congratulations! You have managed to wrap up final assessments, reports and now you can relax and enjoy the last week with your class.
Here are 5 FREE activities to keep your class engaged and learning leading up to Christmas:
The Christmas Present Thief Code Breaker
A fun code cracker mystery where students need to solve who is the Christmas Present Thief. There is an introductory story, 5 codes to crack plus a list of possible suspects. Each code contains a clue which helps the students eliminate the suspects, finally leaving only one {suitable for students in Grades 3-6}.
Christmas Chains
The one part of the end of the year I put off as long as possible is pulling down all the students’ fabulous work. So, to keep the class looking colourful and festive provide students with strips of red and green paper. If you don’t mind uneven chains only give the students a set number of red and green paper to make it more challenging. Borrow a few staplers and tape from your colleagues and split the class into pairs or groups of 3. Give the students 15 minutes or so to see who can make the longest Christmas chain.
Kahoot-a-thon
Usually, my class is begging to play a Kahoot and the last week of school is the perfect time to overindulge. You could create your own quiz recapping the topics you’ve covered in the year or search the ample supply of quizzes online. Mix it up by having individual and team quizzes and just wait for the crescendo of cheers to build.
Balloon Popping to the End of the Year
This is a popular choice when counting down the days left in the year. Previously, I have started with 10 days left and I’d suggest starting with no less than 5. Inside each the balloon place a different activity for the whole class to do. Our Christmas creative thinking pack has so many fun activities which are perfect if you are stuck for ideas. Otherwise, it could be an activity the students have loved doing throughout the year or one you have been putting off until you have more time. My class went crazy over slime last year and it made for a perfect science lesson and kept them engaged for the whole afternoon.
Christmas Creative Thinking Tasks
I am a big fan of creative thinking tasks (we have put together a blog post specifically on how to use these in the classroom. You can read it here in more detail).
I have used a combination of these activities over the years, and the students and I always enjoy the final week of school together.
Looking for other FREE Christmas themed activities? Check out our Kindness Kris Kringle Task or Number of the Day Christmas Tree.
If you use any of these ideas in your classroom, please share it with our Rainbow Sky Creations community on Instagram or Facebook.
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What to read next:
How to Promote Kindness in your classroom this Christmas
3 Cost Effective Gift Ideas for Students
The Best Christmas Math Lesson EVER
