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Christmas Reading Activities: Ideas for the Holiday Season

The holiday season offers a fun way to incorporate themed reading activities! What better way to celebrate this time of year (and winter break) than gathering around the Christmas tree with a good book and a few Christmas cookies. 

One activity involves creating a Christmas countdown with a book for each day leading up to the holiday. Reading aloud a few holiday classics are a great way to bond and share time during the hustle and bustle of the season. 

Christmas reading activities

Interactive Christmas Reading Activities

Interactive activities include storytelling circles that foster group discussion, reading games that entice young learners, performances that animate Christmas tales, and creative crafts tied to holiday stories with printable activities. These literacy activities are also great to incorporate into lesson plans. Don’t be bored over the holiday break, check out these activities and add them to your years Christmas traditions. 

Christmas Reading Games

Christmas reading games make reading exciting and so much fun. Activities like a holiday-themed scavenger hunt encourage kids to find and read specific passages from their favorite Christmas stories. This not only develops reading comprehension but also reinforces learning through play. 

  1. Christmas Bingo– Check out this awesome holiday themed bingo game with free printable! The idea behind it is to read a few holiday books and when you hear the word called from the reading you place a Hershey’s kiss on it. This is such a cute idea! You can even laminate these task cards and keep them for years to come. 
  2. Christmas Reading Challenge– This post includes 25 days of holiday reading ideas. 
  3. Printable Christmas Reading Challenge Kit– If you are looking for a way to teach your kids about Christmas through books, this is the post for you! It includes a free Christmas printable prep packet with resources that celebrate the story of Christmas. This is a great resource for activities over the entire month of December. 
  4. Christmas Reading, Phonics, and Math Printable– This post comes with loads of free printable Christmas worksheets that include recording sheets to work on math skills, word problems, reading and phonics! These printables encourage critical thinking and students learning, not just mindless games. For example, learn to rhyme with a Candy Cane Rhyme Game Freebie or a Merry Matching Drop e, Add -ing Christmas Theme Game. 
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Creative Performance of Christmas Stories

Transforming holiday books into performances breathes life into Christmas stories. This activity is suitable for family gatherings, schools, or community events, allowing each participant to interpret the main idea uniquely. Encouraging improvisation can add a fun twist as well. This method of storytelling is both educational and entertaining. It’s the perfect reading activity for upper elementary students and students who can work together in a small group to create their own play.

Crafts and Reading Combinations

Blending crafts with reading is a fun way to pass the time, especially over Christmas break. After reading a story, kids create art or crafts related to the narrative.  Projects might include crafting decorations based on characters or settings from a book. These activities serve as excellent keepsakes or gifts. Each Christmas activity can be conducted individually or in groups, tailored to suit varying skill levels.

  1. ‘Twas the Night Before Christmas Book Activity – Learn how to make a cute ornament while reading the book ‘Twas the Night Before Christmas. This is a great craft for young children. 
  2. The Naughtiest Reindeer craft – You know we love toilet paper roll crafts around here and what better way to repurpose those toilet rolls than by making a reindeer with them while reading a good holiday book! 
  3. Bear Ornament Christmas Craft – This cute bear craft is based on the book “Bear Stays Up for Christmas.” This Christmas book themed Christmas ornament is great for younger kids and older ones as well. It’s a great family holiday craft. 

Independent Christmas Reading

Engaging in independent reading activities during the Christmas season is great for kids who want a little more independence. Here’s a few ideas below. 

Interactive E-Books

The use of interactive e-books adds a dynamic element to Christmas reading, especially for older kids like 4th grade and 5th grade students. Many digital platforms include features like animated illustrations, sound effects, or reader-engagement activities. I’ve listed a handful of free resource E books below. These are from Project Gutenberg. This website is the perfect resource to find free reading materials. 

Creating a reading schedule or setting aside a specific time can help integrate these activities into everyday Christmas holiday routines. Whether it’s a picture book or a digital version of an old classic tale, make sure to add one of these fun christmas activities into your holiday schedule.