Finding Christmas activities for high school students can be tricky. It is important to make sure that these activities are engaging and suitable for the holiday season. Sprucing up your content with a holiday theme is a great way to maintain your students' focus at the high school level. If you are looking for engaging activities to celebrate Christmas with your high schoolers, you may want to check out these 30 classroom resources.
1. Christmas Scattergories
Christmas Scattergories is a fun game for English class that allows students to sharpen their vocabulary and writing skills. This game is perfect for both middle school students and high school students. Playing scattergories is sure to be an engaging experience for everyone.
Learn more: Creations by Kara
2. Finish the Lyric Game
If you have a creative group of students, you may be interested in having a wreath decorating contest. You can provide DIY wreath ideas and have students create their own wreaths. The winner gets to display their wreath on the classroom door for the rest of the year.
Learn more: Country Living
4. Christmas Rush Card Game
Christmas Rush is a fun class game that is similar to musical chairs but in a card game format. You can have a "Christmas Rush" tournament to increase the level of competition among the class community.
Learn more: Amazon
5. Holiday Escape Room
Escape rooms are very popular with high school students. You can set up an escape room for the classroom, or you can put together a digital escape room online. They are both equally as fun for students as they race against the clock to complete the puzzles.
Learn more: Jenna Copper
6. Holiday Writing Prompts
If you are interested in holiday-themed writing prompts, you may want to check out this amazing resource. It includes all of the holidays celebrated by various cultures around the world. This is a great way to give students the opportunity to share their own holiday traditions.
Learn more: Expository Writing Prompts
7. Christmas Activity Books
Christmas activity packs are a great way to keep high school students busy while celebrating the holiday season. Activity books are classroom activities that require critical thinking and problem-solving skills. Students can work on these alone or with a partner.
Learn more: Christian Books
8. Snow STEM Experiment
Have you ever wondered how fake snow is made? If so, you may want to check out this fun and easy snow STEM experiment. Your students will be engaged with this hands-on winter themed experiment. It would be perfect for the last week of school before winter break.
Learn more: The Home School Scientist
9. Hot Chocolate Experiment
There's nothing quite like a warm cup of hot chocolate to get ready for Christmas! Get your students to gear up for the holidays with this hot chocolate experiment. Your high schoolers will investigate water temperatures. Their favorite part just might be the taste test after finding the results.
Learn more: Creative Family Fun
10. Christmas Scavenger Hunt
This Christmas scavenger hunt can be used with students from Elementary school through high school. This is an entertaining Christmas-themed activity for the days leading up to the holiday break from school. Students will have fun using critical thinking skills while searching for the special prize.
Learn more: Etsy
11. Christmas Dice Game
The Christmas Dice Game can be played in small groups of students. This is an awesome resource to celebrate the holiday season and have students engage in friendly competition. It is also a great way for students to interact socially and have fun.
Learn more: Grandma Ideas
12. Holiday Writing Activities
These holiday writing activities are the perfect sentence starters for your high school students. If they are already used to journal writing, these Christmas prompts will be a nice change. These daily writing prompts can be used in a traditional notebook or interactive online documents for the digital classroom.
Learn more: Journal Buddies
13. Christmas Word Search
I love this little book of word search puzzles. This is a great activity for students to work on independently or with a peer. Word search puzzles are beneficial for spelling and vocabulary. You can incorporate these puzzles with other grammar activities in a holiday themed activity package.
Learn more: Amazon
14. Christmas Mad Libs
Mad libs are always interesting for students. You can incorporate mad libs into an activity sheet with other exercises or use it on its own for extra holiday fun. Mad libs are a fun way to express creativity with words at every grade level.
Learn more: Christian Book
15. Holiday Gift Exchange Game
If you are looking to start a new classroom holiday tradition, you may want to check out these gift exchange games. You can set a $5 limit and have everyone buy a random gift. This will allow students to be generous to one another and ensure everyone receives a gift.
Learn more: Play Party Plan
16. Book Speed Dating
Book speed dating allows students to fall in love with books! You can use holiday-themed books around Christmas time in the days leading up to the winter holiday break from school. This activity is good to use with high school English students or even middle school students.
Learn more: Reader Pants
17. Video Game Design
Many high school teens are interested in playing video games. If you have access to a computer lab or laptops for students, this video game design website would be an engaging digital activity for students to interact with. Many students will enjoy the creative elements of designing video games.
Learn more: Game Star Mechanic
18. Community Service Project
The winter holidays are an excellent time to organize a service project with a local organization. You can put together a canned food drive, cookie bake sale, or a park clean up team. These are effective ways to raise money for a good cause or give back to the community.
Learn more: Donor Box
19. Christmas Caroling
The holidays can be a difficult time for some people. While there is much to celebrate, it can also be a time when we remember loved ones that have passed. Christmas caroling can lift people's spirits and truly make someone's day special. It's a lot of fun for kids, too!
Learn more: Songs and Smiles
20. Christmas Cake-Inspired Bath Bomb Project
Bath bombs make great Christmas gifts. You and your students can make your very own bath bombs to gift or to keep this holiday season. Students will have the opportunity to create a hands-on project that includes aspects of science and math. Students can also write about their experience!
Learn more: Creative Green Living
21. DIY Christmas Cards
Students can create their own DIY Christmas cards to distribute to loved ones over the holiday break. In addition to making cards for their own family and friends, they can also make effective holiday cards for soldiers on military bases. It is a thoughtful gesture that is much appreciated.
Learn more: DIYs
22. Virtual Field Trip
The holiday season is a wonderful time for high school students to take a virtual field trip. Virtual field trips are amazing online experiences that students can be fully immersed in to learn something new. The penguin virtual field trip is one of my personal favorites.
Learn more: Special Learning House
23. Printable Christmas Mazes
Printable Christmas mazes are very useful for students of all ages and grade levels. These are pre-made digital activities that are easy for you to print and utilize in your classroom. You can even create digital resources with these also if needed. This is a very fun activity!
Learn more: Big Activities
24. Pop-Up Christmas Crafts
This pop-up Christmas card craft tutorial is an excellent activity for high school students. They can make pop-up cards as gifts for family and friends. Personalized gifts are always well received, especially gifts that are handcrafted and made with love.
Learn more: Youtube
25. DIY Personalized Christmas Ornaments
If you are looking for a creative project for high school students to celebrate the holidays, you may be interested in these DIY ideas to make personalized Christmas tree ornaments. These make great gifts because they can be tailored to fit specific interests or school colors.
Learn more: For Creative Juice
26. Create Board Games
Designing and creating board games can be a fun challenge for teens. Creating board games allows students to practice analytical and problem-solving skills. They will be challenged to think outside the box and be creative. Students can then swap and play each other's board games.
Learn more: Science Friday
27. Christmas Poetry Workshop
Christmas is a great time to reflect on the year and think about what the new year will bring. Poetry is an excellent outlet for students to write down their thoughts and reflections. Incorporating a Christmas or holiday themed poetry workshop would provide an opportunity for students to express themselves.
Learn more: Happy Strong Home
28. Christmas Cross Stitch Choice Project
This Christmas cross stitch idea is an awesome art project for high school students. Cross stitching improves focus and patience while students work towards achieving a goal. The finish product would also make an amazing gift for someone special. I love the Christmas designs they can choose from!
Learn more: A Little Craft in Your Day
29. Wonderopolis Holiday Investigation
Wonderopolis is one of my favorite resources to use as a teacher. You can simply search "Christmas", or any other holiday keyword and articles will come up in the form of questions for students to explore. This interactive resource is suitable for students of all grade levels.
Learn more: Wonderopolis
30. Christmas Readers' Theater
A Christmas themed readers' theater activity is an engaging way to practice reading skills and comprehension while role playing with friends. Students will take turns reading the script in the voice of their assigned character. It is so much fun for everyone involved.
Learn more: What the Teacher Wants Blog
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