It truly is the most wonderful time of the year when you have our awesome Christmas activities to keep your high schoolers busy! Take your pick from 35 unique activities- each one guaranteed to impress your learners. From building activities to science experiments and more, we’ve got something suited to every grade.
1. Snowball Shooter Catapult Activity
This snowball shooter is a fun activity to help fill up the festive holiday. All your teens will need to recreate this snowball shooter is a plastic fork, rubber bands, craft sticks, and mini marshmallows.
Learn More: Team Cartwright
2. Candy cane-color spread
This Christmas chemistry experiment, although simple to set up, makes for a marvelous project. Simply arrange red and white candy cane sweets in a circular formation on a plate. Pour just enough warm water into the plate so that it covers the sweets and wait for the magic to begin! The result is a mesmerizing diffusive action.
Learn More: Team Cartwright
3. Snowy Salt Christmas Tree
This activity provides your learners with an opportunity to explore the concept of salt crystallization whilst creating a unique Christmas ornament. Mix hot water and salt together before pouring over a cardstock cutout placed in a container. Leave your science experiment undisturbed for a few days and once the water has completely evaporated your teens will be left with a snowy-looking salt tree.
Learn More: Go Science Kids
4. Pattern Block Cards
These pattern block cards may seem easy, but they most definitely challenge the mind. To up the ante, challenge your high schoolers to see if they can recreate the shapes from memory after looking at the cards for only 5 seconds.
Learn More: You Clever Monkey
5. Crystal Candy Cane
Another awesome crystallization activity is this crystal candy cane grown in a jar. All your students need to bring theirs to life is a pipe cleaner, salt, water, a piece of ribbon, craft sticks and a mason jar.
Learn More: Kiwi Co.
6. Festive Fizzy Ornament
These abstract wonders make the most spectacular decorations. Drop acrylic paint into a clear bauble or globe and then add dish soap, baking soda, and a generous amount of vinegar. A carbonic reaction will occur and the solution will begin to fizz. Once the fizzing has ceased, simply dump out the liquid and close up the bauble or globe.
Learn More: Kiwi Co.
7. Raw Egg Wrap
Similar to wrapping up a precious gift to protect it, this drop project tasks your learners with protectively wrapping an egg before dropping it from a given height. The learner whose egg can be dropped from the highest height without breaking, wins!
Learn More: Momtastic
8. Light Up Felt Christmas Tree
Another gorgeous ornament for your tree or even something that can be used to light up the classroom is this sweet felt Christmas tree. Have you learners cut out a green felt tree before cutting tiny holes throughout and poking multi-colored lights through them.
Learn More: Kiwi Co.
9. Glitter Slime
This glitter slime is a Grinch fans’ delight! To make a batch, your pupils will need to mix clear glue and saline solution together before combining with a solution of water and baking soda and as much green, gold, red and silver glitter as their heart desires!
Learn More: Sugar, Spice, and Glitter
10. Santa’s Parachute
This fun project prompts learners to make Santa a parachute in case he needs a quick getaway! To put their engineering skills to the test they’ll need tissue paper or a large cupcake holder for the canopy, 4 pieces of string, and a tiny Santa toy or image.
Learn More: YouTube
11. Snowstorm In A Jar
This fantastic classroom activity shakes up the mainstay of boring science classes. All that’s needed for your students to learn about the charges, bonds, and reactions of liquids is; baby oil, white paint, Alka-seltzer tablets, blue food coloring, and glitter as well as a clear glass jar.
Learn More: Mom Brite
12. Draw A Christmas Tree Based On An Algorithm
This coding activity is a wonderful introduction to the world of coding and robotics. By following basic instructions the entire class should be able to create an image of a Christmas tree that closely resembles everyone else’s.
Learn More: JDaniel4’s Mom
13. Graphite Tree Circuit
Amaze your students by lighting up a bulb using only a graphite pencil, a 9-volt battery, and a mini LED bulb. Have them draw a small Christmas shape or tree before outlining it with a thick graphite line. Place the battery at the bottom of the image whilst placing the light at the top before connecting the 2 using the wire leads along the graphite line.
Learn More: There’s Just One Mommy
14. Build An Elf House
This cute STEM activity requires your learners to build an elf house. They can make it fun by teaming up and getting as creative as possible. The only requirement is that the house should be formed using mainly cardboard and brown paper.
Learn More: There’s Just One Mommy
15. Engineer An Ice Lantern
We love homemade ornaments- especially when they’re eco-friendly! Place a weighted cup in the middle of a bowl before pouring water around the cup. Throw in a few berries, petals, herbs, or leaves before popping them in the freezer. Once frozen, remove the structure from the bowl, add a candle into the hole and you’ll have a striking candle holder to light up an outside path!
Learn More: Green Kid Crafts
16. Candy Cane Building Challenge
Give each learner an equal number of candy canes and a hot glue gun. Challenge them to build the tallest tower they can. The student with the tallest and sturdiest tower can win a prize!
Learn More: Lemon Lime Adventures
17. Cup Tower Challenge
Building skills are put to the test in this cup tower challenge. Learners should work together to build the tallest tower by balancing plastic or paper cups one on top of the other. To get them practicing their math skills have them answer the sum of each cum as it’s stacked.
Learn More: The Happy Teacher
18. Molecule Structures
Having your pupils build their own molecule structures is a wonderful twist on a classic science activity. By using small Styrofoam balls and narrow wooden sticks they’ll be able to visualize how various molecules are formed within the body.
Learn More: Fun-A-Day
19. Jingle Bell Nerf Game
Students will have a ball both creating and playing this game. They can use a cardboard Christmas tree and stack of paper cups to practice their aim- shooting at the bells with a nerf gun. How fun!
Learn More: Frugal Fun 4 Boys
20. Foam Geoboard Tree
This easy craft is a great motor skills activity! Using a cone-like piece of foam as a tree, have your learners insert golf tees before linking them together using rubber bands.
Learn More: Fun-A-Day
21. Balloon Racing
Rudolf racers are you ready for some fun? This adorable game is quick and easy to assemble and will keep your students occupied for at least 2 hours! Simply decorate balloons to resemble reindeer before gluing a straw on their head. They’ll race along a string track before the winner is determined by the fastest reindeer.
Learn More: 123 Homeschool 4 Me
22. Rudolph Pipe Cleaner Circuit
This cute circuit has been designed to look like a reindeer and makes a beautiful ornament. Your students will require a coin cell battery, brown and gold pipe cleaners, glue and brown tape, googly eyes, and a single red LED pin light.
Learn More: Teach Beside Me
23. Elf Zip Line
By combining a tissue box, toilet roll, plastic straws, and pipe cleaners using tape, you can engineer a zip line. Place an elf inside of the tissue box and slide your contraption along a yarn zip line.
Learn More: There’s Just One Mommy
24. Discover The Science Of Snowflakes
This activity tasks your students with constructing paper snowflakes. Once water droplets freeze they form a hexagonal shape. As they fall from the sky they attract water droplets which connect to the sides and ultimately form assorted snowflake shapes.
Learn More: Kitchen Counter Chronicles
25. Melting Christmas Tree
Even teens love messy play activities from time to time and this melting Christmas tree is perfect! By combining vinegar, glitter, baking soda, and water, your students will witness a chemical reaction in action and it will seem as though their snow-capped mountain peaks are melting.
Learn More: 123 Homeschool 4 Me
26. How Much Water Does A Christmas Tree Need
This insightful scientific activity teaches your students about the amount of water required to sustain a pine tree. Simply have your students fill their tree stand with water and check it regularly. Once the water has been absorbed they can add more- ensuring they keep track of the amount along the way!
Learn More: Mama Smiles
27. Magnetic Christmas Tree
Cut a paper tree out of green cardstock and attach assorted metal objects such as paper clips onto it. Move a magnet along the back of the tree and watch as the pull of the magnet attracts and moves the paper clips at the front.
Learn More: Science Sparks
28. Christmas Tree Buzzer Game
In this thrilling game, your high schoolers will get to put their science skills to the test! Start by challenging them to create a buzzwire in the shape of a Christmas tree. Once complete, invite them to test their steadiness by having them run the metal loop along the tree frame without touching it.
Learn More: Lockers Park
29. Santa’s Sleigh Race
Stick sleigh images onto the sides of an inflated balloon before attaching a short straw on the top using glue. Have your students race their balloon sleighs across a string tied from one side of the room to the other.
Learn More: Fun Science
30. Crystal Ornament
This STEM project uses simple materials to create striking ornaments. Begin by folding a pipe cleaner into the shape of a flower. Place the flower into a plate filled with strong salt water. As the water evaporates, the salt crystalizes and leaves you with gorgeous decorations.
Learn More: iGame Mom
31. Gumdrop Tree
Make an edible tree using jelly gumdrops and toothpicks. Start from the base and build upwards in a pyramid-like shape. Turn this into a fun challenge by daring your students to see who can build the largest structure.
Learn More: Left Brain Craft Brain
32. Flying Reindeer
This reindeer STEM challenge is a wonderful festive craft and siblings can even race their flying reindeer against one another. All they’ll require is cardstock, a toilet roll, pipe cleaners, bells, glue, string and scissors, red recycled lids, and a hole punch.
Learn More: The Educators’ Spin On It
33. Flying Tinsel Experiment
This tinsel experiment requires the use of light tinsel and a balloon. Inflate the balloon and rub it against an object to create a static charge before placing it on the ground. Drop the tinsel onto the balloon and stand back to watch as it’s propelled away from the balloon and up into the air.
Learn More: YouTube
34. Snowflake Fractions
This fun STEM activity makes math fun! It’s the perfect introductory activity to the world of fractions as it visually depicts the meaning behind what a fraction really is.
Learn More: Royal, Baloo
35. 3D Santa’s Workshop Puzzle
This fun 3D puzzle is a fun take on Santa’s workshop and is actually a marble maze in disguise. This craft will occupy your teens for hours and makes a beautiful ornament to display when not in use.
Learn More: Amazon
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