Get ready to turn your classroom into the most festive world tour your students have ever taken. From sparkling lanterns to joyful songs and colorful crafts, the season offers endless opportunities to help students discover the beauty of different cultures. By weaving these global customs into your lessons, you can create a classroom where curiosity thrives, connections grow, and every child sees their world expand in meaningful, memorable ways.
Pro Tip: Survey your class before you start the tour of the holidays. That way you can include the traditions of all your students. Then, call upon your resident “experts” and their families as you teach these lessons.
Here are the winter holidays listed in roughly date order. Note that some holidays are fixed to a date, while others will move around the calendar from year to year.
St. Nicholas Day
Observed in parts of Europe on December 6, this holiday honors St. Nicholas, known for anonymous gift-giving and acts of kindness.
Classroom Activity:
- Have students leave their shoes in the hallway. Ask a staff member or parent fill the shoes with treats like stickers, pencils, or candy for a joyful surprise.
- Reward acts of kindness in your classroom with St Nicholas stickers.
- Organize a service project such as a classroom collection of socks or toys, or have your students write notes to seniors in nursing homes.
Las Posadas
Las Posadas is a beloved Mexican and Latin American tradition held Dec. 16–24. It reenacts Mary and Joseph’s search for shelter. The celebration features processions, candlelit prayers, music, and piñatas.
Classroom Activity:
- Make decorative paper-bag lanterns with flameless candles.
- Create individual mini piñatas with paper cups decorated with colorful crepe paper fringe. Fill them with candy.
- Have students act out the procession by knocking on classroom doors and when welcomed, singing a Spanish song and giving out treats.
St. Lucia Day
Celebrated on December 13 in Sweden, Norway, and Finland, this Festival of Light honors St. Lucia. The celebration features candlelit processions, saffron buns, and gingerbread treats. There are themes of light and kindness.
Classroom Activity:
- Find the Scandinavian countries on a map and learn about their locations and climates.
- Make paper St. Lucia crowns with candle cutouts.
- Read by “candlelight” (flashlight or flameless candles) in your classroom. If you like, include a gingerbread treat.
Hanukkah
The eight-day Jewish Festival of Lights commemorates the rededication of the Second Temple. Students enjoy learning about menorahs, dreidels, and foods fried in oil like latkes and donuts.
Classroom Activity:
- Play the dreidel game (math integration bonus!)
- Make edible dreidels. Put a pretzel stick in a marshmallow for the top. Use icing to “glue” a Hershey’s kiss to the bottom.
- Make a paper plate menorah. Cut it in half and draw the candelabra branches. Decorate with construction paper candles.
Dongzhi Festival
This East Asian festival celebrates the Winter Solstice — the shortest day and longest night of the year. It’s observed by eating symbolic foods like rice balls and dumplings.
Classroom Activity:
- Make a yin-yang design as a lesson on balance and harmony.
- Create simple lanterns to celebrate the return of light.
- Explore the concept of the Solstice and track when spring will arrive.
Eid al-Fitr
Eid marks the end of Ramadan and emphasizes empathy, gratitude, and charity. Feasting, giving gifts, and sharing with the community are common.
Classroom Activity:
- Create mobiles featuring the crescent moon and stars.
- Make a kindness jar inspired by Eid traditions. Use it to record acts of kindness that students are doing in your class and outside of it.
- Use a world map to find the countries that celebrate Eid al-Fitr.
Christmas
Celebrated worldwide on December 25, Christmas includes traditions ranging from religious observances and nativity scenes to more secular gift-giving, caroling, and decorating trees.
Classroom Activity:
- Use your classroom library to host a Book Flood like Iceland does for Christmas Eve.
- Make and decorate stockings or ornaments.
- Use the 12 Days of Christmas song for a math tie-in. Younger grades can draw, group and count the gifts; older ones can total the cost for each day.
Kwanzaa
Kwanzaa is a celebration of African heritage observed in the U.S. from Dec. 26–Jan. 1. Each day honors one of the Seven Principles, represented by candles in a kinara. The principles are unity, self-determination, collective work and responsibility, cooperative economics, purpose, creativity and faith.
Classroom Activity:
- Cut red and green paper strips and weave them through black construction paper into a Kwanzaa mat, called a mkeka.
- Use cardboard toilet paper rolls to create a kinara with one black, three red and three green candles.
- Older students can look up the meanings of the principles and create stories that show a principle in action.
Chinese New Year (Lunar New Year)
Chinese New Year is a vibrant celebration of renewal, family, and good fortune marking the start of the new lunisolar year (between Jan. 21 and Feb. 20). Students love learning about zodiac animals, lanterns, and the symbolism behind red decorations.
Classroom Activity:
- Have students discover their zodiac animal, or choose one that they like, then write a short persuasive piece about why it fits their personality.
- Create paper lanterns to adorn the classroom.
- Decorate red envelopes and fill them with written wishes for the new year.
With thoughtful preparation, accurate research, and family involvement, the holidays can become a memorable learning journey around the world. And no matter how you celebrate, happy holidays from all of us at California Casualty!
This article is furnished by California Casualty, providing auto and home insurance to educators, law enforcement officers, firefighters, and nurses. Get a quote at 1.866.704.8614 or www.calcas.com.
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