Christmas Candy Cane Craft and Writing My Holiday Experiences SEL Activity

Need a Christmas gift that builds family bonds instead of clutter? This Candy Cane Jar craft helps students create experience-filled gifts where families draw candy canes containing shared activities rather than material items. Perfect for Christmas lessons, family engagement, or teaching gratitude, it instills love and togetherness while helping children understand that experiences and memories are more precious than materialistic gifts.

Families love engaging in this activity together, and you’ll receive many compliments. Students appreciate spending time with family and friends, recognizing the true meaning of sharing. The jar format lets children continually interact with their gift, drawing experience, and candy canes whenever they want to plan a special time together.

Perfect For:

• Christmas craft activities
• Family engagement projects
• Gratitude and appreciation lessons
• Teaching experiences over materialism
• Holiday gift alternatives
• Character education togetherness units
• Grades 1 to 3

Why Families Love This Gift:

• Experiences Over Items: Students create a gift of shared activities, teaching that memories are more precious than material possessions.
• Ongoing Interaction: Unlike one-time gifts, children draw candy canes repeatedly throughout the year, continually planning family time.
• Strengthens Bonds: Families engage in experiences together, building friendship and love through shared activities and quality time.
• True Meaning of Sharing: Children understand sharing isn’t just giving objects but giving time, attention, and experiences with loved ones.
• Teacher Compliments: Families appreciate this meaningful activity, and you’ll receive many thank-you messages for providing it.
• Gratitude Building: Instills a sense of gratitude, love, and togetherness like no other Christmas resource or material gift can.

Create a Christmas gift families truly treasure. This candy cane jar helps students give experiences and memories instead of material items, strengthening family bonds through shared activities and teaching that time together is the most precious gift of all! Families love engaging in this activity, and you’ll receive many compliments for providing such a meaningful resource!

Assembly Instructions:
Cut out the label and apply glue to only two edges
Paste the label on the jar, securing it with glue
Cut out and fill candy canes with experience ideas
Place filled candy canes between the jar and label (don’t paste)
Optional: Use Blu Tack to keep in place
Children draw candy canes whenever they want to plan experiences

This resource includes:

• Page 1: A Candy Cane Jar
• Page 2: Three different Christmas Labels
• Page 3: 4 Experience Candy Canes
• Page 4: 4 Empty Candy Canes

Happy Christmas & Candy Cane Day!