Christmas in the primary classroom
Hand-picked lesson resources to help you to make the most of the learning opportunities this festive season
As a primary teacher, there’s a pretty high chance you’ll find Christmastime almost as exciting as the children you teach. This is handy, as there’s no better way to keep pupils engaged right up until the end of term than by seizing the learning opportunities that naturally present themselves at this time of year.
To help you to do just that, we’ve brought together a selection of popular resources with the aim of offering a fresh look at the Nativity, as well as alternative ways into the topic.
The Christmas story
Find out what pupils remember about the story of the Nativity by getting them to retell it in their own words using this illustrated booklet as a guide. Why not support them as they write keywords with this themed word mat*?
Older learners can explore the Christian view of the Christmas story by reading and comparing the gospels of Luke and Matthew in this thoughtful activity. For a more creative approach, this unique lesson, which includes a video link to a modern-day retelling, looks at the story from Joseph’s perspective.
KS1 lesson ideas
Find out more about Christmas traditions in other parts of the world using this fact-filled Advent calendar. Or, bring thoughts of Santa’s visit much closer to home with this simple mapping task, in which pupils must draw the route from their house to school.
This interactive presentation* gets children moving about the classroom in the search of Pam the Postie’s lost letter and is an ideal starting point for letter writing. For those students who work quickly, hand out this comprehensive workbook to keep them productive in-between activities.
KS2 lesson ideas
Inspire creative writing on a festive theme with these engaging picture prompts*. If you’re looking for something poetry-based, then this writing activity based on Wes Magee’s A Thinking Christmas gets learners reflecting about those less fortunate than themselves.
When Santa needs a new sleigh, who does he get to design one? Your students, of course! This well-structured project comes complete with all the tools needed to do so. Continuing the cross-curricular theme, this challenging booklet contains a variety of maths and English-focused activities for pupils to puzzle over.
Quick links
| The Christmas story | KS1 lesson ideas | KS2 lesson ideas |
| Illustrated retell booklet | Factual Advent calendar | Creative writing prompts* |
| Nativity word mat* | Mapping task | A Thinking Christmas poem |
| Christmas story comparison | Pam the Postie story* | Santa’s sleigh project |
| Alternative perspectives | Festive activity book | Cross-curricular booklet |
*This resource is being sold by the author
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