Festive Fun in the Classroom: Holiday Crafts for School. Unwrapping the Magic of Seasonal Creativity in Every Classroom
Festive Fun in the Classroom: Holiday Crafts for School
Festive Fun in the Classroom: Holiday Crafts for School
The holiday season is a magical time of year, filled with warmth, joy, and a sense of togetherness. It’s a season of celebration, and what better way to embrace the holiday spirit than by getting creative with some festive crafts right in your school? Whether you’re a teacher looking for fun and educational activities for your students or a parent eager to engage your child in creative holiday projects, this blog post is your guide to a world of holiday-inspired crafting ideas that are perfect for the classroom. From handmade ornaments to personalized greeting cards, we’ll explore a treasure trove of holiday crafts that are not only fun but also offer a fantastic opportunity for children to learn, express themselves, and spread the holiday cheer. So, grab your glue, glitter, and imagination, and let’s embark on a creative journey that will make this holiday season in school unforgettable!
Festive Fun in the Classroom: Holiday Crafts for School
Valentine’s Day Cards
Make a Valentine’s Day card and photocopy it for the students to colour in, or let them draw their own. Cut heart-shaped cards. Tell them about Valentine’s Day in your country, and teach them simple Valentine’s greetings
Colouring Easter Eggs
Prepare bowls of water, and add food colouring and some vinegar. Make sure that the eggs are hard-boiled, and let them sit in the dye until they reach the desired colour.
Use a white candle or wax crayon to draw designs on your egg BEFORE dipping in the dye. Your design will remain white. Older kids can lightly rub some fat (pork, etc) on the egg to make it shine. Coffee and onion skin eggs: an Eastern European way to colour eggs. Wrap a raw egg in brown onion skins. Keep the skins in place with a string. Put the wrapped eggs in a pot, cover the eggs with water and add coffee grounds. Boil for 10 minutes. Unwrap the egg. It should have a brown, marbled pattern.
Mother’s Day Cards
Show how to make a Mother’s Day card. On the front, attach a cut-out flower vase, gluing only the outside edges of the sides and bottom (forming a pocket). Attach paper flowers to popsicle sticks, so the stick become stems. On the stems, write something that the child will do for the mother (help with the laundry, help set the table…). Then put the stems into the vase. This can also be done in a voucher style, THIS entitles bearer to one hour of my help, etc. Vary the type of card for Father’s Day.
Paper Chain-making to Decorate the Sukkah
A Sukkah is a structure which recalls the type of structure the Jews lived in during their journey from Egypt to the Promised Land. Children enjoy making metres and metres of paper chains while you introduce Jewish heritage.
Festive Fun in the Classroom: Holiday Crafts for School
Jack o’Lantern Faces on Kaki
Most towns usually have an abundance of kaki (persimmons) in October. Using a black felt pen, draw jack o’lantern faces on the persimmons. Use a water-based pen so the fruit can be washed and eaten later.
Thanksgiving Turkey Puppets
Students trace the outline of their hand onto white paper. Their thumbs become the head of the turkey, and their fingers become the feathers. Colour in the turkey.
Advent Calendar
Make advent calendars with older children, or make one yourself for younger kids to enjoy. Select a simple Christmas scene. Lay out where you will place the doors (from 1 to 24) by using a template.
Make #24 a bit larger. Then use the template on a separate thick piece of paper to draw in the windows. Draw festive pictures. Let the students open the doors to count down to Christmas and their winter holidays.
Piñata
Make a simple piñata and bring it to class to show the students. Then let them try to make one. Cut a newspaper into strips. Dip each strip in a flour and water mix, not too thick, not too runny, and wrap around a balloon. Let each layer dry overnight (before continuing. When 5 layers are completed, you are ready to decorate. Cut tissue paper into 5 cm squares. Place the flat end of a pen in the centre of the square, and wrap the paper around the pen. Then dab a bit of glue on the end, and stick the paper to the balloon. Use the pen to firmly put the paper in place. Remove the pen and repeat. Once dry, pop the balloon and remove. Attach a rope to the hanger from which to hang the piñata. Fill the piñata with sweets and unshelled peanuts. Attach the rope to a long stick, or throw over a beam/tree branch. Depending upon the age of the child, you can make it easy or difficult. Blindfold the child, and give him/her a bamboo stick (a baseball bat offers a little too much danger). Then let him/her try to hit the piñata. Be very careful to keep other students and yourself far away. Move the piñata around, and give other students a chance to make a whack at it.
Festive Fun in the Classroom
Festive Fun in the Classroom: Other ideas
Fairytales, Folktales, and Bedtime Stories
Translate or use Little Red Riding Hood, Nordic Troll Stories, Native Indian Legends, Aboriginal Dreamtime stories or your favourite childhood bedtime stories, and tell them to the students. Liven them up by drawing pictures (or get picture books from home) and using props, etc.
Scavenger Hunt
Plan a simple hunt and let the teachers know well ahead of time. For younger kids, draw pictures on
flashcards, and do a vocabulary review at the beginning, and again at the end. Adjust according to the level of the kids. For a different twist, get them to go on a sound scavenger hunt, armed with a recorder. They have to make their teachers say something in English, record a dog barking, the bell chiming, toilet flushing, etc.
Embassy Materials
Most embassies and foreign tourist authorities produce promotional materials.
Map Quizzes
Use brightly coloured maps to teach children size- cords, colours and names. Use gestures and melodies to aid memorisation. Make a big topographical map with twigs for trees, clay mountain ranges etc.
Drama
Even just a simple story with actions and a few words will work for the school festival.
Festive Fun in the Classroom
The holiday season is a time for bringing people together, spreading joy, and creating cherished memories. Through the art of crafting, we can make this season even more special within the school setting. As we conclude this journey through various holiday crafts for school, we hope you’ve been inspired to embark on your own creative adventures in the classroom.
These crafts are not only about glitter and glue but also about learning, teamwork, and the joy of giving. Whether it’s a beautifully crafted ornament, a heartfelt greeting card, or a classroom full of smiling faces, the end result is always a testament to the magic of the holiday season.
So, as the holiday spirit fills the air, remember that the true gift of crafting is the love and laughter shared among students, teachers, and parents. May your school be adorned with festive creations, and may the bonds formed through these projects last a lifetime.
Happy crafting, and happy holidays to all!
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