Christmas Activities - 12 Days of Christmas Countdown - 1st, 2nd, 3rd grade

These are the original 12 Days of Christmas Countdown activities for the classroom! These Christmas activities will save your sanity during the weeks leading up to Winter Break. Our TPT best-seller is packed full of Christmas themed reading, writing, and math activities along with themed craftivities. If you are looking for digital activities to compliment this pack, we offer a Digital and Printable 12 Days of Christmas in the Classroom Bundle.

Impress your principal, parents, and even yourself as students engage in both fun and learning right up until the last bell rings before the holiday break! Make the most of those 12 days, and give yourself a break from the planning and prep work. We’ve got you covered! Download the preview to see a sample of what each of the 12 days has to offer.

Our "12 Days of Christmas in the Classroom" countdown is available for other grade levels:

• GRADES 4-6

AND NOW (by popular demand)

• KINDERGARTEN
• PRESCHOOL

If you are looking for digital options for grades 1-3:

• DIGITAL ONLY
• DIGITAL AND PRINTABLE BUNDLE

If you plan to teach other Holidays around the World, you will want to grab our very popular Holidays Around the World Bundle.

All teachers know the school days between Thanksgiving and the Winter Break are difficult to fill. Students want to be engaged in holiday fun, but teachers want activities to be educational. This year you can do both! With these 12 Days of Christmas Lesson Plans, students will be racing to school, excited for what each new day has to offer.

Here’s what you will find in our 12 Days of Christmas Bundle:

• Candy Cane Day
• Christmas Carol Day
• Christmas Tree Day
• Christmas Cookie Day
• Elf Day
• Gingerbread Day
• Kindness Day
• Polar Express Day
• Reindeer Day
• Santa Claus Day
• Snow Day
• Stocking Day

Each day’s lesson plan includes:

• a reading and writing activity with differentiated pages
• a math activity with differentiated pages
• a variety of other fun and educational suggestions that match the theme.

To prepare for the 12 Days of Christmas you will need some type of container to store each day’s materials. We purchased 12 gift bags from our local dollar store. They were 2 for $1. You can staple or glue the daily labels onto the bags.

The suggested read-aloud books are not included. Check out your school or local library. Most can also be purchased online or in Scholastic’s book club orders, though you can also choose your own books that go along with the daily themes.

★★We also have our 10 Days Until Summer Survival Kit which is similar to this pack. Kits are available for grades grades 1-2, grades 3-4 and grades 5-6.

Love this idea but need non-holiday, secular themes? Try our 5 Day Countdown to Winter Break for grades 1-3 or 5 Day Countdown to Winter Break for grades 4-6

(If you already own the 12 Days of Christmas Activities in the Classroom, please know that the 5 Day Countdown activities overlap with this resource so you do not need to purchase both!)

Detailed Description of Contents:

(Also visit our blog for more details on the 12 Days of Christmas in the Classroom)

Candy Cane Day

Candy Cane Legend Text and Writing

Candy Cane Graphing and Measurement

Candy Cane Exchange

Literature Read Aloud and Story Map

Candy Cane Predictions

Candy Cane Crafts

Christmas Carol Day

History of Carols Informational Text

Sing Along Songbook

Favorite Carol Opinion Writing Prompt

Caroler Craft

A Christmas Carol Book or Movie

Write your Own Carol Writing Prompt

12 Days of Christmas Graphing

Christmas Carol Crossword Puzzle

Christmas Tree Day

Christmas Tree Then and Now Text

Then and Now Writing Page

Literature Read Aloud and Events Sequence Graphic Organizer

Christmas Tree Story Problems

Math Fact Card Games

Christmas Tree Crafts

Then and Now Color by Number page

Christmas Cookie Day

Literature Read Aloud Story and Graphic Organizer

Mrs. Claus’ Cookie Recipe Writing Activity

Cookie Games and Activities

Cookie Cutter Arts and Crafts: Stamping and Ornaments

Math Sharing Cookies- Dividing into Equal Groups

Catch the Cookie Word Search

Elf Day

Miniature Elf Food Suggestions

Elf Name Creator

Literature Read Aloud and Story Mountain

Elves and the Shoemaker Reader’s Theater

Elf Writing Prompt

Elf Craftivity

Math Patterns, Symmetry, Sorting, and Rounding

Gingerbread Day

Literature Read Aloud and Story Map or Compare/Contrast Organizer

Opinion Writing Prompt

Create your Own Gingerbread Story and Craftivity

Scavenger Hunt

Roll-a-Gingerbread Man

Math Symmetry, Place Value, and Guess My Number Game

Class Gingerbread-making Project

Kindness Day

Read Aloud and Lessons Learned or Sequencing Graphic Organizers

Brainstorming Acts of Kindness

Acts of Kindness Color Sheet and Certificate

Acts of Kindness Pass-Along Cards

Kind Hands Craft

Kindness Alphabet book

Math Kindness Subtraction Game and Skill Pages

Polar Express Day

Polar Express Read Aloud and Sequence of Events Organizer

Math Ordering Numbers or Fractions

Hot Chocolate Recipe Writing

Design Your Ticket

Compare and Contrast Book vs. Movie

Bell Still Rings for Those Who Believe

Reindeer Day

Draw-to-Learn Activity

Literature Read-Aloud and Story Retelling Graphic Organizer

Read Informational Reindeer Text and Note Taking

Write Informational Reindeer Text

Reindeer ABC Order

Math Addition or Multiplication 4 in a Row

Reindeer Cup Craft

Thumbprint Postcard

Santa Claus Day

Santa Claus Around Europe Informational Text & Passport

Santa Claus Sing Along

Read Aloud ‘Twas the Night Before Christmas

Santa Claus Character Traits

Dear Santa, Letter Writing

Math Roll and Color Number Operations Game and Practice Pages

Torn-Paper Santa Craft

Snow Day

Snowflakes Facts Research

My Snowflake Report Writing

Math Snowman Fractions

Paper Snowball Fight

Snowflake Crafts

Literature or Informational Read Aloud and Graphic Organizer

Snowman Glyph

Stocking Day

Literature Read Aloud and Story Map

Math Telling Time Search the Room

Stocking Acrostic Poem

Stocking Craft and Kind Words Stocking Stuffers

Wants and Needs Graphic Organizer

Wants and Needs Santa Letter

Looking for our other Holiday Countdown options? Try these

5 Day Winter-themed DIGITAL Countdown

5 Day Winter-themed PRINTABLE Countdown

5 Day Winter-themed PRINT/DIGITAL Countdown

We would love to hear from you! Please remember to earn your free TpT credit by leaving feedback when you purchase!

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