❄ Holiday Literacy Activities ❄

Try these simple, fun activities to inspire a love of literacy even through the holidays! They can be done at school or at
home.


Early Elementary (Ages 4-7)
❄ Write a Christmas list to send to Santa Claus or parents. Lists are a great writing brainstorming tool!
❄ Have children write a letter to Santa’s elves telling them all about themselves and their families.
❄ Write words in the snow! Get a can of artificial snow, spray it on a window or desk, and let your child write
seasonal messages in the snow.
❄ Make playdough and use it to write letters, words or pictures.
❄ Share favorite family memories with your child by listening to a parent or a grandparent tell stories about their
childhood holiday traditions. Have your child share their favorite traditions with you.


Upper Elementary (Ages 8-12)
❄ Research a holiday tradition from a different country and write about it.
❄ Write thank you letters for gifts.
❄ Make your favorite recipe together and practice reading the recipe.
❄ Play board games that encourage conversation.
❄ Create a list of holiday traditions unique to your family that can be revisited annually.


Middle/High School (Ages 13+)
❄ Write a holiday song/rap using at least one piece of figurative language (Figurative language gives you a picture
or other sense beyond the definition of the word. Examples: “swimming in a sea of happiness” or “the house was
as cold as an icebox”
❄ Write a holiday poem.
❄ Host a family read-aloud of holiday short stories such as:
☃ “The Gift of the Magi” by O. Henry
☃ “A Kidnapped Santa Claus” by L. Frank Baum
☃ “The Burglar’s Christmas by Willa Cather” by Willa Cather
☃ “Christmas Day in the Morning” by Pearl S. Buck

Literacy Around Town
❄ Look for holiday decorations around the school or as you drive through town with your child. Depending on the
age of the child, you can do activities like ask what the beginning sound of the word is (wreath = /r/, tree = /t/,
Christmas = /k/, etc.), how to spell it, what other words rhyme, or make up a story about the decoration.
❄ Sing holiday songs with your child, and give them a copy of the lyrics to help them sing along. Singing in this way
supports reading fluency.
❄ Create family holiday break traditions of visiting a local museum, zoo, library, etc. and document your visit with
pictures or journal entries.