Celebrate December and the approaching winter break with holiday season read aloud activities, crafts, and NO PREP worksheets that will save you TIME and PLANNING, plus bring a whole lot of Christmas magic to your kindergarten and first grade/grade one students!
This 12 READ ALOUDS OF CHRISTMAS growing bundle is essentially an advent calendar countdown and daily surprise reveal:
- ❄️ Wrap 12 books (or less! For example, if you want to stick to one book every day for the last week before Christmas break then just wrap 5)
- ☃️ Designate a time on each of the 12 days leading up to Christmas break where kids can unwrap a book and reveal the day’s surprise read aloud, then
- ⭐ Complete some or all of the fun accompanying activities!
Stories CURRENTLY included: The 12 Days of Christmas, Frosty the Snowman, Mr. Willowby’s Christmas Tree, and How The Grinch Stole Christmas, Gingerbread Baby, Snowmen at Christmas, The Polar Express, Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer, Pick a Pine Tree, Jolly Old Santa Claus, Christmas Trolls, The Night Before Christmas
Option to MAKE A REQUEST: As this is indeed a GROWING bundle, I plan on adding additional read alouds each year. If there is a particular book you would like to read with your students, scroll down toward the bottom of this page to “Post a Question” and I will absolutely try my best to make it happen!
*No worries if you don’t own the book or can’t find it at your local library, all books included in the 12 Days of Read Alouds can also be found on YouTube!*
THIS BUNDLE includes a BONUS FILE that adds 4 cover page options if you’d like to compile all or some of the bonus worksheets from each resource into a fun activity book. The file also combines all of those bonus worksheets so you don’t have to open and scroll through every resource!
INCLUDED in the 12 DAYS OF CHRISTMAS:
* Resource introduction
* Pocket Chart Activities:
- Activity explanations (build reading skills with this whole group activity & optional sentence-building pocket chart activity)
- Pocket chart cards (colour and black & white options)
* What’s Missing? Game:
- Activity explanation (my kids always LOVE this activity; build memory & recall skills by removing one picture card each time while students see how quickly they can guess which one is missing…differentiation options suggested!)
- Activity cards
* Writing Craft:
- Detailed activity instructions (create your own version of the song OR write about what if YOU wrote the 12 days of Christmas? What gift would you give to who and why?)
- Planning page
- Craft topper
- Writing/activity page options (x4)
* BONUS! Christmas activity pages:
- Picture “I Spy”
- 12 Days of Christmas cut & paste count & match
* Answer keys
INCLUDED in FROSTY THE SNOWMAN:
* Resource introduction
* Design a Snowman:
- Activity explanation, variations included! (imagine you were the main character of your own magical snowman story! Get creative and design a snowman, complete with his own magic…something! Then write a detailed description all about your snowman)
- Planning page
- Snowman template
- Writing templates (2 options)
* If I Found a Magic Hat:
- Activity explanation, variations included! (If you stumbled upon Professor Hinkle’s magic hat, what would YOU bring to life?)
- Template pages
- Writing templates (2 options)
* BONUS! Christmas activity pages:
- Whole Class Listen & Follow (teacher script + student page)
- Independent Listen & Follow
- Snowman Lost & Found (cut & paste addition version)
- Snowman Lost & Found (cut & paste ten frame version)
* Answer key
INCLUDED in MR. WILLOWBY’S CHRISTMAS TREE:
* Resource introduction
* Measuring Mr. Willowby’s Tree:
- Activity explanation, variations included (nonstandard and standard unit measuring of 5 character’s trees from the story)
- Tree templates (2 options)
- Activity page (2 options)
* BONUS! Measure the Room extension activity
- Activity explanation
- Classroom cards
- Student page
* Tree Ornament:
- Activity explanation, variations included (a simple paper ornament with a twist!)
- Tree templates (x3)
* BONUS! Christmas Tree Templates:
- Activity suggestions page
- Tree templates (x3)
* Activity pages:
- Mr. Willowby’s Christmas Tree reading comprehension activity page
- Mr. Willowby’s Word Search
* Answer keys
INCLUDED in HOW THE GRINCH STOLE CHRISTMAS:
* Resource introduction
* Collaborative Poster:
- Activity explanation
- 25-piece templates
- 36-piece templates
* Make The Grinch Grin:
- Activity explanation (Boy that Grinch is a real…well..GRINCH! There’s gotta be something that makes him smile. What would YOU do to make The Grinch grin?)
- Writing templates (3 options)
- Craft template pages
* BONUS! Christmas activity pages:
- Even The Grinch Can Change reading comprehension page (2 options)
- The Grinch Whole Stole SUBTRACTION (missing part)
- Can You Crack That Grinchy Code? (picture/letter code that reveals “To kindness and love, the things we need most!”)
* Answer key
INCLUDED in THE GINGERBREAD BABY:
* Resource introduction
* Missing Cookie Descriptive Writing Craft
- Activity explanation (Well, the gingerbread man ran, ran away, and no one caught him…yet! Students get to design their own gingerbread man then write a missing poster ad for when that sneaky little cookie inevitably disappears!)
- Writing template (3 options)
- Writing template extra lines for confident writers (3 options)
- Gingerbread topper template pieces
* Gingerbread Baby House Extension Activity
- Activity explanation (Just like Matty, students get to design their own gingerbread house to lure their missing cookie back home)
- Background template page
- Door templates
- Gingerbread boy/person template
- Gingerbread girl template
- Candy add-ons template
* BONUS! Christmas activity pages:
- GINGERBREAD MAN (making words worksheet)
- Catch That Cookie! (missing lowercase letters)
- Catch That Cookie! (missing uppercase letters)
- Catch That Cookie! (tracing lowercase letters)
- Catch That Cookie! (tracing uppercase letters)
- Bake & Graph (colour by code, count, then graph)
* Answer key
INCLUDED in SNOWMEN AT CHRISTMAS:
* Resource introduction
* Snowman Snapshot Writing Craft
- Activity explanation (With surveillance cameras everywhere and just about everyone these days walking around with a camera in their phones, the snowmen are no longer as sneaky as they once thought. This time, they’ve been CAUGHT ON CAMERA! Students get to complete a creative writing piece all about what they saw their snowman up to last night)
- Writing template (2 options: “BUSTED!” or “LAST NIGHT…”)
- snapshot template
* Snowmen Skip Counting Whole Group/Center Activity
- Activity explanation: skip counting by 2s, 3s, 5s, and 10s. (A whole group math activity where students will help build some very tall snowman!)
- Colour option
- Black and white, ink-friendly option
- Skip counting snowballs
- Extension worksheet
* BONUS! Christmas activity pages:
- Snow Fight! (solve & colour addition/subtraction)
- Snowman Counting (missing part)
- Snowman Selfie Read & Colour (a “just-for-fun” reading comprehension & following direction activity)
* Answer keys
INCLUDED in THE POLAR EXPRESS:
* Resource introduction
* BELIEVE Banner Craft
- Activity explanation (This extension activity not only builds text-to-self connections and literacy/vocabulary skills, but it also makes for a lovely keepsake decoration that students can bring home and display year after year!)
- pennant templates (2 options)
* Train Ticket Activity Booklet
- Activity explanation, variations included! (The Polar Express train ticket was special, but this ticket takes it to another level! Students will create their own ticket activity booklet that doubles as an easy bulletin board display)
- Ticket booklet cover template
- My Favourite Part of the Story page (2 options)
- Polar Express Hot Chocolate & Treats page
- Out the Window page
- The First Gift of Christmas page
- The Polar Express Story Sequencing (cut & paste activity)
- UFLI heart words & silly words colouring activity
- Rhyming pairs colouring activity
- Story-themed word search
- Maze
- Header & Footer templates for craft display options
- Answer keys
* BONUS! Christmas activity pages:
- Dot to Dot Express (connect the dots worksheet, 2 options – one with fine-motor strength-building hole-punching)
- Hot Chocolate (scrambled Christmas vocabulary words, 2 options)
* Answer keys
* US Spelling for applicable booklet pages
INCLUDED in RUDOLPH THE RED-NOSED REINDEER:
* Resource introduction
* What if Rudolph’s Nose…
- Activity explanation & suggested mini lesson (Rudolph’s nose glowed bright red, but what if it was made out of a different material or object? This silly but science-connected activity & craft will have kids giggling but thinking critically about their creative choices!)
- Attributes, purpose, materials & objects reindeer nose cards
- Writing page
- Craft template pieces
* Just Like Rudolph (a social-emotional learning craft!)
- Activity explanation & suggested mini lesson including Google Drive link to digitally-editable photo template (such a cute face-in-hole student photo activity where students will highlight something about them that makes them unique and that they are proud of)
- Gift tag writing page
- Template pieces
- Ink-friendly, quick-cut pennant banner
* BONUS! Christmas activity pages:
- Reindeer Names (ABC order & find your reindeer name)
- Reindeer Games (maze & counting)
* Answer keys
INCLUDED in PICK A PINE TREE:
* Resource introduction
* Pick an Adjective Tree
- Activity explanation (learn all about descriptive adjectives and describe your own Christmas tree; with an option to turn the craft into a descriptive or creative writing topper!)
- Anchor chart
- Craft template pieces
- Writing page
* Pine Tree Procedure
- Activity explanation (How do YOU decorate your tree? Share the 3- or 4- step process and then actually decorate your own little tree!)
- Brainstorm template (2 options)
- Writing strips (2 options)
- tree template
* BONUS! Christmas activity pages:
- Find a Pine Tree (7 mini word searches)
- Pine Tree Patterns (cut & paste patterning; extend & create-your-own)
* Answer keys
INCLUDED in JOLLY OLD SANTA CLAUS:
* Resource introduction
* Interactive Santa Letter
- Activity explanation page (this letter-in-an-envelop interactive template is such a fun and simple way to take Santa letters to a whole new level. The prompts on each section make the process easy, meaningful, and FUN!)
- letter section prompts templates with “stamped envelope” front
* Collaborative North Pole Castle
- Activity explanation page (students will each create a different room in Santa’s castle, then each piece will be put together in a unique way to create a collaborative work of art!)
- organizational teacher template (to help you keep track of which student is in charge of which room so there are no duplicates!)
- room templates
* BONUS! Christmas activity pages:
- Jolly Old Detective Claus (critical thinking & categorizing worksheet)
- Christmas Mystery Picture (a colour by number pixel art activity)
- Glistening Gratitude (listing everything you’re grateful for)
* Answer keys
INCLUDED in CHRISTMAS TROLLS:
* Resource introduction
* Tomte Foldable Mini Book
- Activity explanation & Google Slideshow link (learn all about Sweden’s Santa Claus, Jultomten, and the little farm gnomes known as Tomte)
- mini book template
* DIY Dala Horse Ornament
- Activity explanation (variations!) & Google Slideshow link (learn all about the Dala horse, a national symbol of Sweden & watch a video to see how they’re made)
- Dala horse template
- Coloring art page
* BONUS! Christmas activity pages:
- Troll Jokes (3 picture-letter code jokes to solve)
- Sneaky Christmas Trolls (missing CVC letter sounds; beginning, middle, or end)
* Answer keys
INCLUDED in THE NIGHT BEFORE CHRISTMAS:
* Resource introduction
* ‘Twas the Night Before Christmas Silly Story
- Activity explanation (a mad-libs style fill-in-the-blanks activity that will have your class giggling and not even knowing that they’re practicing grammar skills with nouns, verbs, adjectives, and adverbs!)
- Story template (3 pages)
* Away to the Window!
- Activity explanation (variations!)
- Girl window template
- Boy window template
- Alternate window template (for craft variation)
- Slide template
GrateFULL Stocking Craft
- Activity explanation (this activity gets students thinking less about their wish list and more about their have lists. They write a list or draw things they’re thankful for then, roll it up, and slide it into the stocking pocket they will create)
- list template (2 options)
- stocking templates (2 parts)
* BONUS! Christmas activity pages:
- Christmas Crossword (a picture crossword activity, 2 options: with or without a written word bank)
- On Christmas (2 writing prompt options: What is your favourite family tradition at Christmas? and What is your favourite thing about Christmas?)
- Gifts Galore! (cut & paste number representation worksheet; numeral, number word, ten-frame, talley, picture, and finger counting)
* Answer keys
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