24 Festive Kindergarten Christmas Activities – Free Center
- By Deedee Wills
- Updated on December 4
- 3 Comments
Table of Contents
Kindergarten Christmas Activities
If you’re feeling the December crunch, I’ve got you covered. I pulled together my favorite kindergarten Christmas and winter holiday activities so you can find everything you need in one spot, no extra searching required.
And don’t worry… if your classroom doesn’t celebrate holidays, there are plenty of winter-themed ideas in here too. Think gingerbread, reindeer, evergreen trees, and other fun seasonal themes that still keep things inclusive.
I hope this little roundup makes planning your December lessons feel a whole lot easier during the holiday season!
Books to Love During Christmas Time!
I could easily list a hundred different Christmas read-alouds I love, but I’ll stick to just a few favorites so you’re not scrolling forever. Not every book needs to have a Christmas theme to be filled with the holiday spirit. December is the perfect time of year to remind students of social skills like kindness and giving to others.
Catch That Cookie
Catch That Cookie by Hallie Durand is always a hit. It follows Marshall, who is convinced gingerbread men aren’t magical… until his cookie disappears and the class has to follow a trail of clues. My kindergarten kids absolutely squealed every time we uncovered the next clue. It’s such a fun twist on the classic gingerbread story, and primary students eat it up, no pun intended.
These little construction paper gingerbread men help young children connect with the story while also working on their fine motor skills!
You can find the matching activities here:
Ordinary Mary’s Extraordinary Deed
Ordinary Mary’s Extraordinary Deed by Emily Pearson is such a sweet story to share in December. It follows Mary, who does one simple act of kindness that spreads farther than she ever imagined. It fits beautifully with the spirit of the season, even though it is not actually a holiday themed book. That is one of the reasons I love using it. You get to focus on kindness without tying it to a specific holiday.
Incorporating our sentence study with a craft is a great way to do double duty that is also a lot of fun!
You can listen to the author read this book.
You can find all of the activities that go with this book by clicking:
Peter’s Chair
Similarly, Peter’s Chair by Ezra Jack Keats is another great story to use when you want to focus on giving. It opens the door for simple conversations about generosity and what it looks like in everyday moments. You can see we made a paper suitcase for Peter where we placed the story sequencing activity!
You can find this activity:
Night Tree
Night Tree by Eve Bunting has been part of my Christmas lineup for years. I love the way it highlights family traditions and giving back to nature. After reading, we like to make simple decorations to hang outside for the birds and other animals. These crafts would also make a great gift for family members! It’s a sweet way to extend the story and a perfect addition for the Christmas season.
You can find the lessons for this book by clicking:
The Polar Express
Even before the movie came out, The Polar Express by Chris Van Allsburg had my whole heart. It is one of those books that feels magical every single time you read it.
You can find the lesson plans for this book by clicking:
Whole Group Christmas Activities
Here are a few ideas you can use with your whole class during December.
Christmas Poems
Poem of the day is one of my favorite routines. Each week, we pick a poem and use it to build fluency while still keeping things fun and light.
One poem tells the story of a busy little elf who reports back to Santa.
The other focuses on a gingerbread man. Both are quick, fun reads that your students will want to practice again and again. Each of these poems is set to a tune so these Christmas songs are so much fun to sing all month long!
Then I teamed up with Jenny from Edutunes, and she recorded a video for each poem. This gives students a fun way to revisit the poems as many times as they want.
These recordings are now available on the Heidi Songs Streaming Service.
Then I teamed up with Jenny at Edutunes and she recorded a video for each poem. In this way, students can revisit the poem again and again.
You can also find these poems and songs by clicking:
Christmas Pocket Chart Activity
Students absolutely love this activity. You place the color cards in a pocket chart and hide a few special images behind some of them. When students take turns flipping a card, they read it first and then check to see if they found a special one. It never loses its excitement and it is such a wonderful way to review skills. There is also a recording sheet so everyone stays involved while they wait for their turn.
Christmas Hide and Seek Game Math & Literacy Editable Pocket Chart Game December
If you already have center task cards that review a certain skill, you can use them the same way. Just tuck a fun seasonal sticker or picture behind a few of the cards. Your students will absolutely squeal when they uncover one.
Christmas Riddle of the Day
The riddle of the day is always a hit in my kindergarten classroom so these are a perfect Christmas activity to get kids thinking! I share the riddle first and the kids use the clues to figure out the answer. We follow a simple routine that encourages students to use their listening skills while also noticing text details!
You can find this activity:
Learn more about how we use daily riddles in the classroom by clicking:
Christmas and Holidays Around the World
Learning about different holiday customs is always a favorite. In this activity, students watch a short video we created that shares simple facts about the holiday. After that, they respond to what they learned.
If you want to make it more interactive, you can also turn this into a whole group shared writing lesson and have students help record their responses on your interactive whiteboard.
You can find this activity by clicking:
Kindergarten Christmas Activities – Centers
Math and Literacy Centers for December
These December math and literacy centers give your kindergarten students meaningful practice with skills like CVC words, digraphs, counting, addition, and subtraction, all wrapped in fun seasonal themes. With eight literacy stations and eight math stations included, everything is ready for you to print and use so your center time runs smoothly and keeps students engaged.
Christmas Sentence Building
This Christmas Super Sentences pack gives your students hands-on practice with building, reading, and writing simple sentences using picture cards, sentence stems, and emergent readers. The colorful vocabulary cards and sentence frames make it easy for students to work independently while still getting meaningful literacy practice. It is a simple way to strengthen sentence structure and confidence during your December literacy centers.
Christmas Writing Center
This December Writing Center gives your students five engaging themes to choose from, including baking, toys, Christmas items, world holidays, and more.
With vocabulary cards, “I Can” charts, and a variety of writing pages like letters, stories, lists, and labeling, your students get meaningful writing practice in a way that feels fun and independent.
It is an easy way to keep your writing station fresh and purposeful all month long.
This Holidays Around the World resource gives your students a chance to explore global traditions while practicing essential math and literacy skills.
With ten literacy centers and ten math centers included, students work on everything from rhyming and syllables to counting, ten frames, and simple equations.
The activities are hands-on and easy to manage, which makes center time feel smooth and purposeful.
Each center is themed around a different holiday or country, so students get a small peek into celebrations in places like Mexico, Italy, Australia, and Sweden.
The bright picture cards, emergent readers, and simple recording pages help students stay engaged while giving you plenty of flexibility to differentiate.
Boom Learning Christmas Activities
I created a set of six Holidays Around the World Boom Learning decks that give students quick, interactive practice with key kindergarten math and literacy skills. They cover CVC blending, counting, graphing, syllables, and simple addition, all wrapped in a fun holiday theme that keep kids engaged.
Christmas Computer Games and More
These fun Christmas activities are a major hit! This PowerPoint Computer Center is an easy way to give your kindergarten students extra practice with important skills right on your classroom computers or interactive whiteboard.
Since the activities run on PowerPoint, you will need the full version installed for everything to work correctly.
Each activity also includes a simple exit ticket so you can quickly check student understanding.
Kindergarten Christmas GAMES Your Students will Love
I love including fun games in center time. It drives up engagement like nothing else! These December BUMP games give your students a fun and predictable way to practice important math and literacy skills, which makes them perfect for independent centers. The set includes activities for CVC words, rhyming, syllables, counting, ten frames, making ten, and even 3D shapes, all with bright seasonal themes that kids love. Once students learn how to play, you can easily swap in new skill boards without reteaching the routine, which keeps centers running smoothly.
Gingerbread Man Spelling Game
This Gingerbread Man spelling game gives students hands-on practice with letters and sight words in a fun, partner-friendly format. Kids listen to a word or letter, write it from memory, check themselves, and then spin to move along the game board, which keeps them excited and engaged. The cards are also editable, so you can easily customize the activity to match the exact skills your students need.
Christmas Cookie Math Fluency Game
This Christmas cookies fluency game gives students a playful way to practice numbers to 10, along with simple addition and subtraction facts. Students read a number or solve an equation, spin the spinner, and move along the cookie trail, which keeps the game fast-paced and fun. It is an easy, low prep option that works well in centers, small groups, or as a partner activity.
Christmas Themed Roll, Say, Keep Games
This Gingerbread Roll, Say, Keep game gives students a quick and engaging way to practice both letters and sight words. Kids roll the die, read the matching card, and add it to their stack, which keeps the game moving and encourages lots of repetition. The FOX cards add a fun surprise element that your students will love, making this a perfect partner or small group activity.
This Winter Express Roll, Say, Keep game gives students a fun way to practice math skills like number recognition, tally marks, ten frames, shapes, and simple addition and subtraction. Students roll the die, read the matching card, and collect it for their stack, making it an easy and engaging partner game for centers or small groups
Kindergarten Christmas Worksheets
December can feel a little wild in the classroom, so it is nice to have simple, no prep activities ready to go when you need something quick and meaningful. These Christmas printables keep students practicing important skills while giving you a little breathing room during a very busy season.
Save My Ink!
These December Save My Ink worksheets give you forty no prep math and literacy pages that are easy on ink but still engaging for kindergarteners. Students practice skills like word families, letter identification, rhyming, syllables, number writing, number order, tally marks, ten frames, and simple addition, all with fun seasonal themes. They are perfect for morning work, independent practice, or quick skill checks when you need something ready to go.
Roll, Read, and Write
This Roll, Read, Write activity set gives students a fun way to practice letters and sight words with a simple routine that is easy for them to follow independently. Students roll the die, read the letter or word, and write it in their grid, all while the picture puzzle slowly comes together on the side. Since the pages are editable, you can plug in the exact letters or sight words your class needs, which makes it a flexible option for literacy centers or morning work.
Other blog posts that are perfect for December
- Christmas Kindergarten Worksheets and a Free File
- Free The Mitten Activities & Printables for Kindergarten!
- Cute Kindergarten Gingerbread Man Activities & Free File
Engaging Polar Express Activities (Free File) for Kindergarten & First Grade
Free Fun Christmas Activity
Grab your free Christmas game that is a perfect math activity!
Deedee Wills
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3 Responses
I love it! So many cool ideas to try. Thank you for sharing!
I am sorry, but I am not able to print or download your cookie comparison game. can you please help me?
Hi Ellen,
I’m sorry. Can you email me? I’m not sure what you are talking about (it might be the holidays finally getting to me)…HA!
deedee@mrswillskindergarten.com