Because I teach at a Christian school, we don’t emphasize Santa. I mean, we talk about him, he’s in a wordsearch or a Christmas Test I’m giving my students (more on that later…), but we don’t make too big of a deal about him. Plus I teach fifth graders, who are “in on the secret.”
So in my classroom I do a balance of secular Christmas activities and ones that focus on the true reason for Christmas: the Savior of the world coming to Earth as a baby, to dwell with mankind and provide a way for reconciliation.
To enhance our discussion, I asked my students about Christmas lights and why we use them.
They are bright.
They are beautiful.
They dispel darkness.
Just like Jesus.
Just like Christians are called to do.
So I gave the students a “light bulb” and had them brainstorm ideas of how they could be a “light” to the world:
Then, I compiled all of the Christmas “lights” and displayed them on a bulletin board:
Now I know that many of you don’t teach in a Christian environment, but you could still use this idea:
*You could have your students write ways they could spread the light of kindness
*You could do an activity called “Books Light Up Our Lives” and have students do book recommendations on the light bulbs
*You could post a bunch of math problems on different light bulbs and have your kiddos try and solve them
*You could have each student pick a scene from a recent Social Studies chapter and have them illustrate main ideas on a light bulb
Find more ideas that other teachers have TRIED on Holly’s blog:
Find more ideas that other teachers have TRIED on Holly’s blog:
Happy December, friends!
