Classroom Christmas parties can be tough! We want to have some holiday fun with our students, but we are exhausted! We are desperately trying to finish report cards, make parent holiday gifts, bake, shop, etc, etc. I actually love party planning and if this teaching thing doesn’t end up working out–I may become a party planner! So I thought I would take away some of your stress by helping you to plan a fun and simple celebration for your students.
I love a party that has a theme! I am going to be giving you lots of different party theme ideas over the next several days. Today we are going to start with a reindeer themed holiday party!
Reindeer Treats
No party is complete without some yummy food! Check out these cute reindeer treats!
I am seriously obsessed with these reindeer cupcakes from One Little Project! They are ALMOST too cute to eat! Almost…
Wouldn’t your students get a kick out of this reindeer popcorn from Two Sisters Crafting?! And it is so easy to make which is a huge plus!
Not all party food has to be sweet! These reindeer sandwiches from Next to Heaven are really cute and might lead to fewer sugar rushes!
Don’t forget the drinks! Add some pipe cleaner, google eyes and a pop pom to a water bottle. How cute is that?! I would have the kids make their own!
Reindeer Crafts
I love including a craft or two in my classroom parties! Some of these crafts would make a great parent gift and that crosses two things off the list at once!
Parents would love to receive one of these cute fingerprint ornaments from The Country Chic Cottage.
A reindeer flower pot would also be a great gift! Students can plant a seed and watch it grow at home! This pot from Views from the Ville is very cute and simple!
This reindeer sponge painting from I Heart Crafty Things is adorable!
These burlap reindeer sacks are super cute. And you fill them with reindeer food. Your students will love putting the food in their front yard on Christmas Eve!
Reindeer Games
A reindeer party is not complete without reindeer games! Here are a few fun ones…
Kids will love playing a game of pin the nose on the reindeer! Check out how to make this one from Living on the Crafty Side of Life.
This reindeer ring toss will keep kids busy and it doesn’t involve any crafting or set up!
This reindeer race from My Frugal Christmas would be lots of fun and very inexpensive. Teams compete to see who can fit the most balloons into a pair of panty hose! Then students can wear them as antlers for a fun picture!
Reindeer Books
You can use these fun reindeer books the week leading up to the party or they can be used to calm everyone down after the games!
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Olive, the Other Reindeer is such a fun story about a dog who thinks he is a reindeer!
The Reindeer Wish is such a sweet book about a girl who finds a reindeer and becomes good friends with him.
The Naughtiest Reindeer is a funny story about the time Rudolf got sick and his sister, Ruby, had to take his place. She is one naughty reindeer!
Sneak in some nonfiction with Reindeer: A Day in the Life. Your students will love learning some facts about reindeer.
I hope that these give you some fun ideas that help you to create some reindeer magic for your students!
Easy and Engaging Holiday Resources
Not into reindeer games? No worries. Sometimes the holidays can get a little crazy, These ready-to-use resources will help make them just a little bit easier.
Holidays Around the World Escape Room
This Holidays Around the World Escape Room is no-prep but tons of fun! You don’t need any fancy craft supplies or complicated treats to celebrate the holidays.
Your students will learn about the many holiday traditions of different countries and cultures. And to keep things interesting, they will need to solve a series of clues and codes to determine which items need to be brought to the celebration. This activity is filled with a mixture of strategies and problems and is perfect for a variety of grade levels. Students will enjoy using their problem-solving and communication skills as they learn about holidays around the world and work together to unlock the puzzle.
Christmas Activities for Math, Reading, Writing & STEM
If you are looking for one amazing resource to keep your students busy the last week of school, you are going to LOVE these Christmas Activities for Math, Reading, Writing. I have put together over 75 pages, including more than 35 different holiday activities, for an entire week-long holiday celebration.
Students will practice math, reading, writing, problem-solving, critical thinking, communication, and so much more as they see what it takes to run a Christmas tree farm. They’ll learn about growing Christmas trees, planning attractions, advertising the farm, daily operations, calculating profits, and making tweaks to their business plan to make it even better. This is truly a one-of-a-kind activity that immerses students in a fun holiday theme and gives them practice of real world skills.
This resource, designed for grades 2-5 includes five days of festive hands-on interdisciplinary activities, including a STEM project There’s tons of room for creativity and fun. Two different versions of some activities make differentiation easy. Simply choose the one that’s best for your learners. There are more than enough jolly good activities to pick and choose the ones you like best.
And these holiday activities are easy to use. All you have to do is print, copy, and teach. Seriously, it’s that simple. Even the STEM project uses common classroom supplies to keep things easy.
You can also do yourself a favor and scoop up the money-saving Holiday PBL Bundle. It includes the Christmas activities, as well as PBLs for Halloween, Thanksgiving, Valentine’s Day., St. Patrick’s Day, and Easter.
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FREE Writing Prompts
Another great holiday activity is my seasonal writing prompts. And did I mention that they are FREE? These writing prompts are perfect for getting into the Christmas mood. With prompts about giving and receiving gifts, building a snowman, holiday traditions, and living in a gingerbread house, there’ plenty of festive fun to engage your students’ creativity. Plus, the prompts are fully editable so can customize them to meet your needs.
You can use these prompts as morning work, for fast finishers, or place them in student centers. Use one each day of the week leading up to Christmas break or let kids pick and choose which they like best.
FREE Holiday Guide
Want even more amazing holiday ideas? You need to check out our FREE Ultimate Holiday Guide.
This 142-page guide is your comprehensive guide to the holidays in the classroom. My team and I have scoured the Internet to find the best holiday treats, crafts, activities, games, books, and more so you don’t have to.
Inside, you’ll find:
- Helpful holiday tips to make planning and celebrating easy
- Easy holiday resources that will keep kids learning
- 5 additional classroom party themes with ideas for treats, crafts, and activities
- Family & student gift ideas
- Simple classroom decor ideas
- Our favorite holiday books and movies
- Reading, writing, and math activities
- Student printables, a family holiday survey, holiday & thank you cards, and gift tags
- And so much more!
And the best part is it’s FREE!
If you’d like to read about more classroom holiday party ideas, check out these posts on a Snowman Themed Classroom Christmas party, Gingerbread Man Themed Classroom Christmas party, and Holidays Around the World Classroom party.
Have a Not So Wimpy Day,
Love these ideas! Thank you!
Some of the craft ideas would even work as fun activities at senior citizen centers. A home health aide shared the reindeer water bottle with me, which I then shared with the staff at the senior center I go to. I’m waiting to see if it makes the Christmas craft list.
Hi Barbara,
Fun crafts and a themed party truly have no age limit!
How about a Turkey on a water bottle?
My students, 2nd and 3rd grade, adored the Christmas Tree farm week long activities. It was so much fun! It was so realistic that several of my students thought we were actually going to start a Christmas Tree farm! They had questions like, “When do we know what job we’re hired for?”, because of the application form. And wonderful suggestions for additional things they wanted added to the farm. They even instigated going out in the woods behind school and looking for the different kinds of evergreen trees we had. Then they collected pine cones from each one to get seeds, again, for the beginning of our tree farm. Such wonderful student participation! I loved having the differentiation for each activity, being a combined class I have 1st grade level students through 4th grade level.
Do you have another unit like this? My students keep asking me to do another one.
Hi Sandy,
I love hearing this! Thank you for sharing how much your students enjoyed the resource. I love hearing how much interest it sparked! They will also love our Carnvial Week resource. Their creative juices will be flowing when they get the chance to create their own game! You can grab the resource using the links below. (The links are to the same resource, just to different locations where to purchase)
TPT: https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/End-of-the-Year-Last-Week-of-School-Carnival-Themed-Activities-6850188
Not So Wimpy Teacher website shop: https://notsowimpyteacher.com/downloads/end-of-the-year-last-week-of-school-carnival-themed-activities