Posted on by ~Our Holistic Homeschool~

12 HOLIDAY HOMESCHOOL HACKS . . . for when Rudolph won’t stop running, those Chipmunks won’t stop loop-the-looping, Frosty won’t stop thumpity-thumping, and those sleigh bells won’t stop ring-ting tingle-ing, too!

Welcome to our 12 DAYS OF HOMESCHOOL CHRISTMAS POSTS! If you are just joining us, here’s what you’ve missed so far:

Does anyone else have their own personal little BUDDY-THE-ELF boarding at their house these days?

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Our son found himself the perfect half-size Christmas tree for his room! It stands in verdant beauty.

Our own Kindergarten BUDDY is extra-super-festive this year. Maybe it’s because it’s his first white Christmas, or because he has his very own Christmas tree since we were permitted to chop down FOUR of them (all for a whopping two dollars and fifty cents . . . wow, I do not miss living in the city), or because he now recalls just how magical Christmas morning really is. But whatever the reason, our son’s Christmas cheer has made Holiday Homeschooling very interesting . . . to say the least.

We plan on Holiday Homeschooling all next week, and then breaking on the 21st for a three day “Santa’s Sweatshop . . . I mean Santa’s Workshop Skill School” (stay tuned for more on that). I’ve found that our kids do much better when we keep Homeschool in session and that being entirely “off” for days on end doesn’t work well for us. Everything just kind of unravels into one giant mess the minute I announce “no school!” Personally, our family (mama especially) prefers a little bit more structure and schedule even for including the extra fun stuff. That being said, there have been a lot of Christmas distractions to deal with on our academic days lately . . . and our BUDDY has had visions of sugar plums dancing in his head during reading, and the little drummer boy’s been pa-rum-pum-pum-pumming in his ears during math. And our own little CINDY-LOU-WHO has been singing “jinga-bay-ols” for days on end . . . at her desk, on the toilet, in her high chair, and . . . oh yeah . . . at naptime.

So to keep this scholastic sleigh on schedule, I’ve been making a list and testing it twice . . . packing up my big-fat-pack upon my back with the most helpful Holiday Homeschool Hacks I have managed to come up with. And today I’m sharing all that I have collected so far with you! I hope at least one of these ideas will help make your Holiday Homeschool journey both focused and festive. Enjoy!

For our 6th Day of Homeschool Christmas . . .

12 ways to welcome Christmas into your Curriculum!

1.) First, rock around the Christmas tree!

To get our kids’ Christmas wiggles out each morning I’ve been blasting our “Rock Around the Christmas Tree” and “Rock Around the Manger” playlists for at least thirty minutes. They get so tired out running like Rudolph and ringing those . . . blessed bells that they are actually glad for the break to do some work at their desks.

Check out our Merry MOVE-IT Playlists!

2.) What’s this . . . WASSAIL?

Have a Christmas vocabulary day! Listen to or sing through Christmas carols and have your child jot down any unfamiliar words: yuletide, partridge, lowing, cloven, Eskimos, mistletoe, chestnuts, tidings, noel, reconciled, triumphant . . . etc. Look up the words together and write up or type up a little “Christmas dictionary.”

3.) Here’s the TICKET!

To keep our son enthused about school each day, I’ve been using these printable Christmas Coupons, and they’ve really been the life-saver of the season!

4.) He’s making a list, and SPELL-CHECKING twice!

pictures of grinch | Jim Carrey The Grinch | Grinch stole christmas, Grinch, The grinch movie

For kids who don’t believe in Santa, or who don’t believe in him anymore . . . bust out a dictionary and tell your child that any gifts he or she wants you to consider getting for them or passing on to Grandma must be written on a list, and (here’s the rub) that no misspelled items will be considered.

5.) The 12 Books of Christmas

When the Holiday Homeschool day is unraveling, retire to the couch with a stack of Christmas read-aloud books. Check out our previous Christmas book posts:

6.) He sees you when you’re cooking, he knows when you start to bake!

Cancel school for the day and do some measuring math and recipe reading in the kitchen! Stay tuned for our upcoming Christmas-themed “Kickin’ it with Kids in the Kitchen” posts!

7.) Caroling, caroling, here we go! Christmas songs we’re . . . copying?

Copying sentences or passages is a classic curriculum staple. If your child’s curriculum includes copy work of this nature, consider switching it up for the holidays and allowing your child to instead copy the words of his or her favorite Christmas carol or Christmas story!

8.) Let it GLOW! Let it GLOW! Let it GLOW.

Ok, I don’t post a lot of encouragement for using the silver screen during the homeschool day. However, my son and I have really been enjoying watching nature documentaries together lately, and we have stumbled upon some really great Christmas-y titles! If you and your kids need a break during the week, we highly recommend these!

Christmas-y Documentaries *currently* on DisneyPlus:

  • The Giant Robber Crab (takes place on CHRISTMAS ISLAND . . . yeah I didn’t know that was a place)
  • Deep Blue
  • Penguins

Christmas-y Documentary Series *currently* on Netflix:

  • Our Planet; Frozen Worlds

9.) A Visit from Saint Nicholas

If you are looking for a good Christmas-themed poetry unit, look no further than Clement Clark Moore’s The Night Before Christmas. For kids under 3rd grade, just read the poem and point out/discuss the rhyming words and patterns. For kids 4th grade and up, identify the literary devices in the poem; make it a game to find similes, metaphors, imagery, and personification! And just for kicks, memorize the poem together!

10.) Walking in a Winter Wonderland!

Go on a Homeschool Holiday field trip! Take a drive to see Christmas decorations if that’s all you can do . . . or go on a Winter Wonderland nature walk ifyou possibly can!

11.) Do you hear what they hear?

Ok, so after you rock around the Christmas tree, I recommend paying very careful attention to the music that you play during the remainder of the school day (if any). I’ve had to learn this one the . . . hyper way lately. Hearing “Run, Run, Rudolph” may not disturb me much while I’m teaching our son a math lesson, but it makes him practically hover over the seat of his desk. So, after we “rock around the manger” each morning for about half an hour, I’ve been switching our Spotify to the following classical Christmas playlists, and I’ve been amazed the difference it has made for our son’s focus! I know, it’s kind of a no-brainer . . . but sometimes us Homeschool parents can use a few of those! Just me?

Only if your kids can focus to music with lyrics (a highly individual thing):

12.) Santa’s Skill School Workshop Week

The Skill-Filled Stocking

As mentioned in the intro, we are taking off just the few days before Christmas for a “Santa’s Workshop Skill School” unit. This is a fancy way of saying that my son and I are going to be making some handmade Christmas gifts and treats together . . . learning some great practical-life and vocational skills while making some great memories together. Here are some ideas for a Holiday Skill-School Week:

  • Wrapping presents
  • Tying bows
  • Homemade Christmas gifts (stay tuned for our post on this next week!)
  • Gingerbread Houses
  • Christmas Crafts (such as stringing popcorn, making snowflakes, handmade ornaments, etc.)
  • Embroidering/Cross-stitch stocking
  • Cookie Baking/Decorating
  • Christmas Candy Making (stay tuned for our tutorial next week!)
  • Cooking the Christmas Feast

HAPPY HOLIDAY HOMESCHOOLING!

Thanks for reading!

Love, ~Our Holistic Homeschool~

6 Replies to “12 HOLIDAY HOMESCHOOL HACKS . . . for when Rudolph won’t stop running, those Chipmunks won’t stop loop-the-looping, Frosty won’t stop thumpity-thumping, and those sleigh bells won’t stop ring-ting tingle-ing, too!”

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