and the little drummer boy’s pa-rum-pum-pum-pumming . . .
those sugarplums keep right on dancing . . .
and Mariah Carey’s still romancing . . .
When Frosty just keeps thump-thump-thumpitting . . .
andFeliz Navidad (again) is trumpeting . . .
those blasted Chipmunks are hoola-hooping . . .
and their plane won’t quit that loop-the-looping . . .
Well, Mom and Dad, what do you say?
Shall we invite a little *heavenly peace* to the homeschool day?
We don’t break for Christmas until the 19th. 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’ve managed to concoct over the past few years. This Christmas special was inspired by my favorite list of sanity-saving Homeschool Hacks, just with a merry little makeover. And today, I’m sharing this, my updated collection with you all! I hope at least one of these ideas will help make your Holiday Homeschool journey just a little bit more focused and festive. We’re truly all on this crazy sleigh ride together, my friends!
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.) ABC Christmas Ornaments
For Preschool and Kindergarten: have your little one match letters of the alphabet with Christmas ornaments. For example, a star would match with the letter S.
For kids first grade and up: have your child select a Christmas ornament from a collection, then tell your child to narrate aloud or write a short story that features or includes the item. For more challenge, have the child select three ornaments that must be included in the telling of the story.
3.) 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 such as:
Advent
Yuletide
Partridge
Lowing
Cloven
Eskimos
Mistletoe
Chestnuts
Tidings
Noel
Prophesy
Reconciled
Triumphant
Look up the words together and write or type up a little “Christmas Dictionary.”
4.) 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 lifesaver of the season!
5.) He’s making a list and SPELL-CHECKING twice!
Bust out a dictionary and tell your child that any gifts he or she wants you, Santa, or Grandma to consider should be written on a list, and (here’s the rub) that misspelled items may or may not be considered!
If your child writes a letter to Santa, consider telling her that Old Saint Nick is a stickler for spelling, grammar, proper syntax, and neat handwriting.
6.) Reading around the Christmas Tree!
When the Holiday Homeschool day is unraveling, retire to the couch with a stack of Christmas read-aloud books.
8.) Caroling, caroling, here we go! Christmas songs we’re . . . copying?
Copying sentences or passages is a classic curriculum staple and one of the foundations of the Charlotte Mason method. 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!
9.) 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
10.) 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!
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 more snowfall and less jingly bells. The difference has been nothing short of magical. I know, it’s kind of a no-brainer . . . but sometimes us Homeschool parents can use a few of those! Just me?
It became clear to me that this year I needed to create a magical yet peaceful playlist for the Homeschool Holidays. So that’s just what I did. Our family is loving this playlist and I hope yours will, too!
We’re taking off the week before Christmas for a “Santa’s Workshop Skill School” unit. This is a fancy way of saying that the kids and I are going to be crafting and baking together . . . learning some great practical-life and vocational skills while making some lovely memories together. Here are some ideas for a Holiday Skill-School Week:
Wrapping presents
Tying bows
Homemade Christmas Gifts
Gingerbread Houses
Christmas Crafts (such as stringing popcorn, making snowflakes, handmade ornaments, etc.)
