Christmas 2023 Teaching Resources

Download teacher-created Christmas activities for your elementary classroom — from Christmas coloring pages to Santa worksheets to beautifully designed Christmas classroom decorations and printable holiday craft templates!

Created by teachers for teachers, every resource in this collection is available for download, and each has undergone a rigorous review by the teachers on the Teach Starter team to ensure they’re student-ready.

When Is Christmas 2023?

You probably don't need us to tell you that Christmas is celebrated on December 25 every year — but how will this affect the school calendar? In 2023, the federal holiday will be Monday, December 25.

Basically, that means the last day of school could be as late as December 22 this year — that's the Friday before Christmas. Of course, the last day before winter break varies by school.

What Should I Do for Christmas in School?

Celebrating the December holiday in the classroom this year but not sure where to get started? The teachers on the Teach Starter team have got you covered with fun Christmas activities for your classroom! Give any of these a try:

1. Take a photo of each student, and have students create photo frames to take home to parents, guardians, or someone special this holiday.
2. Set up a holiday photo booth for some fun in the classroom (the photos can be used in the gifts for their loved ones)!
3. Partner with another class to buddy up and make gingerbread houses together out of graham crackers.
4. Practice writing letters with a holiday card writing assignment or — for the younger kids — a Santa letter writing assignment.
5. Challenge your students to 12 days of kindness in honor of the holiday season.
6. Learn about other cultural celebrations of Christmas from around the world.

How to Decorate a Classroom for Christmas

Decorating your classroom for Christmas and need some ideas? We have you covered there too! Try these options:

1. Decorate your classroom door with a Christmas theme.
2. Set up a fake tree or a live tree, and have students add ornaments that they decorate themselves. At the end of December, students can collect their ornaments to take home to their parents or guardians as gifts.
3. Set up a Christmas bulletin board or a winter bulletin board that you can keep up into January (and beyond).
4. Create paper gingerbread houses with your students to bring the festive feel into the classroom – but keep hungry critters out!
5. Craft Christmas poinsettias that will liven the room up and bring a bright feel even if you've got dreary winter weather outside.

Celebrating Christmas in the Classroom

Before holding any Christmas-related celebrations in the classroom, you may want to check the rules in your district and/or school building as well as considering the different types of kids in your classroom.

Incorporating holiday fun … that’s simple … can be a good way to keep your December a bit more even-keeled. And hey, no one ever said that your holiday classroom activities couldn’t be educational and incorporated into your regular routines. We’ve put together a huge mix of printable Christmas craft templates that are fun and educational too. In addition to the many Christmas worksheets and activities, we have an entire collection of general winter resources for teachers to use to be inclusive of children from all backgrounds.