Christmas Inferencing Activities

It may be nearing Christmas break, and your students are likely very excited about Christmas. But that doesn’t mean learning has to stop! Practice inferencing, drawing conclusions, and research skills with a Christmas-themed investigation activity featuring Santa sitting by a fireplace in a wintry room.

The printable image features several Christmas-related items that students can search for, plus a set the matching task cards to use with your students.

Some of the fun Christmas questions included in the task cards are:

• What time of year do you think this scene is set? Give reasons for your answer.
• How many Christmas-related items can you spot in the image? List them.
• Why do you think Santa’s sleigh is flying in the sky without him?
• Did you know the toy soldier in this image is called a ‘nutcracker’? Research its origins and explain why it is a symbol of Christmas.
• Can you spot any items that link to a Christmas carol you know?
• Write a short story using the image as inspiration.
• Can you spot the elves? Write a character description about one of them.
• Santa seems to be enjoying some fruit mince pies. Research to find out the main ingredients needed to make fruit mince pies.

Are there some Christmas items in the image your students don’t recognize? Why not get them to research where they are from and why they are associated with Christmas?

Each inferencing activity image includes a printable sheet that labels each of the Christmas items we included in the images. Plus, the images also come in black and white – a perfect coloring activity for a holiday!

Christmas Writing Activity

Inferencing isn’t the only activity students can do with this Santa scene! Why not use this teaching resource to build those writing muscles?

Here are some ideas:

• Have your students practice writing dialogue by writing a conversation that Santa is having.
• Have your students practice their descriptive language by writing sentences that describe the scene.
• Have your students write a narrative text telling the story of what is happening outside the house.
• Have your students develop their imaginative writing skills — they can write about the events leading up to the scene in the picture.