20 Christmas Homeschool Activity Ideas

The Christmas excitement is in the air in my house in a big way! This time of year, homeschooling is really hard… unless it has a Christmas theme. Here are a few of our very favorite Christmas homeschool activity ideas.

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Do We Need to Do Homeschool at Christmastime?

The short answer is, no. As long as you are following your state’s legal requirements for homeschooling, you can choose your own homeschool schedule. And, most traditional schools will be taking some extended time off this month. However, many of the fun activities that you will be doing anyway this time of year can be great ways to practice the things your kids are already learning in your homeschool. With a little bit of creativity, you can plan some fun, Christmas themed lessons for your kids that allow them to practice their skills while celebrating the season at the same time. Here are a few Christmas homeschool activity ideas:

Christmas Homeschool Activity Ideas for Language and Reading

1. Read the Christmas story

We love to read and study the Christmas story during this time of year! I think it is so important that my kids understand why we are celebrating Christmas, and so I try to share the Christmas story with them in an age-appropriate way. We love to read the Christmas story from our favorite Bible and I also like to set out several picture books about the Christmas story so my kids can enjoy them throughout the season.

2. Read Fun Christmas books

We almost always have a read-aloud book that we read as a part of our homeschool. Even though my son is a strong independent reader now, he still enjoys being read to, and so does my daughter who is too young to read on her own yet. It is important for kids to hear lots of spoken language, and it is beneficial even for kids who can read on their own to hear books read aloud. This is also a way to expose kids to more complex stories that would be too difficult to read on their own. Check out this list of fun Christmas read-aloud books to find some ideas to get you started!

After you read the book, take some time to discuss it with your kids for even more learning. Resources like these Grinch reading comprehension questions can be a good starting point.

3. Write Christmas cards

Who do you know that might enjoy receiving a handwritten Christmas card? Christmas time is the perfect opportunity to teach our kids this skill that is becoming a lost art in our culture. Kids who are practicing their handwriting can add a note of their own to your family’s Christmas cards, or sign their own names at the bottom. Kids who are too young to write yet might enjoy drawing pictures to add to the cards, or creating an art project like a DIY marbled Christmas card. The process of writing Christmas cards is a great way to model care for family and friends to our kids.

Christmas Homeschool Activities for Math

4. Plan a Christmas-themed math lesson

Even an ordinary math lesson can be a lot of fun when you add a little twist to make it more festive this time of year. Consider using jingle bells and a magnet wand instead of counters and manipulatives in your math lessons this month. I’ve collected 12 of my favorite Christmas themed math lessons, plus all the printables and lesson plans you’ll need to complete them, in my 12 Days of Christmas Math Games and Activities. You can read more about the lessons or purchase the complete plans here.

5. Bake Christmas cookies

Baking with your kids is a great way to encourage some hands-on learning! Baking is the perfect opportunity to practice working with fractions. Kids can practice measuring ingredients, and they can count to keep track of how many eggs or scoops of flour you have added to the recipe. You can practice multiplication or division by doubling or halving the recipe as well. Kids who are reading can be responsible for reading the recipe, and this is a great way for kids to practice following directions step by step.

6. Play a Christmas game

Playing games with kids is a fantastic way to practice math facts while having lots of fun! Many games require kids to practice math skills while playing. They may need to count squares to move their game piece, add the numbers on the dice, or use strategy to plan their next move. Look for a Christmas themed game for even more fun this time of year.

7. Go Christmas shopping

Involving kids in the Christmas shopping process is a great way to practice budgeting and learn about the value of money. Kids can help with comparison shopping and choosing presents, and they can practice addition and money skills as they help. Your family can adopt a family to purchase gifts for, and this is a great way to encourage kids to be givers too. Kids can also help shop for their own gifts to give their siblings or cousins. Older kids can even work to earn money to purchase gifts. Check out this list of educational toys that make great gifts!

Christmas Homeschool Activity Ideas for Science

8. Do a Christmas-themed science experiment

Check out my Christmas Science Experiments bundle, which includes everything you need to plan 4 Christmas science experiments, each based on a popular Christmas book. Teach kids about the scientific method, making hypotheses, and recording results as you enjoy a fun hands-on science experiment. You can learn more about these experiments here! (And be sure to read to the end of this post to find out how you can enter to WIN this resource, along with over $250 in other prizes!)

9. Do a Winter Nature Study

What can you learn outside this season? Consider taking a nature walk to observe local plants and any animals that you can find. You can also hang up a bird feeder in your yard to attract birds, and then use a bird identification book to learn about the species that are local to your area.

Christmas Homeschool Activities for History and Geography

10. Learn about Holiday Traditions around the World

There are a number of Christmas around the world unit studies available that make great geography and culture studies this time of year!

Christmas Homeschool Activity Ideas for Art

11. Make Christmas ornaments

One of our favorite family traditions is to have the kids make a new kind of Christmas ornament each year. We make enough of these ornaments to give to family and friends in addition to putting them on our own Christmas tree. It is fun to look back at the ornaments that our kids made in past years. Check out these cute salt dough Santa handprint ornaments or find lots of great ideas for Christmas ornaments to make on Pinterest.

12. Color Christmas pictures

We love Christmas coloring pages, and we always have a stack available for kids who are looking for something fun to do. My kids love hanging up the pictures that they have colored to help decorate their bedrooms!

13. Do a Christmas craft

Kids can help make hand print wreaths or paper snowflakes to decorate the house for Christmas. Making woodland Christmas decorations can be an easy way to get kids involved. Kids might enjoy making crafts to use to decorate in their bedroooms as well! Find even more ideas for Christmas crafts here.

More Fun Christmas Homeschool Activity Ideas

14. Add Advent to your Morning Basket

Advent activities for kids are a great way to help your kids remember the reason for the season.

Check out these free morning basket plans for Advent. This resource includes 4 weeks of homeschool plans with prayer, scripture memorization, poetry, music appreciation, picture study, nature study, art, math, and reading activities included. This is a fantastic resource for planning your homeschool lessons at Christmastime!

15. Count Down to Christmas

There are lots of fun ways to count down to Christmas, but our favorite is our Lego Brick Advent Calendar. My kids build something new out of Lego bricks each day.

You can customize your advent calendar to match your child’s interests. Check out some fun advent calendar ideas to help you get started.

We have also enjoyed moving our Elf on a Shelf each day as we count down to Christmas. I love coming up with funny elf on the shelf ideas to make my kids laugh. You can start the season by reading How to Catch an Elf and doing some How to Catch an Elf book activities, and we always end with an Elf on the Shelf goodbye letter.

16. Celebrate Advent with a Jesse Tree

An advent Jesse tree is a way to celebrate the Christmas season by counting down to Christmas with devotionals that remind us of God’s promises and how they were fulfilled in the birth of Jesus. My favorite resource to share the idea of an Advent Jesse Tree with kids is the printable Christmas ornaments from the Jesus Storybook Bible. This free printable includes 24 Christmas ornaments that correspond to the stories in the Jesus Storybook Bible. You can print the ornaments and hang one on your Christmas tree each night in December as you read the stories from the Bible. This is a fun way to count down to Christmas while remembering the reason for the season! Get your free download of the ornaments here.

17. Listen to Christmas Carols

This is the perfect time of year to learn some new Christmas songs with your kids! You can take some time to research the meaning behind favorite songs, or just to explain to your kids what a “one-horse open sleigh” really is! Consider going caroling with your family, or recording a video of your kids singing a favorite song to share with family and friends.

18. Watch a Favorite Christmas Movie

One of our favorite Christmas traditions is to enjoy a few special Christmas movies together every year. Choose a classic to watch year after year, or find a new favorite to enjoy. You can even try some printable Christmas movie trivia questions to go along with your movies! If you need a movie idea, check out these G-rated Christmas movies. Somehow, it doesn’t feel like Christmas until we’ve watched the Charlie Brown Christmas special at least once!

19. Do a Service Project

How can your family serve others this season? With a little creativity, you can find ways to get your kids involved in a service project, too. Can you pack shoeboxes for Operation Christmas Child? Serve the homeless in your community? Earn some money to purchase gifts for kids in need? This is the perfect time of year to teach your child about giving through some intentional Christmas kindness activities.

After the season, your child can journal about what they learned using Christmas gift giving notebook pages.

20. Find More Ideas

You can find even more Christmas homeschool activity ideas on my Christmas for homeschoolers pinterest board! Be sure to follow me on Pinterest so you’ll see all my tips and encouragement for homeschoolers!