12 Fun and Engaging Holiday Activities for Middle School Students

The holiday season is upon us, and with it comes a whirlwind of excitement and distractions for middle school students. As a teacher, it can be challenging to keep your students engaged and focused on learning during this time of year. But fear not! We’ve compiled a list of 12 holiday activities for middle school students that will help you channel their energy and maintain classroom productivity.

1. Holiday-Themed Writing Prompts

Nothing spells holiday magic like creative writing. Let’s bring their imagination to life!

Try These Creative Writing Challenges

• Letter to Santa from a Fictional Character: Imagine Harry Potter writing to Santa. What would he ask for? Would he request a new broomstick or perhaps a day off from magic school to spend time with his friends? This prompt allows students to dive into a world they are familiar with and think creatively from the perspective of their favorite character.
• Holiday-Themed Short Story or Poem: Ask students to write about a mischievous elf causing chaos at the North Pole. They could write a thrilling story of how the elf gets caught or a funny narrative about the trouble it causes Santa. The possibilities are endless.
• Reflect on a Favorite Holiday Memory: Let them share a funny or touching holiday story from their past. This is a chance for students to bring personal memories into the classroom and improve their narrative skills. They could write about the time they baked cookies with their grandmother or went sledding on the biggest hill in town.

This activity is more than just a writing prompt. It’s a dive into self-reflection and imagination. It enhances writing skills while celebrating the holiday spirit—perfect for middle school students. Plus, it’s a chance for students to take a piece of paper and bring their ideas to life.

Tips for Teachers: Break students into small groups and let them share their writing with peers. It helps build confidence and fosters a sense of community in the classroom.

2. Holiday Around the World Project

The holiday season is celebrated in many different ways around the world, and students love to explore how others celebrate. This project is a fantastic way to instill cultural appreciation and broaden their understanding.

Let’s Take a Trip Around the World

• Pick a Country: Students pick a country of their choice—from Sweden to Japan, or Brazil to South Africa.
• Research a Holiday Tradition: Students research a holiday tradition from that country. Encourage them to look at the foods that are prepared, the music that is played, and the customs that are followed.
• Create a Presentation to Share with the Class: This could be a PowerPoint, poster, or even a short video. Use Google Maps or Digital Google Slides to make the project interactive and visual.

To make the experience richer, encourage students to use visuals. They can print photos or use props that represent the culture. You could even have them dress up in attire that is common during those celebrations or create a display board that shows key components of the holiday.

This legacy project cultivates cultural awareness and diversity in your classroom. It helps students see the world beyond their community, instilling empathy, understanding, and appreciation for others. Encourage students to wear outfits from different cultures or bring props related to the tradition—it makes for a vibrant holiday celebration. Plus, it allows them to practice their research and presentation skills in an engaging way.

Extension Idea: Turn the classroom into a “Holiday Fair” where students set up booths showcasing the country they researched, complete with food samples, decorations, and small performances. Invite other classes or parents to join in and learn from your students.

3. Holiday-Themed STEM Challenges

STEM projects don’t need to stop because of the holidays! Let’s make them more festive and spark some holiday engineering.

Holiday STEM Activities for Middle School

• Gingerbread Engineering Challenge: Build gingerbread houses. Challenge students to create a structure that’s sturdy—minimum height? Number of windows? Maybe an arched door or even a chimney? The possibilities are endless! Gingerbread engineering is not only about the fun but also about understanding stability, balance, and construction concepts.
• Rube Goldberg Machine: Create a machine to light a menorah or ring a bell. This is a fantastic opportunity for students to experiment with engineering principles and learn how to create a series of chain reactions that achieve a simple task. Plus, it’s so much fun watching the final product in action!
• Santa’s Sleigh: Engineer a sleigh that can transport candy canes and gingerbread cookies down a slope or around a simple obstacle course. Give students materials like cardboard, popsicle sticks, and plastic bottles, and let them design their very own sleigh prototype. The challenge? Make sure it doesn’t fall apart while racing down the slope!

These challenges let students apply real-world science and math concepts while creating a festive atmosphere. Plus, it’s an exciting way to bring gingerbread houses and candy canes into your classroom activities.

Additional Challenge: Have students calculate the velocity of their sleigh as it goes down a ramp. This adds an extra layer of math application that is fun and educational.

4. Holiday Community Service Projects

The holidays are all about spreading kindness and giving back. Let’s encourage our middle school students to make a difference in their community. Community service teaches life skills that go beyond the classroom—empathy, kindness, and the value of helping others.

Ideas for Holiday Community Service

• Food or Toy Drive: Organize a food drive for a local charity. Have students bring in non-perishable goods or gently used toys and donate them to families in need. It’s a great way to teach students that the holidays are about giving, not just receiving.
• Volunteer at a Soup Kitchen: If possible, arrange for your class to visit a local soup kitchen and volunteer their time. Even if they can’t directly serve food, they could help organize donations or make holiday decorations to make the place more cheerful.
• Holiday Cards for Senior Citizens or Soldiers: Have students make holiday cards for senior citizens or those serving in the military. It’s a small gesture that can make someone’s holiday season much brighter. Let students get creative with drawings, glitter, and heartfelt messages.

Service projects teach empathy, compassion, and the value of community involvement. Middle school students can directly see the impact they make—a perfect opportunity to channel holiday spirit into positive change. It’s about making the season meaningful for others and learning the impact of kindness.

Tip: Take pictures of the community service projects (with permission) and create a “Wall of Kindness” in your classroom to showcase students’ efforts and inspire others.

5. Holiday-Themed Escape Room

Turn your classroom into an escape room—holiday-themed, of course! Students love a challenge, and escape rooms combine problem-solving with fun, hands-on learning.

Puzzle Your Students with These Ideas

• Santa’s Workshop: Solve math problems to unlock clues. It’s all about bringing fun and holiday-themed math activities into learning. Maybe Santa’s toys are locked in a vault, and only solving a sequence of puzzles will open it up. Each clue can be tied to math problems involving basic arithmetic, algebra, or even geometry.
• Holiday Traditions Escape Room: Incorporate holiday traditions from around the world. Students must solve geography puzzles to unlock the next clue—perhaps figuring out where certain traditions originate from or answering questions about countries that celebrate in unique ways.
• Holiday Literature Escape Room: Use holiday-themed texts, analyze them, and find clues hidden in the literature. Students might need to figure out hidden messages or answer comprehension questions based on a holiday-themed short story.

These challenging games promote teamwork, problem-solving, and critical thinking skills. And let’s face it—they’re super fun! It’s an opportunity to make learning feel like play, all while reviewing core subjects.

Extra Tip: Incorporate digital resources like escape room platforms or Google Forms to make the escape room high-tech. Students will love using technology to solve puzzles.

6. Holiday Cooking or Baking Projects

Cooking is always fun, but cooking during the holidays? That’s the ultimate classroom experience. Cooking projects incorporate math, science, and a lot of fun.

Cooking Activities for Middle School

• Holiday Recipe: Have students bake cookies or make hot chocolate. Incorporate math concepts like measurements and conversions. What better way to teach fractions than through the lens of measuring cups and teaspoons? Students can double or halve a recipe to practice.
• The Science Behind Baking: How does yeast make bread rise? What’s the chemistry behind baking soda? These are great questions that blend baking with science. Have students experiment with leaving an ingredient out to see what happens.
• Class Holiday Cookbook: Compile favorite holiday recipes into a class cookbook. Have each student contribute a recipe, complete with an illustration. You could even turn it into a digital cookbook that they can share with their families.

These activities blend science, math, and real-life skills. Plus, the students get to eat—and nothing beats that! Cooking is hands-on, rewarding, and delicious, making it a classroom favorite.

Fun Twist: Turn it into a cooking competition, with students working in teams to create the best holiday treat. Bring in guest judges to rate their work—based on taste, creativity, and presentation.

7. Holiday-Themed Art Projects

Bring out the colored paper, glitter, glue sticks, and sequins—it’s art time! Holiday art projects are a great way to allow students to express themselves and relax during a busy school day.

Art Projects That Spark Joy

• Holiday Cards and Gift Tags: Use watercolor, printmaking, or collages to create unique cards. Have students personalize cards for friends, family, or even community members who may need some holiday cheer.
• Holiday Dioramas: Build a scene depicting a holiday tradition. Maybe it’s Santa’s workshop, a winter wonderland, or a New Year’s Eve celebration. Provide shoeboxes, mini figurines, and cotton balls for snow.
• Decorate Ornaments: Make personalized decorations. Students can use clay, wood slices, or even old CDs to create beautiful ornaments. Let them paint, glue, and bedazzle to make a unique creation they can bring home.

This is the perfect time for students to unwind and express themselves. Art helps them relax while promoting creativity—and they can take their creations home to share with their families. It’s all about creating something from the heart and enjoying the process.

Group Activity: Create a class quilt where each student makes a quilt square that represents what they love most about the holidays. Sew them together for a collaborative art piece to hang in the classroom.

8. Holiday-Themed Math Activities

Math doesn’t need to be dull—add a dash of holiday spirit to spice things up.

Fun Math Ideas for the Holidays

• Calculate the Surface Area of Gift Boxes: A great way to teach volume and area in a fun, practical context. Wrap different-sized boxes and let students calculate the amount of wrapping paper needed.
• Symmetrical Ornaments: Teach symmetry by creating ornaments that are balanced. Students can fold paper, cut out designs, and see how symmetry plays a role in art and nature.
• Holiday Spending Analysis: Students can collect data on holiday spending and analyze it. What are the most popular gifts? How much money does the average family spend during the holidays? This kind of analysis makes math relevant and practical.

These holiday-themed math activities show how math fits into daily life, especially during the holidays. Plus, it’s a fun idea for students to see math in action—no textbooks needed. The combination of math and hands-on activities makes learning much more engaging.

Challenge: Create a holiday-themed crossword puzzle using math terms and concepts. Let students work in pairs to complete it.

9. Holiday-Themed Science Experiments

Turn your classroom into a science lab—holiday-themed, of course! Holiday science experiments are not just fun; they’re packed with learning.

Exciting Experiments for the Holidays

• Fake Snow: Compare the properties of real snow versus fake snow. A great hands-on science experiment. Have students mix baking soda and shaving cream to create their own “snow” and test how it feels compared to the real thing.
• The Northern Lights: Investigate the science behind the Aurora Borealis—students will be fascinated! Use flashlights, colored cellophane, and a dark room to simulate the Northern Lights and explain how they happen.
• Design a Winter Coat: Test different materials for insulation to see which keeps you warmest. Provide various materials like cotton, wool, foil, and bubble wrap, and let students experiment to find the best insulator for a winter coat.

These experiments foster curiosity and the scientific method. Plus, students love hands-on experiments that teach them about the world in a relatable way. Science becomes magical when you add a holiday twist.

Idea: End with a holiday science fair where students showcase their experiments to parents or other classes. It’s an excellent way for students to explain their scientific findings.

10. Holiday Music and Theater Performances

Get your students up and moving—music and theater activities are great for breaking up the school day and keeping energy levels positive.

Performance Ideas for the Holidays

• Holiday Songs from Around the World: Learn songs from different cultures. Each student or group can pick a song, learn it, and teach it to the rest of the class.
• Write and Perform Skits: Students can write their own holiday-themed skits. It could be about a snowman that comes to life or Santa’s elves trying to solve a big problem.
• Participate in School Concerts: Join the holiday concert and perform for the school. Whether it’s a choir performance or a play, being part of a group performance boosts confidence.

Performing helps students gain confidence and express creativity. It’s also an excellent opportunity for the entire class to bond. Plus, parents love seeing their kids perform, making it a special memory for everyone involved.

Class Project: Record the performances and create a holiday DVD or digital video that students can take home to share with family.

11. Holiday-Themed Debates

Debate sharpens students’ thinking—why not add a holiday twist to make it even more fun?

Fun Debate Topics

• Real vs. Artificial Christmas Trees: Which is better for the environment? Students can research and present both sides, learning to build arguments based on facts.
• Commercialization of the Holidays: Is it hurting or helping the true holiday spirit? This topic gets students thinking critically about how society celebrates the holidays.
• Portrayal of Holidays in Media: Analyze how holidays are portrayed in films and TV shows. Are they realistic? Do they set unrealistic expectations for families?

Debates are fantastic for building communication skills. Students learn to express their viewpoints respectfully, and debates are always a hit with middle-school kids. Plus, the holidays offer endless topics to explore.

Extra Idea: Have a public debate in front of another class or parents. It adds pressure and excitement, pushing students to prepare well and deliver confidently.

12. Holiday Gratitude Journals

Amidst the holiday chaos, it’s important to reflect on the positives and what we’re thankful for. Practicing gratitude is a powerful tool for well-being.

Daily Gratitude Journals

• Daily Entries: Write about one thing you’re grateful for each day. It could be something small, like hot cocoa on a cold day, or something big, like family traditions.
• Share Gratitude with Classmates: Let students talk about positive things happening in their lives. It’s a great way to spread positivity and bond as a class.
• Reflect on Relationships: Write about friendships, family, and what they mean. Encourage students to focus on specific qualities they appreciate about the people around them.

Gratitude journals foster positive thinking and help students focus on what they have instead of what they want. A perfect activity for mental health and social-emotional learning. It’s also a simple activity that can be done at the beginning or end of each class to set a positive tone.

Class Idea: Create a gratitude tree on the wall. Each day, students write something they are grateful for on a leaf and add it to the tree. By the end of the season, you’ll have a beautiful representation of gratitude in your classroom.

Managing Holiday Energy

The holidays can be a crazy time in the classroom—students are excited, and maintaining focus is challenging. Here’s how you can manage:

• Set Clear Expectations: Start each activity by outlining what you expect from students. Be specific, whether it’s about behavior, participation, or timelines.
• Break Activities Into Steps: Large projects are easier when broken down. Give students manageable chunks of work so they don’t get overwhelmed.
• Incorporate Physical Activities: Include activities like a holiday-themed bowling ball roll (using plastic bottles as pins) or a holiday relay race to let students release some energy. Physical activity breaks are great for resetting focus.
• Establish Routine: Stick to a consistent schedule even when adding in festive activities. Having a predictable routine helps keep chaos in check.
• Encourage Student Leadership: Let students help lead activities. Whether it’s organizing the holiday fair or managing a class project, giving them leadership roles empowers them and can help manage excitement.

These strategies help maintain order while embracing the holiday excitement. It’s all about balance—celebrating the season while still keeping learning front and center.

Conclusion

By incorporating these engaging holiday activities into your middle school classroom, you can help your students stay focused, develop important skills, and celebrate the season in a meaningful way. Remember to be flexible, creative, and responsive to your students’ needs as you navigate this exciting and challenging time of year.

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