Creative Homeschooling in December
Homeschooling in December can be rough. We all need a bit of a break from the monotony of the regular homeschooling schedule, don’t we? Some people choose to take the entire month off to focus on the preparations of Christmas and turning the hearts of their children toward the One that Christmas is all about.
I’ve found several ways over the years to accomplish both homeschooling and Christmas preparations – all turning the hearts of my children toward Christ.
Creative Homeschooling in December
In this post, I’ve rounded up all those homeschooling in December ideas from the last several years for you. I hope you find something that will be just perfect for your Christmas schooling!
Creative Christmas Studies
During these two or three weeks just before Christmas, the textbooks are often replaced with practical, real-life things such as menu planning, couponing, baking, party planning and decorating, shopping for presents on a budget, crafting homemade gifts, addressing Christmas cards, practicing for plays and musicals at church, and more. We spend extra time fitting in service opportunities, too.
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We also replace our daily Bible routine with one that prepares our hearts to celebrate the birth of Christ. There are so many different Bible schedules and Christmas devotions readily available, even some with learning activities! I’ll mention just a few to get you started. We love completing a Jesse Tree and have done this several different years. We have also completed several themed studies relating to Advent, the Symbols of Christmas, and the Names of Jesus.
December Nature Study
One year, we devoted the entire month from Thanksgiving through Christmas to nature study. A whole chilly month? Yes! Bible, science, and so much more can be accomplished through a thematic focus on Christmas nature study!
Of course, if an entire month of Christmas nature study seems like too much, you can always cut that down to once a week or less. With the hustle and bustle of December activities, it’s always nice to get some fresh air and exercise to clear the mind. Nature study is a guilt-free way to run away from the madness and check boxes off in your lesson plan book.
Other Homeschooling in December Activities
Some other fun Christmas activities we’ve done include:
- The Christmas Miracle of Jonathan Toomey Activity and Service Project
- Silver Packages Activities and Service Project
- A Simple Red, Green and White Nature Walk
- Nativity Artist Study and Project with Handel’s Messiah
- Stuffed Felt Ornaments Handicraft
- December School Newsletters
- A Scientific Cookie Mystery
- Christmas Math: Doubling with Starlight Mints
- Christmas Glyphs: Fun Graphing Activities
- Even Some Preschool Christmas Fun
December Reading
We’re suckers for good literature. Our very favorite Christmas series is written by Arnold Ytreeide and includes four books (you read one book per year) with readings every day of December leading up to Christmas day. If you are new to this series, I would read them in the following order: Jotham’s Journey
, Bartholomew’s Passage
, Tabitha’s Travels
and Ishtar’s Odyssey.
Other Favorite Christmas Books
We have a giant stack of Christmas picture books that I love to wrap individually before the Christmas season begins. We choose one book to unwrap and read aloud each day leading up to Christmas. It’s such a treat opening a a surprise book each morning – even though these books have been read over and over again through the years.
These are some of the most beloved from our stash. We have other favorites you’ll want to check out, too!
Oodles of Christmas Ideas
Just in case this post hasn’t quite hit the nail on the head with Christmas school options, you might enjoy my Christmas Pinterest board.
Christmas Gift Ideas
Besides homeschooling in December, I’m always busy with gift buying, too. I have some posts full of potential Christmas gift ideas that might come in handy for you.
Do you have Christmas school in your homeschool? Please share your favorite resources or things to do! I love new ideas!
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Hi Cindy! I came to this post through your email, and I’m so excited to have these new ideas! We’ve “Christmas schooled” every year (I love that you call it by that name), but I’m running out of ideas. For the first few years, it was just a hodgepodge of Christmas-related lessons and resource. Two years ago, though, I spent oodles of time in October and November pulling together a Christmas Around the World unit from scratch, and we enjoyed it so much. Last year, I purchased a unit on Christmas carols, which was also delightful. The kids have been asking me what we’ll be doing this year, and I’m coming up blank, so thank you for this post! I’m sure it will be helpful, and I’ll soon have an answer, instead of a blank stare, to give my children. 😉
I’m so thankful it was helpful to you, Keri! I figured while I was in the middle of trying to plan myself, others just might appreciate the ideas, too. 🙂
Cindy,
Thank you! This is our second year homeschooling and it has been a joy to have so much freedom to pursue our interests, take our time and adapt to our lifestyle (A military family that moves every two years!) The biggest blessing has been devoting the time to God who is our center and teaching our children more and in a special way about our Catholic Faith. This is a wonderful post that just instills a peace that I am not the only one who sees slowing down during these months to take in more nature and the coming of our Savior. Thank you!
Liz, your comment made my day. 🙂