Celebrating Christmas

Overview

This week-long lesson plan is designed for Pre-K students (ages 4-5) to explore the theme of Christmas. Aligned with US education standards for Early Childhood Education, the activities target language, literacy, and foundational math skills. The plan incorporates both large and small group activities to promote social-emotional, cognitive, and creative development. Each day revolves around Christmas-themed stories, questions, phonics, and number recognition exercises in an engaging and age-appropriate way.

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Day 1: Christmas Stories

Curriculum Focus

• Language Development
• Story Comprehension

Book

"The Gingerbread Man" by Karen Schmidt

Vocabulary

• Gingerbread
• Run
• Oven
• Catch
• Fast

Large Group Activity:

Read Aloud and Discussion

• Read "The Gingerbread Man” to the class, using an expressive tone and gestures to keep students engaged.
• Guiding Questions:
  • Who chased the Gingerbread Man?
  • How did the Gingerbread Man feel when he was running?
  • What happened at the end of the story?

Small Group Activity:

Retelling Game

• Provide cutouts of the Gingerbread Man and characters.
• Help students retell the story by arranging the characters in chronological order.
• Focus on sequencing and key phrases: "Run, run, as fast as you can!"

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Day 2: Christmas Around the World

Curriculum Focus

• Literacy
• Cultural Awareness

Book

"The Polar Express" by Chris Van Allsburg

Vocabulary

• Pajamas
• Train
• Bell
• Ticket
• North Pole

Large Group Activity:

Visual Imagery and Prediction

• Pause at key points in "The Polar Express" to ask students:
  • What do you think will happen next?
  • How would you feel if you rode the Polar Express?
  • What would you ask Santa for?

Small Group Activity:

Letter Match Game

• Provide cut-out bells with uppercase letters and train tickets with lowercase letters.
• The task is to match uppercase and lowercase letters to "board the train."

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Day 3: Christmas Counting

Curriculum Focus

• Foundational Math

Book

"Merry Christmas, Curious George" by Margret & H.A. Rey

Vocabulary

• Wrapping
• Presents
• Stack
• Count
• Gift

Large Group Activity:

Number Hunt

• After reading the story, hide numbered “presents” (toy boxes or cards) in the classroom.
• Ask students to find and arrange them in order from 1 to 15.

Small Group Activity:

Gift Sorting Game

• Create a station where students sort "Christmas gifts" (small blocks) by color and count how many are in each pile.
• Extend by asking questions: “Which pile has the most?”

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Day 4: Santa's Helpers

Curriculum Focus

• Fine Motor Skills
• Letter Recognition

Book

"Llama Llama Holiday Drama" by Anna Dewdney

Vocabulary

• Llama
• List
• Cheer
• Wrapping
• Helper

Large Group Activity:

Letter Treasure Hunt

• After reading, create a "Santa’s List" of letters the students have to find around the room. Letters will be part of holiday-themed words like "Santa," "tree," and "gift."

Small Group Activity:

Elf Hat Craft

• Provide materials to create elf hats (green paper, cotton balls).
• While crafting, encourage students to identify the first letter of their names and talk about what they would ask Santa for.

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Day 5: Christmas Celebration

Curriculum Focus

• Social-Emotional Skills
• Creative Expression

Book

"How the Grinch Stole Christmas" by Dr. Seuss

Vocabulary

• Grinch
• Heart
• Christmas
• Kind
• Sharing

Large Group Activity:

Kindness Sharing Circle

• Read the story while emphasizing the theme of kindness.
• Students take turns sharing something kind they would do for a family member, friend, or classmate.

Small Group Activity:

Grinch Math Matching

• Provide Grinch-themed cards with simple addition or counting problems (e.g., "2 green presents + 1 red present = ?").
• Students solve the problems and “return” the presents to the Whos.

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Assessment

• Observe student participation during group activities.
• Note their ability to recognize letters, count objects, and engage in sequencing.
• Provide positive reinforcement to nurture their confidence and excitement.

Extensions

• Begin each day with a Christmas song (e.g., “Jingle Bells” or “Frosty the Snowman”).
• Make a collaborative “Christmas Mural” across the week with student art contributions from each activity.

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This detailed plan ensures students build strong language, literacy, and math skills while engaging in holiday-themed fun. Teachers will find it intuitive, structured, and full of festive cheer!