The holidays bring twinkling lights, festive songs, and… a LOT of extra energy in the classroom. The kids are buzzing with holiday spirit, you’re running on caffeine and candy canes, and staying focused feels like an Olympic sport. While it’s fun to ride the wave of excitement, teachers know how quickly it can turn into distraction city. But instead of battling the holiday hype, what if you leaned into it? With a few clever tweaks, you can keep the learning rolling right up until winter break. This post aims to help you keep students engaged during the holidays, while also keeping you sane! So let’s get into it.
Here are five classroom-tested ways to keep your students engaged and learning, even when holiday excitement takes over.
1. Turn Wiggles Into Learning Fuel
Kids are wired with extra wiggles this time of year, so instead of fighting it, build movement into your day. Try “walk and talk” partner questions, scavenger hunts, or standing response activities (like “stand if you think the answer is 24”). Math fact relay races, spelling hopscotch, and even a fun “snowball fight” with crumpled paper review questions are some favorites.
Movement helps students refocus and burns off that holiday energy before it becomes a distraction. When kids move, they learn better—and you’ll have fewer “holiday wiggle explosions” mid-lesson.
2. Make Brain Breaks Non-Negotiable to Keep Students Engaged
Attention spans shrink faster than peppermint bark this time of year. Short, frequent brain breaks are your secret weapon for keeping students on track. They are crucial for keeping students engaged during the holidays!
Try two minutes of Freeze Dance, a quick breathing exercise, or a silly holiday-themed stretch to reset the room instantly. We love a super quick Go Noodle as a mid day break. The best part? Brain breaks feel like fun to kids, but they’re secretly setting you up for smoother transitions back into learning.
3. Add Holiday-Themed Learning Activities
You don’t need to abandon academics to embrace the season. Simply give your lessons a holiday twist. A gingerbread math station, winter word scrambles, or holiday read-alouds can keep students hooked while still practicing core skills. Check out my list of diverse books for this time of the year that students learn so much from!
Even the most reluctant learners perk up when candy canes or snowmen sneak into math problems. December is the perfect time for themed STEM challenges (like building the tallest marshmallow tower) or creative writing prompts (“If Santa got stuck in your chimney…”).
Engaged kids = happy teacher.
December Christmas Writing Prompt Crafts
4. Use Countdowns as Motivation
Turn the endless “How many days until break?” questions into a positive incentive. A visual countdown chain, classroom calendar, or whole-class behavior chart adds anticipation in a structured way. They are a great way to keep students engaged during this holiday time.
Tie your countdown to meaningful goals like completing “12 Days of Kindness” challenges or adding a mini learning activity to each countdown link. Countdowns give structure to the excitement and help students stay motivated to finish strong instead of mentally checking out.
5. Reward Effort as a Team to Keep Students Engaged
Nothing keeps students motivated like a shared goal. Use a simple reward system to celebrate when the class works together.
Maybe it’s earning marshmallows toward a hot cocoa party, or filling a jar with pom-poms to unlock a pajama day. When everyone is on the same team, the energy stays positive and focused. Whole-class rewards help keep holiday jitters at bay and reinforce teamwork all the way to the final bell.
Editable Year Long Whole Class Rewards System
Another great way to keep students engaged during the holidays is by doing a classroom mystery award! Simply write your reward and cover it with sticky notes that have your desired behavior you’d like to see. Every time the class as a whole completes a behavior, you can peel off the sticky note until you reveal the reward. Students love the anticipation and it costs you nothing! Grab this for FREE by subscribing below!!
Making the Week Before Break Calm (and Actually Enjoyable)
The week before winter break doesn’t have to feel chaotic or exhausting. With the right structure and engaging activities, it can be a meaningful time to build classroom community, review important skills, and enjoy the season — without burning yourself out.
That’s exactly why I created my Before Winter Break Kit. It’s designed to take the pressure off during the busiest week of the school year by giving you everything you need in one place. Inside the kit, you’ll find five days of detailed lesson plans, engaging student activities, intentional read-aloud pairings, and simple teacher checklists, all done for you!
The best part? There’s no complicated prep. Just print what you need, prep in minutes, and walk into each day knowing your plans are ready. Your students stay engaged, routines stay calm, and you actually get to enjoy those last days before break.
If you’re looking for a simple, stress-free way to make it through the week before winter break, the Before Break Kit has you covered! So you can focus on your students instead of scrambling to plan.
With these simple tips and the ready-to-use activities in the Before Break Kit, you’ll have everything you need to keep students. Keeping students engaged during the holidays! Don’t forget to subscribe to my email list! Not only will you get the most up to date tips, tricks, and classroom projects… and of course more fun FREEBIES including the Mystery Reward FREEBIE! You will also have exclusive access to tons of digital how-to videos! If you would like to learn about this and other things happening in my classroom follow me @sweetnsauerfirsties on Instagram.
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