Updated December 12, 2023
The beloved winter holidays present an excellent opportunity to engage students while teaching them about cultures and traditions from around the world, as well as winter-related science and language arts topics.
All of the following winter vacation lessons and activities are easy to access, use, and enjoy. Best of all, they are 100% free!
The Best Free Lessons and Activities for Winter Break
National World War I Memorial and Museum: The Christmas Truce, Winter 1914
From the National World War I Museum and Memorial, this remarkable online exhibition explores the unofficial but documented truce between trench warfare combatants along parts of the Western and Eastern Fronts. Includes extensive primary source material, as well as photographs, videos, and explanatory text. In a quirky twist, users can declare their own truce on any issue, as well as vote on others' truces.
Counting Christmas trees
A standards-aligned lesson based on selling Christmas trees that can be customized for students in kindergarten through eighth grade. Included are PDF materials, questions, lesson extensions, and a brief assessment.
time for children
Obviously, “weather” is not limited to winter. However, in many parts of the country winter is associated with colder temperatures, snow, ice and other weather-related phenomena. This robust collection of experiments, videos, lessons, projects and games offers a wide range of teaching and learning options.
National Weather Service: Why we have seasons
What makes it winter now and not spring, autumn or summer? Hint: It's not related to the Earth's distance from the sun. In this compact lesson from the National Weather Service, students will learn what causes the seasons, as well as related information about the motion of the Earth relative to the Sun and a myth about eggs and the spring equinox. Are you still curious about the seasons? Visit related page Meteorological stations versus astronomical stations.
PBS Learning Media: Why do we have stations?
A comprehensive, standards-aligned interactive lesson exploring Earth's year-long journey around the Sun. Grades 3-12, shareable on Google Classroom.
snow crystals
Snow Crystals.com, an inventive, engaging and educational site, is the brainchild of Kenneth G. Libbrecht, professor of physics at the California Institute of technology. While Libbrecht studies the physics of snowflakes, he clearly also appreciates the art and whimsy of snowflakes. It's all here, from basic science to fun snowflake facts and activities to time-lapse videos of growing snowflakes.
Googley Winter Activities for Kids
Google expert Eric Curts presents amazing digital activities for fun and learning during the holidays. Try all-digital magnetic poetry, Christmas greeting cards, pixel art, or any of the eight activities. All include complete instructions and digital templates.
Make your own Christmas greeting card
Select images, fonts, background colors, and greetings to create a personalized printable greeting card for your favorite winter holiday. Don't forget to include a fun graphic on the back. Great for children of all ages.
All about Christmas
A treasure trove of Christmas traditions, customs and activities, including Christmas crosswords, quizzes and riddles. Christmas Song Karaoke, anyone?
Hanukkah, the Festival of Lights
Teach the story of Hanukkah and then add grade-based reading, writing, and art activities to your December classroom instruction.
December Holiday Lesson Plans and Activities
A host of interdisciplinary winter break lessons and activities for students of all ages. Explore the history of games and toys, try the “Re-Name That Tune” vocabulary exercise, or delve into Dickens' book. A Christmas Carol.
Kwanzaa
This in-depth article from the History Channel covers the history, principles and symbols of Kwanzaa. Educators can use it to start a classroom discussion about the importance of rituals in building community, or how students can put the seven principles into practice in their everyday lives.
Give your students the Dickens!
According to some scholars, Charles Dickens A Christmas Carol is the greatest literary influence on our modern Christmas customs. Explore these student-friendly ways to study not only A Christmas Carol, but also 19th century English society. Both cover topics relevant to today's world, such as poverty, inequality and how we treat our fellow human beings.
Kwanzaa Games Online
Practice your math and language skills while having fun with these Kwanzaa-themed digital games and puzzles.
Online Hanukkah Activities
Children learn the history and rituals of Hanukkah through engaging activities, including digital Dreidel games, crossword puzzles, and coloring pages. These digital activities can also be printed!
Christmas Interactive Slides
This Spanish digital slideshow helps students learn about Christmas traditions in Spanish-speaking places, from Spain to Mexico. Perfect for Spanish language class.
PBS Interactive Lessons: Celebrating Winter
Celebrate the season with a host of interactive winter-related lessons in math, biology, art, religion, and poetry. These preK-12 lessons are standards-aligned, shareable, and integrated with Google Classroom.
Crafts for kids
Children will enjoy creating a Winter Wonderland Terrarium using only empty jars, twigs, pinecones and trinket toys. Be sure to check the Snowflakes with cotton swabs for another easy and fun winter art project.
Online Christmas Puzzles and Games
Fun online interactives for younger students include puzzles with Santa and the elves, a Santa and Rudolph coloring page, and a digital math game, video lesson, and worksheet.
