The Story of Christmas Lesson Plan

Winter Educational Activities for Preschoolers

Nov 12, 2008 ChristaCarol Jones

Teach your preschooler the true meaning of Christmas while embracing the holiday spirit and letting your children learn math, reading, science and art through play!

This suggested week long lesson plan focuses on the traditional icons of Christmas and the birth of Jesus. For other weeks in December, you can choose the Penguin Theme Activity, and the Gingerbread Man Theme Lesson Plan. Remember these are suggested ideas that you can manipulate to better fit your preschoolers learning environment and build on with your own personal creativity.

Christmas Math

Counting Down the Holiday

Count down the days until Christmas while simultaneously teaching your preschooler(s) the calendar. Use a pre-existing calendar or make your own. Cut up squares of different holiday wrapping paper and tape them over each day during the month of December. This is a great circle time activity!

Reinforce the days of the week, and let your preschooler(s) peel off the days gift-wrap to reveal that day. Count how many days are left until the birth of Jesus, and if desired, let your preschooler(s) take the peeled off gift-wrap and paste onto a large green square of construction paper. By the time Christmas has arrived, she has created her own gift-wrapped present (which can be used as baby Jesus' birthday gift)!

Christmas Tree Shapes

One way of doing this math activity is by using a felt board with felt Christmas trees and different shapes. Encourage your preschooler(s) to sort the same shapes on one Christmas tree, and a different set of shapes on another. Or you can do this by using construction paper. For older preschoolers, let them cut out the shapes and paste on the green triangle (tree) with dotted lines for the cutout shapes to fit in. For younger preschoolers, have the shapes ready to paste.

Christmas File Folder Game

This File Folder Game reinforces counting, color and discrimination skills. Create different colored light bulb cutouts or different patterned ornaments . . . or create more than one game! Have the game geared for color skills by letting your preschooler(s) match the same colored light bulbs. For counting, have the light bulbs glued in the folder with numerals and your laminated separate pieces with the matching amount of dots. For discrimination, use the different patterned ornaments for them to match.

Christmas Reading and History

After reading Very First Christmas by Juliet David [Kregel Publications, 2008] follow these great idea's to correspond with the birth of Jesus. If you have a reading center, make sure to provide lots of different holiday music (fast and slow, loud and soft).

J is for Jesus Activity

Have the letter "J" pattern on hand. Provide red glitter or red strips of construction paper. Also have on hand a letter "J" tracing sheet with a few "J" pictures on it (baby Jesus, Jar, Jellyfish, etc.). Talk about the sound letter "J" makes. Let them trace the letters on the worksheet and put red stripes on the "J" pattern. When they're finished, tell them to turn the "J" upside down. What does it look like now?

To further this activity, provide letter "J" cardboard patterns with holes punched all along the side. Have several different colored yarns for lacing, enhancing your preschoolers fine motor skills.

Happy Birthday Jesus

Read Very First Christmas again and ask if they remember what baby was born. Ask them whose birthday it is on Christmas? Remind them of the true meaning of Christmas before letting them create their own presents for baby Jesus (square cardboard or boxes, gift-wrap and ribbons), bake a cake (cupcakes or cookies), and sing happy birthday to Jesus!

Science

Christmas Sensory Table

Some ideas for a Christmas sensory station: provide garland, hay and gift-wrap/ribbon on different days for your preschooler(s) to explore. Set inside different Christmas manipulatives like small plastic candy canes, Santa's, miniature plastic ornaments, etc.

Art

Christmas Mouse

Before doing this art activity, read Merry Christmas, Mouse! by Laura Joffe Numeroff [Harpercollins Children's Books, 2007]. Using holiday colored felt pieces or construction paper create: a teardrop shape for the body, triangles or teardrop shapes for ears, circle for nose, and have on hand enough googily eyes. Create a Christmas mouse as demonstration before encouraging your preschooler(s) to begin his or her own. When they are finished, cut a small slit where the tail should go and let each child slip in a candy cane. Not only have they created a fun art project, but a cute tree ornament!

Peppermint Pudding Paint

If desired, let your preschooler(s) assist you in making instant pudding (peppermint is highly suggested for the scent). Once the pudding has set, lay out a large piece of butcher paper and let your preschooler(s) finger paint (and taste test) this fun art project.

There's nothing like the touch of the holiday spirit to teach preschoolers about the story of Jesus, and have them enhance their academic skills without them even knowing that they're learning!

The copyright of the article The Story of Christmas Lesson Plan in Parenting Methods is owned by ChristaCarol Jones. Permission to republish The Story of Christmas Lesson Plan in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.

The Birth of Jesus