Ah, the holidays are just the bee’s knees, especially in a K-2 classroom! It’s like watching little light bulbs turn on one by one as students get creative and excited about the festive time of year. So grab your teaching cap, and let’s jump into some incredibly engaging holiday writing activities for K-2 students that’ll have your kiddos begging for more!
Thankful Thought Turkeys
Before the winter holidays begin, Thanksgiving is upon us! Of course, I always share an activity to encourage my students to express gratitude. The Thankful Thoughts banners are perfect for showing how much they appreciate the important people and things in their lives.
Need more ideas for Thanksgiving? Make sure to check out this post!
Holiday Postcards for Loved Ones
Next, let’s make some Holiday Postcards! Forget Santa letters; we’re going old-school with postcards for family or friends. I also like to leave this open to any loved one to make it inclusive for all types of families.
Begin by cutting cardstock into postcard-sized pieces. Next, allow the kiddos to illustrate the front with holiday-themed drawings. On the back, guide them to write a heartfelt holiday message. This is a great way to teach students how to address a letter and postcard. You can even put them in the mail!
Or, grab this set of FREE postcards that you can print onto cardstock and add right away to your writing center.
My Dream Gingerbread House
One of my favorite holiday activities as a kid was making a gingerbread house! This can also be a holiday writing activity for students without the sugary mess and allergy concerns.
First, read a book or show a video about gingerbread houses. The Gingerbread House by Laura Gia West is a favorite {and it’s FREE on Kindle Unlimited!}
Next, hand out house-shaped paper for students to draw and label their dream gingerbread house. Finally, they write 3-4 sentences describing their creations. It’s the perfect activity to reinforce adjectives! Hang up the houses to celebrate their creations and writing.
Related: Christmas, Hanukkah, and Holidays Teacher Stamps
Holidays Around the World Journal
Your students are probably familiar with Christmas in America but what about the way it’s celebrated around the globe? Of course include other winter holidays and their celebrations such as Diwali, Hanukkah, and Boxing Day!
You can introduce new holidays from a different culture. Next, provide a journal prompts related to each holiday. Finally, students write about the traditions and celebrations they’ve learned.
As a bonus, have students write about their own holiday traditions. It’s a great way to get to know your students even more.
Apply to Be an Elf!
Elves are such a fun part of the holiday season. After reading a fun book about elves {I love this book and this book!}
Create a class book of Elf Applications. Your students can use his/her imaginations to convince you why they’d be a great elf!
Your students will love reading through the applications! It’s always one of my most well-worn books in the classroom library.
Winter Draw & Writes
I love these quick print & go activities – they not only help kickstart your students’s writing, but it also includes a quick drawing activity to support his/her writing.
I always have a stack of these ready to go in my writing center for when a student {inevitably!} says, “I don’t know what to write about!
These holiday writing activities for K-2 students are absolutely, positively guaranteed to fill your classroom with holiday cheer and creative writing! So grab those pencils and let’s make this holiday season filled with writing and fun!
