Themes for Holiday Parties

Are you looking for a way to change up your classroom winter party this year? A great way to do that is to give the party a theme. A theme will make your party stand out as unique. Plus, having a theme makes it easier to have a real focus on the activities in your class.

Don’t forget that in schools you must not promote a religious holiday. Include only secular aspects of Christmas if you choose a theme centered more around that holiday than around winter. If a child feels uncomfortable despite these efforts you must allow them to be excused from the party with no consequences.

Here’s some themes we think would be great for parties in your classroom!

A Christmas Carol: This story has been a classic for many years. It was published over a century ago and the novella has been adapted for countless theater productions, film, television, radio, and more. This story is well-known by most people, making it a great theme for your party. As there are some religious aspects to the story, make sure to keep the theme centered around the morals of the story and not around religion.  Here’s some activities for the party!

·        Hold a food and clothing drive the day of the party, and use the story as an example of how those less fortunate are in need of common comforts.

·        Make a classic English recipe in class. If that isn’t possible, make something at home and bring it in the day of your party to share with your students.

·        Show a version of this story to the class. This can be a film, a TV episode based off the novella, or a children production.

·        Have each student write a short story about a Christmas from their past, what they have been doing for Christmas so far this year, and what they imagine they will do for Christmas in the future. Make sure this is promoted as a holiday activity. You may choose to phrase it as “what did you do last holiday season” or, “what, if any, holidays are you celebrating in December this year and what have you been doing to celebrate”?

Christmas Games: For this theme, take classic games that all students know and put a Christmas twist on them. By making games the theme of your party, you already have plenty partially-created activities done for you!

·        Play a couple rounds of Holiday Bingo. There are plenty of templates online. Examples of items on the bingo board include Santa, snowflakes, stockings, and more!

·        Play a version of ring toss using a Christmas tree. This will require you to bring in a small Christmas tree, about the size you would put on a desk or table. Next you will need to make the rings that will fit around the tree.

·        Play a few rounds of Hang Man all focused on holiday words and phrases.

·        While it is recommended you have treats for the entire class, you can also offer a reward to the students that win each game. There’s plenty of holiday themed candy out there which makes an affordable prize.

Let it Snow: For this theme, make your entire party focused on snow. This theme is a great choice if you are worried about offending any parents or students, as it is based entirely on winter. Not only that, but there’s tons of activities and treats based around snow.

·        Have the students make their own snowflakes that can be hung around the classroom for the party. You may choose to use the classic method of scissors and paper, or find a more complicated version of this craft.

·        And speaking of crafts, do crafts! There’s so many crafts out there that are focused on snow. A simple Google search will help you find what is appropriate for your grade level.

·        There’s plenty of snow-themed treats out there you can make for your party as well. This again depends on the time you have, as well as the supplies. Search around online for the snack that suits your needs. Looking for a snack you can make with actual snow? Check out this molasses snow candy recipe, as it was described in one of Laura Ingalls’ books. You can find it here.

Old Fashioned Holidays: Many years ago the holidays were much less commercialized. This party theme gives you a great chance to teach about old traditions while giving a history lesson at the same time. This theme does focus more on Christmas, so it is a good idea to sprinkle in other holiday traditions either during the party, or in the lessons leading up to it.

·        Help students make their own homemade gifts. Many people didn’t have the money to shower friends and relatives with a lot of store-bought gifts. Provide students with several options to choose from. Some great examples include: key chains, coasters, and magnets.

·        Make paper chains, which were a common Christmas decoration years ago. Use this time to explain other common decorations such as strings of popcorn and candles that were lit on Christmas trees.

·        Instead of making your own complicated games with lots of materials, play parlor games that were common in the Victorian times! While entertaining it was common to play these group games, which got everyone involved. Similes from “A Christmas Carol” is a great example, in which the host says the first half of a common saying and the guest must finish the saying. Another fun one we experienced was at an “Old World Christmas” attraction. We were pulled into a memory game. Everyone stood in a circle and had to continue the phrase using the next letter of the alphabet, while remembering each word said before them. For example, the first guest says “Uncle Henry’s cat is adorable.” The second says “Uncle Henry’s cat is adorable and bouncy.” This continues around the circle. If you want more ideas, check out this post which features additional parlor games!  

These are just several examples of some fun themes you can use at your next holiday party. You could theme your party around classic holiday stories. Theme your next party around crafting and spend the afternoon making ornaments, paper crafts, and more. There’s tons of options to choose from, so make your next classroom party unique with a fun theme! Happy Holidays!