December Reading Activities

December reading activities for the primary classroom.

I have added 5 new December reading flip books to my flip books bundle. And this blog post is just for you to get a closer look at all 5 of them! Plus, I will provide a few extra materials and links to help make your December reading activities even more informational!

Christmas Reading Activities- 5 December themed flip books

In each flip book, there is a quick passage that falls within the first and second grade reading range. First graders may need more guidance through the text and seconds may be able to do this more independently. Third grade can be included, too, if you’re looking for a fun and engaging activity for the holidays.

Each flip book comes with five pages:

  • Cover
  • Reading passage
  • Comprehension questions
  • Sorting- either true/false OR fact/opinion (with half sheet of cut/paste answers
  • Culminating writing activity
  • You have an optional page topper for each book, which is great for classroom or hallway displays

Hanukkah Reading Activities

Hanukkah reading activity for the primary classroom.

Hanukkah is an important holiday to teach in December. Make sure to not only include Christmas Around the World in your December reading plans, but also include Hanukkah in there, too!

 First, I have a Hanukkah reading flip book. This flip book comes with a reading passage on the ‘Let’s Read’ page. Then, there are three follow-up comprehension pages that ask them questions about the text and other information about what they’ve learned.

Click here to buy the flip book.

Read-alouds are another great way to introduce this holiday to students. Here are two picture books that I suggest for teaching Hanukkah. Each of these books are linked to Amazon using affiliate links. Shop with the links below.

BrainPop Jr. vide - December reading and Christmas reading activities

And finally, there’s BrainPop Jr. These videos are always a great resource to include in any social studies and science lesson! I love how informative Annie and Moby are when teaching new topics to younger kiddos.

Click here for the video.


Caribou Reading Activities

Caribou Reading Activities

Reindeer. Caribous. Whichever you’d like to teach. I love teaching caribou during my December reading lessons. It’s a great opportunity to teach a bit of animal science during all of the December holiday lessons.

Just like with my Hanukkah flip book above, this flip book includes a passage about caribou. Then, there are follow-up reading comprehension activities all about caribou. There is a true and false sort and a writing activity. Plus, there are adorable clipart images throughout the flip book that will get the students engaged in learning about caribou.

Click here to buy the flip book.

Here are two nonfiction books to allow children to read during Daily 5 or as a read-aloud that will help teach about caribou. Both are linked to Amazon, if you’re interested in using the affiliate link to purchase for your classroom.

Caribou Reading Activities- Reindeer themed paired reading.

Also, I have a paired text available in my TPT store for Reindeer (informational) and Reindeer Tryouts (fictional). This would be a great opportunity to compare and contrast the similarities and differences between caribou and reindeer.


Kwanzaa- December Reading Activities

Kwanzaa reading activities for the primary classroom.

Kwanzaa is another holiday that occurs in December. It’s important to include this holiday in your December reading lesson plans. The holiday begins on December 26, so although students won’t be in school during Kwanzaa, it’s still valuable to learn about a number of different winter holidays.

My Kwanzaa flip book is one of my favorites. The clip art and graphics are beautiful and teach so much without text. However, there IS a text to teach all about Kwanzaa, plus there are three follow-up activities to teach students.

Click here to buy the flip book.

Two great read alouds to add to your December reading selections are My First Kwanzaa and Kevin’s Kwanzaa. First, you have a book that does a fantastic job on educating the reader about Kwanzaa. Then, you have a fictional story about Kevin’s family during Kwanzaa. This also does a great job teaching the reading about Kwanzaa.

Sesame Street Kwanzaa-themed video.

Also, there is  YouTube video for Kwanzaa. Sure, it may be Sesame Street that you are going to show to your elementary students, but it’s full of information for learning.

BrainPop Jr. video covering the Kwanzaa holiday.

Kwanzaa is also included in the BrainPop Jr. winter holidays video. While watching this video, pause and discuss the Kwanzaa information with your students. Click the image for lesson ideas and activities from BrainPop! Also, click here for the video.


Christmas Around the World Reading

Christmas Around the World for the primary classroom.

Here is another favorite topic to teach during December! I love teaching how Christmas is celebrated in different parts of the world.

This flip book is a bit different from my typical flip books. Most of my flip books come with one passage and follow up activities. However, this flip book comes with 8 mini passages about eight different countries and how they celebrate Christmas. Then, there are sorting and labeling activities for each country! It’s a great way to review Christmas Around the World after a full unit study.

Click here to buy the flip book.

Here are two read alouds that I think would be great in your Christmas Around the World lessons. Both are an informational look at how different countries celebrate Christmas. Below, grab the Amazon affiliate links to get these books for your classroom.

Christmas Around the World Reading bundle.

Here is a TPT resource that covers the same countries as the flip book (excluding Netherlands and Israel which are not in the flip book but are in the resource pack). This is a more in-depth study of different countries that celebrate Christmas.

Christmas Around the World Link


Christmas Reading Activities

Christmas-themed reading activities for children.

When you’re teaching about the Christmas holiday, it’s important to teach about the traditions and ways that people celebrate Christmas. One of your December reading activities can be this Christmas flip book, which introduces the holiday and how it’s celebrated in American. Then, there are follow up comprehension activities, such as questions and fact/opinion sorting.

 Click here to buy the flip book.

One read aloud that I suggest for teaching all about Christmas is Twas the Night Before Christmas. Although it’s a fictional story, it also teaches about the traditions of the holiday. Then, there is a nonfiction book about Christmas that would be beneficial to include in your classroom library for students to read, explore, and research about Christmas. Below are my affiliate links to Amazon.


Gingerbread Reading Activities

Gingerbread

And last but not least, we have gingerbread. This is a very festive topic to teach in your December reading collections.

Gingerbread flip book

The gingerbread passage gives a look at what gingerbread it, what people do with it, and why it’s popular during the Christmas season.

Grab the Gingerbread flip book link here.

First, you can start with the classic folk tale of the Gingerbread Man. Then, you can read the fractured fairy tale Gingerbread Girl!


 Love the December reading flip books? Grab them here.


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