The Best Christmas Morning Meeting Activities and Games
Want to jazz up your standard morning meeting this holiday season? Consider adding a winter or Christmas morning meeting theme!
While it’s important to stick to as many regular classroom routines as possible throughout the school year, incorporating a themed morning meeting during the month of December will be the perfect way to spread a little extra holiday cheer.
The Significance of a Christmas Morning Meeting
Morning meetings are a fairly common practice in most elementary and primary schools.
The primary objective of the morning meeting is to give students an overview of the day ahead while simultaneously building a positive classroom environment and nurturing a sense of classroom community among students.
These structured gatherings are typically held at the beginning of the school day (hence the name “morning” meeting) and generally include four specific elements…
- Greetings
- Sharing
- Message or Activity
- Discussion
Now, because we’re talking about Christmas morning meetings, you want to take each of these elements and add some holiday flair!
38 Christmas Morning Meeting Greetings
A customary feature of morning meetings involves a greeting ritual, wherein the entire class and teacher take turns saying “good morning” to one another.
These imaginative greetings are an awesome way to acknowledge each person’s presence.
Santa’s Sleigh Greeting
Students can pretend to be Santa Claus on a sleigh, and as they greet one another, they can make jingling sounds or mimic the motion of flying in a sleigh.
Snowball Greeting
Have students pretend they are holding snowballs. They can “throw” their snowballs as they greet their classmates, making it a playful and interactive greeting.
Reindeer High-Five
Students can give each other high-fives while saying a holiday greeting like “Happy Holidays” or “Merry Christmas.” They can also add reindeer-related actions or sounds.
Gift Exchange Greeting
Students can pair up and pretend to exchange a small, imaginary gift with a greeting like “Here’s a present for you, happy holidays!” This encourages sharing and kindness.
Jingle Bell Greeting
Give each student a small jingle bell, and as they greet each other, they can ring the bell and say something like “Jingle all the way!”
Snowflake Greeting
Encourage students to make hand movements to create the shape of a snowflake as they greet their peers. This is a creative and wintery greeting.
Ornament Exchange Greeting
Students can pretend to give and receive holiday ornaments while saying a cheerful greeting like “Wishing you a wonderful holiday season!”
Elf Greeting
Students can pretend to be Santa’s little helpers (elves) and greet each other with an “Elf hello!” while doing a playful elf-like dance.
Candy Cane Greeting
Have students pretend to hand out imaginary candy canes to each other as they greet one another with a sweet “Happy holidays!”
Gingerbread Cookie Greeting
Encourage students to pretend they’re gingerbread cookies and “decorate” each other with imaginary icing and sprinkles while saying a greeting like “Sprinkling you with holiday cheer!”
Holiday Character Greeting
Assign each student a holiday character (Santa, Rudolph, Frosty the Snowman, etc.), and they can greet their peers while pretending to be that character.
Christmas Carol Greeting
Have students greet each other by singing a line from a popular Christmas carol like “Jingle Bells” or “Deck the Halls.”
Holiday Handshake
Teach students a special holiday handshake they can use as a greeting during the morning meeting. It could involve a few fun moves or actions.
Additional Christmas Morning Meeting Greetings
- “Good morning! Have a jolly Christmas day!”
- “Morning! May your day be merry and bright.”
- “Hi there! Wishing you lots of holiday delight.”
- “Good morning, friend! Let’s make today special and bright.”
- “Hello! Have a holly, jolly Christmas!”
- “Morning, buddy! Spread some holiday cheer today.”
- “Hi, neighbor! May your day be filled with Christmas joy.”
- “Good morning! Let’s make today sparkle with kindness.”
- “Hello, friend! It’s a great day to share some Christmas smiles.”
- “Morning, pal! Wishing you a warm and cozy Christmas.
- “Good morning, Santa’s little helpers! Let’s spread kindness + Christmas spirit today.”
- “Jingle bells, all the way, it’s Christmas, let’s celebrate today!”
- “Santa’s sleigh is on its way, bringing joy to brighten your day.”
- “Snowflakes falling, children calling, Merry Christmas, one and all!”
- “Good morning, sweet candy canes! Let’s add a dash of sweetness to our day.”
- “Jingle bells, jingle bells, it’s Christmas morning in our school!”
- “Reindeer on the rooftop, Santa’s coming, don’t you stop, it’s Christmas cheer from bottom to top!”
- “In the snow, our joy will grow, Merry Christmas, let it glow!”
- “Hear the carolers sing with glee, a very Merry Christmas to you and me!”
- “Wishing you a day so merry, with Christmas cookies and a cherry!”
- “Merry Christmas, bright stars! Are you ready to jingle all the way to an amazing day of holiday fun?”
- “Welcome to our Christmas wonderland, where the spirit of giving and joy shines as brightly as your smiles!”
- “Merry Christmas, dear students! May your day be as sweet as candy canes and as exciting as unwrapping presents.”
- “Good morning, little elves! Get ready to spread kindness, happiness, and Christmas cheer all around.”
- “Candy canes and mistletoe, spreading love wherever we go!”
Sharing + Christmas-Themed Morning Meeting Questions
Morning meetings often include a sharing segment that allows students to share something about themselves.
This can be personal news, experiences, or something theme related.
This sharing time provides an excellent avenue for students to open up, especially when they might not typically do so in a regular classroom setting.
If you find your students are having a hard time coming up with a topic on their own, consider incorporating a few of these questions and engaging holiday icebreakers into the discussion.
- What is your favorite thing about Christmas and why?
- Have you ever built a snowman? If so, tell us about it.
- If you could ask Santa for any gift this year, what would it be?
- What’s your favorite part of decorating your home for the holidays?
- What are your favorite family traditions during the holiday season?
- Can you name all of Santa’s reindeer?
- What is the most delicious Christmas treat you’ve ever had?
- What is your favorite food to eat at Christmas?
- If you could visit any place in the world during the holidays, where would you go?
- Do you have a favorite Christmas movie or TV special? Why do you like it?
- What would you leave out for Santa and his reindeer on Christmas Eve?
- Share a funny or special memory from a past Christmas.
- What was your favorite Christmas gift from last year?
- What is the best gift you have ever gotten for Christmas?
- If you could give a gift to anyone in the world, who would it be and what would you give them?
- What do you think the elves in Santa’s workshop are doing right now to prepare?
- How do you think people in other countries celebrate Christmas?
- If you could design your own holiday ornament, what would it look like?
- What is the most generous or kind thing you’ve done for someone during the holiday season?
- If you were in charge of planning a holiday parade, what floats would you include?
- How do you feel when you see the first snowfall of the year?
- Do you think it will snow on Christmas Day this year?
- What’s your favorite way to spread holiday cheer to others?
- If you could meet one of Santa’s elves, what questions would you ask them?
You can also use these questions as a springboard into an inspirational morning message.
33 Christmas Morning Meeting Games + Activities
One of your students’ favorite features during daily morning meeting is definitely going to be the game or activity.
And the best part about these Christmas activities is that they can be used literally any time you need some fun classroom games, whether that be during your class Christmas party, indoor recess time, or even virtual holiday parties!
Don’t forget you can easily use these holiday activities throughout the year and switch up the occasion.
Christmas Spelling Bee
Choose a list of Christmas-related words and have students take turns spelling them out loud. You can make it more challenging by adding holiday-themed sentences for each word.
Holiday Math Challenges
Create math problems with a little holiday fun. For example, “Santa has 8 reindeer, and he needs to give each one 4 carrots. How many carrots does he need in total?”
Christmas Bingo with a Twist
Instead of traditional Bingo, use Bingo cards with math problems or vocabulary words related to Christmas. Call out the solutions or definitions, and students mark the corresponding problems or words.
Christmas Word Scramble
Provide a list of scrambled Christmas-related words, and students must unscramble them to reveal the correct words. This can be done individually or in teams.
Holiday Story Starters
Give each student a holiday-themed story starter sentence, and ask them to continue the story by writing a short paragraph. This can be a great way to encourage creative writing.
Christmas Geography
Test students’ knowledge of world geography by asking them to locate and label countries on a map where Christmas is celebrated. You can provide hints or ask them to research and present their findings.
Christmas Science Trivia
Create a science quiz with holiday-related questions. For example, “What happens to water when it freezes? How is it related to snowflakes?”
History of Christmas Around the World
Assign each student a different country and have them research and present on how Christmas is celebrated there. They can share facts, traditions, and even some words or phrases in the country’s language.
Holiday Art and Craft Math
Combine art and math by giving students a holiday-themed craft project that involves measurements, such as creating paper snowflakes with specific dimensions or drawing ornaments with certain area and perimeter requirements.
Christmas Book Club
Select a Christmas-themed book appropriate for elementary students. Read a chapter or a portion of the book during the morning meeting, and then discuss the story, characters, and themes.
Rhyming Christmas Words
Give students a list of Christmas words and ask them to come up with rhyming words. This can be a fun way to work on vocabulary and phonics.
You can also use this as a holiday sight word game.
Christmas Charades
Write down various Christmas-related words or phrases on cards, and students take turns acting them out while their classmates guess what they’re representing.
For example, “decorating a Christmas tree” or “building a snowman.”
Santa Says
A Christmas version of the delightful Simon Says game.
The teacher or a student gives commands starting with “Santa says,” like “Santa says touch your nose” or “Santa says jump,” and students follow only when “Santa says” is included.
Bingo
Create bingo cards with Christmas-related images or words. Call out Christmas-themed items, and students mark them on their cards.
The first one to get a line or cover the entire card shouts “Bingo!”
Christmas Pictionary
Divide the class into teams. Each team takes turns drawing a Christmas-related word or phrase (e.g., snowflake, reindeer) while their teammates guess what it is within a time limit.
Pin the Nose on Rudolph
Create a large Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer poster and cut out a red nose.
Blindfold the students one by one and see who can place Rudolph’s nose closest to the right spot.
Memory Game
Place several Christmas-themed items on a tray, show it to the students for a minute, then cover it.
Students have to recall as many items as possible.
Scavenger Hunts
Set up a simple scavenger hunt in the classroom or school with clues and hidden Christmas items.
Students work in teams to solve the clues and find the hidden treasures.
Trivia
Prepare a list of Christmas trivia questions related to holiday traditions, movies, and songs. You can have students take turns answering questions individually or in teams.
Snowball Toss
Use white socks as “snowballs.” Have students try to toss the snowballs into buckets or containers. You can assign point values to each bucket for added fun.
Christmas Carol Karaoke
Create a mini karaoke session where students can sing along to popular Christmas carols.
You can provide lyrics and play instrumental versions of the songs for them to sing along.
Santa’s Sack Relay
Create a relay race where students form teams.
Each team takes turns picking a gift (a wrapped box) from Santa’s sack and running to a designated point and back. The team that finishes first wins.
Christmas Music Freeze Dance
Play Christmas music, and when the music stops, the students have to freeze in place.
You can make it more fun by having them dance like different holiday characters when the music plays.
Christmas Word Search
Provide students with Christmas-themed word search puzzles to solve individually or in pairs. You can create your own or find printable puzzles online.
Christmas Show and Tell
Have each student bring in a holiday-themed item or decoration from home and share it with the class.
They can talk about its significance or why it’s special to them.
Storytime with a Twist
Read a classic Christmas story or book to the class, but add a twist by having students take turns acting out parts of the story.
This can be a great way to engage them in the narrative.
Decorate Holiday Cookies
Provide plain sugar cookies, frosting, and various decorations (sprinkles, icing, etc.) for students to decorate their own holiday cookies. It’s a delicious and creative activity.
Christmas Craft Station
Set up a craft station with materials for students to make Christmas-themed crafts like ornaments or paper snowflakes.
Provide examples and instructions to inspire their creativity.
Holiday Trivia Game
Organize a Christmas-themed trivia game with questions related to holiday traditions, movies, and historical facts.
You can divide the class into teams for some friendly competition.
Letter to Santa
Have students write letters to Santa Claus, expressing their wishes and sharing their good deeds. You can even provide a mailbox for them to “send” their letters.
Ugly Christmas Sweater Contest
Encourage students to wear their silliest or most festive holiday attire.
You can hold a contest to see who has the “ugliest” or most creative Christmas sweater.
They will have a great time voting for the best sweater!
Holiday Dance Party
Play some upbeat Christmas music and let students dance and have fun.
You can also organize a “Dance-Off” competition with simple dance moves.
Christmas Card
Have students create Christmas cards for a family member or someone in the community.
It’s also the perfect time to have a conversation about community workers, volunteering, and charities.
The key to making your Christmas morning meeting great is getting into the holiday spirit yourself.
I know this time of year can feel overwhelming, but if you incorporate even just a few of the greetings, activities, questions, and games, your students will love it!
If you want to go the extra mile, give your classroom a completely new look by hanging Christmas lights, bringing in a Christmas tree, or adding a little holiday flair by mixing in some engaging interactive whiteboard activity slides and holiday countdown slides.
By introducing fresh concepts into your Christmas morning meeting time, your students will be bursting with enthusiasm and excitement for the holiday season…but most importantly, they will be engaged in learning up until the last day before your Christmas or winter break!
