christmas writing prompts for special education students

The Best Christmas Writing Activities [75 Prompts]

As the Christmas season approaches, we have the perfect opportunity to capitalize on this enthusiasm by introducing fun Christmas writing activities that are both engaging and educational. 

From first grade to upper elementary students, these activities can make the month of December a great time for fostering creativity, reinforcing important writing skills, and spreading a little Christmas cheer.

So whether you’re looking for creative writing prompts, persuasive writing exercises, or ways to incorporate social studies into your writing lessons, this guide includes fun ideas that will keep your students motivated and eager to learn right up until winter break. 

The Best Christmas Writing Activities for Kids

Letter writing to santa claus and beyond.

One of the classic Christmas writing activities that students of all ages enjoy is writing letters to Santa Claus, Rudolph, or any other well-known Christmas character.

This activity is a great way to get young students excited about writing while practicing complete sentences and letter format. 

In first grade and 2nd grade, students can write simple letters, expressing their wishes and asking questions about life at the North Pole.

To expand this activity, have students write letters from different perspectives. 

For example, students could write as one of Santa’s elves, describing what it’s like to prepare for Christmas Eve. 

Alternatively, they could write a letter as if they were Santa Claus, explaining how they manage to deliver presents to children around the world in one night. 

This twist on the classic letter-writing activity encourages creative writing skills and allows students to explore different points of view.

Incorporating letter writing into your writing centers is a great addition to your classroom activities during December.

You can set up a festive writing center with vocabulary cards related to the Christmas theme, colorful stationery, and envelopes. 

This center can be a place for students to practice their writing independently or with partners.

Christmas Story Writing with Story Starters

Christmas story writing is a great activity to stretch your students’ imaginations. 

However, be sure to provide graphic organizers as a way to help students gather their thoughts and plan their stories. 

These organizers can focus on beginning, middle, and end, or simply pinpoint the topic and supporting details.

These tools not only aid in structuring students’ writing but also reinforce important writing skills like organizing thoughts and using complete sentences.

Consider using story starters as a unique way to help students overcome the challenge of beginning their stories. 

Here are 25 Christmas prompts to get them started:

Christmas Story Prompts

• “On Christmas Eve, I heard a noise coming from the chimney, and when I peeked inside…”
• “When I woke up on Christmas morning, I found a Christmas present under the tree that was not there the night before…”
• “Santa’s elves were busy preparing for Christmas Day, but one elf discovered a gingerbread house that was actually…”
• “Imagine you could spend Christmas time at the North Pole. What adventures would you have?”
• “On Christmas Eve, Santa Claus realized he had forgotten the most important gift at the North Pole. What happened next?”
• “You wake up to find that your house has turned into a giant gingerbread house overnight. Describe the magical day that follows.”
• “A young elf at the North Pole has invented a new toy, but something goes wrong. How do they fix it before Christmas Day?”
• “Your Christmas tree comes to life and starts telling stories from its past. What stories does it share?”
• “A snowstorm traps Santa Claus in your town. How does the entire class come together to help him deliver the presents?”
• “On Christmas morning, you discover that you’ve been chosen to be Santa’s helper for the day. What tasks do you need to complete?”
• “A group of gingerbread men escape from their gingerbread house. Describe their adventure as they explore your school.”
• “Santa’s reindeer have gone on strike just before Christmas Eve. How does Santa manage to deliver all the presents?”
• “You receive a mysterious Christmas present with no name tag. What’s inside, and who do you think sent it?”
• “Your classroom is magically transported to the North Pole. What is the first thing you do?”
• “Santa Claus accidentally leaves behind one of his elves. What happens when you discover him in your house?”
• “Your Christmas tree decorations start whispering to each other. What are they saying, and what secret do you uncover?”
• “You’ve been asked to create a brand new Christmas carol. What is it about, and how does it become popular?”
• “A letter you wrote to Santa Claus years ago finally gets delivered. What happens when you receive a reply?”
• “You find a hidden door in the back of your classroom that leads to a winter wonderland. Describe what you find there.”
• “You’re in charge of organizing a Christmas parade in your town. What floats and performances do you plan, and how does the parade go?”
• “A new student from a different country shares their unique Christmas tradition with the class. What is it, and how do you celebrate together?”
• “You’re invited to spend Christmas at the North Pole. Describe the magical things you see and do.”
• “One of Santa’s elves is missing, and it’s up to you to find them before Christmas Eve. Where do you look, and what clues do you follow?”
• “Your family’s Christmas tree suddenly starts growing taller and taller. What happens as it reaches the ceiling and beyond?”
• “On Christmas Eve, you discover that Santa Claus has been leaving gifts for your family for generations. What special gift do you receive this year, and what is its significance?”

These prompts are the perfect addition to your lesson plans and can be easily adapted for different grade levels. 

For younger students in first grade and 2nd grade, encourage them to focus on simple story elements like characters, setting, and a problem that needs to be solved. 

Older students in 3rd grade through 5th grade can dive deeper into their stories, adding more complex plots and much more descriptive language.

Persuasive Writing with a Christmas Twist

Persuasive writing is an essential skill that students need to develop, and what better time of the year to practice this than during the Christmas season? 

A fun way to introduce persuasive writing is by asking students to write letters convincing Santa Claus that they deserve to be on the “Nice List.” 

If you don’t really like that idea, I have 25 more for you to chose from.

Here are 25 prompt ideas for persuasive writing.

Christmas Persuasive Writing Prompts

• “Convince Santa Claus to bring you the best present this year.”
• “Write a letter to your parents convincing them to start a new Christmas tradition.”
• “Argue why your Christmas tree should be the biggest in town.”
• “Persuade Santa’s elves to let you visit the North Pole and help prepare for Christmas Day.”
• “Should our classroom be decorated with Christmas decorations? Why or why not?”
• “Is it more fun to give Christmas presents or to get them? Explain why.”
• “Should Santa use a new kind of sleigh that’s better for the Earth? Why or why not?”
• “Is Christmas Eve better than Christmas Day? Tell why you think so.”
• “Should we always say thank you when we get a Christmas present? Why is that important?”
• “Should Santa give presents to kids who are sometimes naughty? What do you think?”
• “Is it more fun to stay home for Christmas or to visit somewhere special? Explain why.”
• “Should gingerbread houses be judged by how yummy they taste or how nice they look? What do you think?”
• “Is it better to have a real Christmas tree or a pretend one? Which one do you like more?”
• “Should we sing Christmas songs at school every year? Why or why not?”
• “Is sending Christmas cards important, or is it okay to send a message on the computer instead? Tell us why.”
• “Should we wear Christmas clothes to school in December? What do you think?”
• “Should we listen to Christmas music everywhere we go in December? What do you think?”
• “Is Christmas the best holiday? Explain why you think it is or isn’t.”
• “Should we have a gingerbread house contest at school? Tell us why.”
• “Is it important to learn about how people celebrate Christmas in other countries? Why or why not?”
• “Should we have less homework so we can have more time with our families during Christmas? What do you think?”
• “Is it better to get one big Christmas present or lots of small ones? Which do you like more?”
• “Is watching Christmas movies an important part of Christmas? Explain why or why not.”
• “Should our school have a Christmas parade every year? Why do you think that’s a good idea?”
• “Is it better to make Christmas gifts by hand or buy them from a store? Which one do you like more?”

To make the persuasive writing more rigorous, consider incorporating a social studies element, where each student researches the Christmas traditions of a different country and picks one unique tradition about which to write.

The persuasive essay would focus on why their chosen tradition should be adopted in the classroom or at home. 

This enhances student writing, broadens each student’s cultural awareness, and helps them learn how to construct logical and effective arguments.

Creating Holiday Cards with Thoughtful Messages

Creating Christmas cards is another one of my favorite Christmas writing activities because it doesn’t require a lot of preparation.

And because most students already have some prior knowledge and context for what a card is and what it’s for, they can easily envision how a card designed for the holiday season would look.

Younger students will want to design their own holiday cards and focus on writing a short, simple sentence (or two) with a personalized message wishing someone a Merry Christmas or Happy Holidays.

Older students should be challenged to write thoughtful messages that express what they appreciate about the recipient or their hopes for the holiday season. 

This activity not only allows students to practice their writing but also encourages them to think about others with an attitude of kindness and gratitude.

To add a creative twist, you can always integrate graphic arts by having students illustrate their cards or use digital tools to create a pdf file version that can be printed or emailed. 

This can be particularly engaging for upper elementary students who enjoy combining visual arts with writing.

Journal Writing with a Christmas Theme

Journal writing is a great activity for daily practice regardless of the season because it allows students to reflect on their own experiences and express their thoughts and feelings in writing.

If you don’t have this added into your writing block, consider starting it now since December would be the perfect time of year to introduce this practice.

Here are 25 engaging Christmas journal prompts that you can use.

Christmas Journal Prompts

• “What is your favorite Christmas memory, and why?”
• “Describe your idea of a winter wonderland.”
• “Write about a time when you gave someone the best present they’ve ever received.”
• “What does the holiday spirit mean to you?”
• “If you could spend Christmas time anywhere in the world, where would it be and why?”
• “What does your perfect Christmas morning look like? Describe it from the moment you wake up.”
• “If you could spend one day at the North Pole, what would you do?”
• “Write about your favorite Christmas tradition with your family. Why is it special to you?”
• “If you were one of Santa’s elves, what kind of toys would you make?”
• “What would you do if you woke up to find a reindeer in your backyard?”
• “Describe what you think Santa Claus does the day after Christmas.”
• “What would you ask Santa for if you could have anything in the world?”
• “Imagine you could decorate a Christmas tree any way you wanted. What would it look like?”
• “Write a story about a snowman that comes to life on Christmas Eve.”
• “If you could give a Christmas gift to anyone in the world, who would it be and why?”
• “Write about the best Christmas present you’ve ever received. What made it so special?”
• “Imagine Santa got stuck in your chimney. How would you help him get out?”
• “Describe a time when you did something kind for someone else during the Christmas season. How did it make you feel?”
• “What would happen if your Christmas tree started talking to you? What would it say?”
• “Write about a time when you helped decorate for Christmas. What was your favorite part?”
• “Imagine you could design a new Christmas toy. What would it be, and how would kids play with it?”
• “What would you do if Santa left you in charge of delivering presents for one night?”
• “Describe how your family gets ready for Christmas. What do you like most about the preparations?”
• “If you were Santa Claus for a day, how would you celebrate Christmas after delivering all the presents?”
• “Write about your favorite Christmas memory. Why does it stand out to you?”

Journal writing can be adapted for independent work or group discussions, and it’s a great way to assess students’ writing skills in a low-pressure environment.

Christmas Story Collaboration as a Class

Collaborative writing is a fun activity that brings the entire class together, and one of my favorite Christmas writing ideas is to create a class Christmas story. 

This can be done as a whole-class activity where each student contributes a paragraph to the story, or in small groups where each group writes a different part of the story.

To make this activity even more engaging, assign roles such as “story planner,” “character developer,” “setting creator,” and “plot organizer.” 

Each student or group of students takes on a specific role, ensuring that the story is cohesive and well-developed.

For example, you could start the story with a Christmas Eve setting, where the characters discover a magical Christmas tree in the middle of a snowy forest at the North Pole. 

As the story progresses, Santa’s elves might make an appearance, leading to an exciting adventure that concludes on Christmas Day. 

This collaborative effort not only enhances creative writing skills but also builds a sense of community within the classroom.

Christmas Writing Across the Curriculum

Integrating Christmas writing activities into other subjects is a great way to reinforce writing skills while also covering necessary content in areas like social studies, math, and science. 

Here are 7 cross-curricular Christmas writing ideas

Christmas Around the World Passport (Social Studies & Writing)

Students create a “passport” booklet and fill it with entries about Christmas traditions from different countries. 

Each day, after learning about a new country’s holiday celebrations, students will write a sentence or short description and draw a picture of what they learned. 

This helps students practice writing while exploring different cultures.

Elf Math Story Problems (Math & Writing)

Students solve simple math problems related to Santa’s elves, like how many toys they can make in an hour or how many gifts fit in Santa’s sleigh. 

After solving the problems, they will write a short story about the elves’ busy day at the North Pole, incorporating the math they just used.

Candy Cane Science Reports (Science & Writing)

Conduct a fun science experiment by observing what happens when candy canes are placed in different liquids (water, vinegar, soda). 

Students then write a sentence, paragraph, or mini-report about what they did, what they saw, and what they learned.

This helps them practice writing about their observations in science.

Christmas Poetry and Music (Language Arts & Music)

Introduce students to simple holiday poems and help them create their own, using descriptive words about Christmas. 

Students can also create a song or rhyme to go along with their poem, helping them explore the rhythm and sound of words while celebrating the holiday.

Gingerbread House How-To (Art & Writing)

Students design and build a gingerbread house out of paper, then write simple instructions on how they made it. 

This activity combines art with procedural writing, as students practice explaining each step in a clear and simple way.

Christmas Cookie Recipes (Math & Writing)

Students write down the steps for making their favorite Christmas cookies using transition words. 

Then they can figure out how to double the recipe or divide up the portions. 

This activity is great for practicing both writing instructions and basic math skills.

Christmas Diary from the Past (History & Writing)

Students imagine what Christmas was like for kids in the past and write a diary entry from the perspective of a child who lived long ago. 

They could pretend to be a pioneer child or someone from another historical period, helping them connect history with creative writing.

Christmas-Themed Writing Centers

Now that we have discussed several of my favorite Christmas writing activities, I want to share the last one.

And that’s implementing all of the other ideas I’ve mentioned in this post into your classroom writing centers.

Any of these ideas will keep your students engaged in important writing skills, but setting them up in Christmas-themed writing centers will be so much more fun!

So let’s review a few of the things we already discussed (and a bonus activity) that you could include in your Christmas writing centers:

• Christmas Cards: Provide materials for students to create and write their own holiday cards for family members or friends. This activity reinforces letter writing skills while also allowing for artistic expression.
• Christmas Story Starters: Share some of the fun Christmas writing prompts to get students started on their own short stories. Include graphic organizers to help them plan their narratives.
• Christmas-Themed Journal Writing: Set up a journal station with festive writing prompts related to Christmas traditions, family activities, or winter break plans.
• Letter Writing to Santa Claus: Include a station where students can write letters to Santa Claus or Santa’s elves.
• Holiday Vocabulary: Create vocabulary cards with Christmas and holiday season words that students can incorporate into their writing. This helps build their vocabulary in a fun, seasonal context.

These centers could be rotated throughout the week or month, allowing students to work on different aspects of writing while enjoying the festive spirit of the Christmas season.

The holiday season is a great time to infuse your classroom with Christmas cheer while still focusing on important writing skills. 

By incorporating these Christmas writing activities into your lesson plans, students will have so much fun they’ll forget they’re still learning throughout the month of December. 

Whether you’re working with younger students in Kindergarten or 1st grade or older students in middle school, these Christmas writing activities will help you create a joyful, educational experience that your students will remember for years to come.

Jennifer is a former elementary school teacher (M. Ed.) turned literacy interventionist, blogger, podcaster, TpT author, and homeschooling mom. When she's not with her husband & boys, she's sharing her love for Jesus, designing websites, helping other teachers pursue online businesses, organizing ALL THE THINGS, or watching New Girl. Read More >>

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Christmas writing magic: 7 ready-made prompts to spark creativity

• by: Anna from Pobble
• On: 4, Dec 2023
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'Tis the season for more than just festive decorations and twinkling lights. The anticipation of the holiday season naturally brings a sense of excitement into the classroom. The festive spirit is contagious, making it an ideal time to channel that energy into creative writing. 🌟✏️

As teachers, we know that capturing students' imaginations is key, and Christmas provides the perfect backdrop for inspiring creativity. A golden opportunity to ignite creativity and inspire your young writers.

On Pobble, there's a wealth of festive inspiration. We've gathered seven of our favourite Christmas writing prompts to help you turn the joy of the season into a powerful motivator for learning. These carefully crafted, ready-made prompts are designed to transport your students into a wonderland of imagination. From unexpected arrivals on the doorstep to magical journeys, each prompt is a key to unlocking the full potential of your students' creativity. Each one comes with an incredible image, an inspiring story starter, plus sentence starters, a word bank, questions as well as sentence and punctuation challenges.

Here are seven Christmas writing prompts to spark student creativity:

1. A loud ticking signals the start of the most magical season of the year. Check out 'Countdown', a ready-made writing prompt to help your class kick off the festivities. 🕰✨ Preview this prompt

Need even more writing inspiration in your classroom? Access a free writing prompt every day on Pobble.

Have you discovered Pobble yet? Inspire your young writers with a free , ready-made writing prompt every day!

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Santa Writing Theme

This simple writing format with Santa at the top can be used for any number of writing activities:

Provide your students with both models and prompts.

Models :  Students with disabilities may have both weak handwriting skills and weak fine motor skills.   Providing them with models will help them get started.  Perhaps these sentence starters will get your emerging writers going.  Put them on the board or on chart paper and create a "Word Bank" at the bottom.  It might include:  reindeer, presents, packages, bag, magic, flying, sick. 

• Santa was getting ready for Christmas eve when ________________________
• Then, Rudolf said, "________________________"
• Santa's elves were very worried because __________________________________
• "Oh, no!"  Santa said.  "I can't believe that ______________________________!"

Prompts: Give your students some exciting ideas for a story.

• Santa gets the flu.  Who will deliver the presents? 
• Santa get his naughty and nice lists mixed up.  What happens?  How do the good children feel when they get coal in their stockings?
• You catch Santa Claus in your living room unpacking your presents.  You convince him to let you go along.  Where do you go?  What do you do?  Do you have any close calls?
• Santa has a contest among the elves to see who can make the cleverest toy.  Who wins?  What is their toy?

Use this format to teach your students letter writing conventions.  Have them use the paper to write their annual Christmas letter to Santa.  When I taught second grade, I had students write letters to Santa that were not only printed in the little local paper, some were reproduced because of the quality of the product.  You can bet those kids and their parents (and grandparents, and distant relatives) were proud of those letters!

Of course Christmas means presents from Santa.  For your emerging writers, how about just helping them make a list?  It will encourage them to copy words carefully, recognize initial and final letters, as well as develop some familiarity with print in a way that is highly motivating.

Snowman Writing

This snowman template will provide some automatic cache for those students who have seen the animated "Frosty the Snowman."  You might also pair it with reading one of the Snowmen at Night books by Caralyn Buehner to your class to spark your students' imaginations.

Writing Prompts

• You build a snowman and don't realize the charcoal you use as his buttons have magical powers.  You look out late at night when he knocks on your window.  What do the two of you do? 
• A wizard lives next door, and on the night you and your best friend make snowmen in your front yard, he spills a bag of magic fairy dust, that blows into your yard.  What happens?
• The snowmen wait until everyone in your neighborhood is tucked in bed before they wake up and  . . . .
• Build a fort and have a snowball battle.
• Flood the street and play hockey.
• Decorate a big tree in the middle of the park.

Candy Cane Acrostic Poem (Print PDF and See All Worksheets Below)

Here is the first of several Acrostics using Christmas themes.  An acrostic is a "poem" (though rhyme has nothing to do with it,) which uses the letters of words to begin a list of appropriate words.  For candy, you might suggest:

You get the idea.  It serves to enrich vocabulary.  You might build a word bank as a group of all the words with c, etc., that the students may use. 

Gingerbread Man Acrostic Poem

This one uses Gingerbread Man for your acrostic:  how about using things that the Gingerman could have run away from, like

Once again, build a Word Bank with your students using the initial letters.  It will encourage collaboration and build vocabulary.

Santa Claus Acrostic Poem

After your students' stories are written, how about an acrostic?  Perhaps you want to focus on character traits.  What can we say about Santa? 

• A uthentic?
• Get the idea? 

Character traits are important for describing characters, so building familiarity will help your students when they are asked to describe characters as part of meeting the Common Core State Standards.   Is the hero loyal?  How do you know? 

The appropriate standard:

CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RL.4.3 Describe in depth a character, setting, or event in a story or drama, drawing on specific details in the text (e.g., a character's thoughts, words, or actions).

Snowflakes Acrostic Poem

This Acrostic would also be appropriate for your Muslim or Jewish students:  For snowflakes, how about adjectives?    All students have difficulty with adjectives, but students with disabilities may really struggle with the concept.  Have students brainstorm all the adjectives you think of:  softy, fluffy, floating, other, etc.  Once your word wall is created, let students go to work. 

Snowman Acrostic Poem (Print PDF and See All Worksheets Below)

How about whimsy for our Snowman Acrostic? Expose your students to Where the Sidewalk Ends  (Shel Silverstein) an think of silly things that you can list in your acrostic about your snowman.  How about making a snowman to go with your acrostic? 

Some silliness to consider: 

• Snooky, sneakers, snappy, snoring, shy.
• Nifty, nuggets, nose, noose
• Olives, oranges, oysters
• Winky, wiggles, wavy, wacky

You get the idea!

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