December Holiday Centers for Kindergarten Math and Literacy

Play is essential in young kindergarteners’ learning. These seasonal center activities will help build those fine motor skills while also developing the early literacy foundation.  The centers are easy to prep and will help students practice a wide range of math and literacy concepts. These holiday centers are perfect for small group instruction, as an intervention tool, or during independent centers.

What’s Included:

• 4 Hands-on Diwali Centers
• 4 Hands-on Christmas Centers
• 4 Hands-on Hanukkah Centers
• 4 Hands-on Kwanzaa Centers
• Direction Page with Example for Each Activity
• Recording Sheets

Hands-on Diwali Centers

• Bright Light Sight Words – Reading and Writing Sight Words – Students play a memory sight word game.
• Exploding Rhymes – Recognizing Rhyming Words – Students spin a spinner and then find the corresponding rhyming word.
• Diwali Counting – 1:1 Correspondence & Number Matching – Students count the objects on a card and match them with the corresponding number. Tally cards are also provided if students are practicing tally marks. Can also be used as a memory game.
• Lantern Leaping – Skip Count by 5’s – Students place the numbers in order by skip counting.

Hands-on Christmas Centers

• Gumdrop Numbers – Number Order – Students complete the number cards by writing the numbers that come next on the gumdrops with a dry erase marker.
• Build a Christmas Tree – Addition Plus 1 – Students build a Christmas tree by solving the equations and adding the correct tree pieces.
• String the Vowel Lights – Medial Sound Sort – Students place the lights on the correct string by listening to the middle sound in each word. Students then fill in the missing vowels on the recording sheet.
• Sweet Sentences – Sentence Building – Students unscramble the picture cards to make four sentences when finished, students pick one sentence to write and draw a detailed picture on their recording sheet.

Hands-on Hanukkah Centers

• Spin and Cover – Beginning Sounds – Students will spin a spinner, identify the beginning sound, and cover a corresponding picture on the mat.
• Frying Up Short Vowels – Short Vowel Sound Discrimination – Students will sort the words into the correct frying pan card by identifying the short vowel in each word.
• Count the Geit – Ten and Twenty Frames – This activity contains two options: 1) Students play in pairs. Each student has a ten-frame card and takes turns pulling a dreidel number card. Whoever has the biggest number adds a manipulative (gelt) on their ten frame mat 2) Students can use materials independently.
• Adding Up the Menorah – Addition to 9 – Students will pick a candle card then add that many candles (play doh) to the menorah to show the equation. Students will then fill in the equation.

Hands-on Kwanzaa Centers

• Spin and Cover – CVC Short Vowels – Students will spin a spinner, identify the short vowel word family and cover a corresponding picture on the mat.
• Bowls of Sight Words – Sight Word Recognition – Students will use the fruits to build the sight words on the bowls.
• Adding Up the Kinara – Addition to 7 – Students will add clothespins to the kinara to complete the addition problems. They then will write the addition problem in the boxes.
• Building Kwanzaa – Counting – This activity contains two options 1) a full page option which allows space for students to build Kwanzaa objects on top of the page. 2) A task card option.

TEACHERS LIKE YOU SAID…

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Jennifer D. said, “A bargain!  All of these games are well made and visually appealing.  The range of skills applied to most of my students and they often asked to teach each other the games.  So happy with this purchase!” 

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Erin A. said,  “Love the skill variety!  It is also helpful to have that instructional page prior to each activity so I can easily see how the activity is run and what I need to prepare.  Thank you!”

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Xylene G. said  “Great resource during the Christmas holiday. The kids loved these during center time!”

♥ Gain engaging seasonal centers for the ENTIRE YEAR when you purchase the Kindergarten Hands-On Centers Bundle. Check it out now!