1. Christmas Mad Libs: Have students create their own mad libs using Christmas-themed vocabulary and stories. Share them with the class for a fun and educational laugh.
2. Reader’s Theater: Assign small groups of students to act out scenes from famous Christmas stories, such as “A Christmas Carol” or “The Polar Express.”
3. Book-to-Movie Comparisons: Watch a movie adaptation of a classic Christmas story and have students compare the book to the movie, discussing what they enjoyed in each version.
4. Themed Book Reports: Encourage students to read a holiday-themed book and write a book report with an emphasis on plot, characters, and themes.
5. Poetry Writing: Have students write their own Christmas poems using various literary techniques and forms like haiku, acrostic, or limerick.
6. Writing Santa Letters: In this creative writing exercise, students write letters to Santa Claus from the perspective of different characters in the books they’ve read.
7. Book Tree: Create a “book tree” in the classroom with holiday-themed books for silent reading time throughout December.
8. Holiday News Articles: Assign students to research historical events that occurred around Christmastime and write news reports on their findings.
9. Character Stocking Stuffers: Students pick characters from their favorite books and decide on the perfect Christmas gift for each one, explaining their choices in writing.
10. Reading by the Fire: Host a cozy classroom reading session with dimmed lights, soft music, and comfy seating as students read holiday-themed books of their choice.
11. Gift-wrapped Vocabulary: Wrap small gift boxes containing vocabulary words for students to unwrap and define during a vocabulary review game.
12. Sequencing Stories: Assemble jumbled scenes from famous Christmas stories on cut-out strips and have students put them in order based on plot events.
13. Carol-inspired Stories: Students choose a Christmas carol and write a short story inspired by the song’s lyrics or themes.
14. Christmas Book Swap: Organize a book swap where students bring in wrapped books to exchange with their classmates, promoting a love for reading across various genres.
15. Christmas Around the World: Assign countries to students who research their holiday traditions and read stories originating from these cultures, presenting their findings to the class.
16. Holiday Reading Challenge: Create a bingo board or checklist of Christmas-themed books for students to read over the break, offering small rewards for completed challenges.
17. Book Trailer Projects: Assign students the task of creating video trailers for holiday-themed books to persuade others to read them.
18. Scavenger Hunt: Have students hunt around the classroom or school library for holiday items related to books they have read, like stockings, ornaments, or quotes from stories.
19. Group Read Aloud: Choose a classic holiday story and take turns reading it aloud as a class, discussing plot events and literary elements as you go.
20. Book Character Snowball Fight: As a review game, write book characters’ names on paper snowballs and have students throw them at each other while answering questions about that character’s role in the story.
With these jolly-good Christmas reading activities, middle school students will find joy in literature during the festive season and expand their reading horizons with engaging themes and creative tasks.
