Christmas falls on Friday, December 25, 2026, which means most schools in the United States break around December 18. The last two weeks before break are hard to teach: energy is high, attendance drops, and a new unit rarely makes sense. The right Christmas activities for high school students keep teens engaged while still practicing real skills.
The 25 ideas below are grouped by subject, need little preparation and work for grades 9–12. Many are framed around winter and the holiday season in general, so they also work in classes where not every student celebrates Christmas.
In this guide8 sections
Keep it inclusive
Students come from many traditions. Some celebrate Christmas, some celebrate Hanukkah, Kwanzaa or other holidays, and some celebrate nothing at all in December. A few simple choices keep activities fair for everyone:
- Let students choose the holiday, tradition or winter theme they write or present about.
- Focus on skills (math, writing, science, design), not on religious content.
- Make every activity optional to personalize, and never require students to share family details.
Math activities
- Holiday budget challenge. Give students a fixed budget and a list of real prices. They plan gifts for five people, calculate sales tax and percentage discounts, and justify their choices.
- Scale a cookie recipe. Students scale a recipe up for 120 people or down for 3, converting units along the way. It is ratio practice that students actually care about.
- Wrapping paper geometry. Give box dimensions and ask how much paper is needed with a 2 cm overlap. Extend to cylinders for an advanced group.
- Santa’s route as an optimization problem. Students find the shortest route between ten towns on a map. It is a gentle introduction to the traveling salesman problem.
- Mental math relay. Teams race through holiday-themed mental math cards. Pair it with our mental math tricks.
English and writing activities
- A Christmas Carol in one page. Students rewrite a scene from Dickens’s 1843 novella as a modern text-message conversation, keeping the main idea of the scene.
- Persuasive holiday ad. Students write and present a 60-second ad for an invented winter product, then the class identifies the persuasive techniques used.
- Six-word winter stories. A fast, low-pressure writing warm-up. Post the best ones on the wall.
- Letter to future self. Students write a letter to open on the last day of school, with three goals for the second semester. It also sets up our new year study goals lesson.
- Holiday traditions interview. Students interview a family member or friend about a tradition of their choice and write a short feature article.
Science activities
- Snowflake symmetry. Students research why snowflakes form six-sided shapes and cut paper snowflakes that show correct sixfold symmetry.
- Why do pine trees stay green? A short reading and discussion on how needles reduce water loss in winter.
- States of matter with hot chocolate. Track melting marshmallows or ice in warm and cold drinks and graph the results. Our states of matter simulation lab makes a good follow-up.
- Circuit holiday lights. Students design a series and a parallel string of lights in the free PhET simulation and explain why one bulb going out matters more in one design. Use our PhET circuit lab.
- Reindeer biology facts. Students research one surprising reindeer fact, such as the fact that both males and females grow antlers, and present it in 30 seconds.
Social studies activities
- Winter holidays around the world. Groups each research one celebration and present a one-slide summary covering its origin, date and one tradition.
- The 1914 Christmas Truce. Read primary-source letters from soldiers about the unofficial truce on the Western Front and discuss why it happened.
- History of a tradition. Students trace the history of one modern custom, such as greeting cards or decorated trees, and create a short timeline.
- Holiday shopping and the economy. Discuss why retailers depend on the November–December season and analyze a simple chart of monthly retail sales.
Games and whole-class activities
- Holiday review game. Turn the semester’s content into a Jeopardy-style or quiz-show review. See our classroom quiz games and review games for high school.
- Winter escape room. Hide five clues tied to your subject around the room; teams unlock a final code.
- Logic puzzle challenge. Give teams holiday-themed logic grids. Start with our logic puzzles for teens.
- Kindness calendar. Each student adds one small act of kindness to a shared calendar for the last two weeks before break.
- Brain break games. Quick five-minute games keep energy under control. Our list of brain break games for high school has 20 ideas.
- Class reflection circle. On the last day, each student shares one thing they learned and one thing they are proud of from the semester.
Quick planning table
| Time available | Best picks |
|---|---|
| 5–10 minutes | Six-word stories, brain break games, mental math relay |
| One class period | Holiday budget challenge, review game, winter escape room |
| Two or more periods | Winter holidays around the world, Christmas Truce primary sources, circuit lights lab |
Frequently asked questions
What are fun Christmas activities for high school students?
Teens enjoy activities with a challenge or a choice: escape rooms, budget challenges, review games, creative writing with modern twists and science labs with a seasonal theme. Avoid activities that feel designed for younger students.
How do I make Christmas activities inclusive?
Let students choose the holiday or winter theme they focus on, keep the activities skill-based, and never require students to share personal or religious details.
What can I do on the last day before Christmas break?
Keep the day structured but light: a review game, a reflection circle or a short escape room. For more ideas, see our last day before winter break activities and winter holiday classroom games.
Are Christmas activities a waste of instructional time?
Not when they practice real skills. Every activity above connects to math, writing, science or social studies standards, so students keep learning while the mood is festive.
The weeks before break do not have to be lost time. Pick two or three activities that fit your subject, keep routines in place, and let students finish the semester with something they enjoyed.
