Discover Winter Holidays Around the World With Your Class

Winter holidays around the world can look different depending on which hemisphere you’re in, and that makes them powerful tools for teaching about cultures and global thinking. Activate students’ curiosity and critical thinking skills by using global holidays to launch comparisons and map cultural connections. With a little planning and the right entry points, these holidays can become natural pathways for the NCSS, too.

Add all the winter holidays to your classroom calendar

Winter holidays around the world include much more than just Christmas and New Year’s. They include a rich tapestry of celebrations like Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, Las Posadas, and Three Kings’ Day. Each holiday has unique traditions, foods, music, and stories that reflect the values and history of the communities that celebrate them. Exploring these holidays helps students appreciate diversity and see the many ways people around the world come together during festive seasons.

Winter Holidays Christmas Around The World Activities Research Bulletin Board
By Little Ladybug Shop
Grades. 3rd-5th

This resource includes a grading rubric, quick research checklist, and clickable table of contents, available in print and digital formats. It covers holidays like Christmas, Advent, and Hanukkah, with information on traditions, foods, dates, and songs.

Winter Holidays Around the World Digital Resource Scavenger Hunt Activity
By Michelle McDonald
Grades. 5th-7th
Standards. CCSSRI.5.7, RI.6.7; CCRA.R.7

Take students on a digital scavenger hunt to explore where the fun happens during winter! They’ can ‘ll visit countries like Brazil, Germany, Sweden, and Finland to discover unique holiday traditions.

Winter Holidays Around the World Bulletin Board Kit (December Decor) – EDITABLE
By Emily’s World of Teaching
Grades. PreK-6th

It’s not just the activities that get kids excited about December holidays like Hanukkah and Christmas; you can bring the classroom to life with decorations. Jazz up your bulletin board with eight holiday posters, borders, and letters to create a festive learning environment.

Illuminate your class with hope during Hanukkah

Dance into December holidays around the world by exploring the Jewish Festival of Lights. The date of Hanukkah varies each year because it begins on the 25th day of the Hebrew month of Kislev. The holiday honors a moment in history when a small amount of oil lasted for eight nights instead of one. It’s celebrated by lighting the menorah, enjoying traditional foods, playing dreidel, and exchanging small gifts.

Understanding the celebration invites students to explore how traditions preserve identity and how symbols carry meaning, like light representing hope and resilience.

Analyze Hanukkah symbols. Examine primary sources to identify the different symbols of Hanukkah and their meanings. Create a symbol map showing cultural significance.
Map Hanukkah around the world. Map how different Jewish cultures celebrate Hanukkah to reinforce the NCSS themes of culture, identity, and global connections.
Harness the light of hope in art. Explore the meaning of light and other Hanukkah symbols, then create abstract representations of light to express hope and resilience.

Hanukkah Activities. Menorah Craft, Worksheets, PowerPoint, Emergent Readers
By A Dab of Glue Will Do
Grades. PreK-2nd

Involve younger students in the celebration by having them create a menorah craft, complete a circle map, and compare different holidays. This resource also features a Hanukkah PowerPoint lesson and posters.

Celebrate change on St. Lucia Day

Celebrated on December 13th in Sweden and other Scandinavian countries, St. Lucia Day brightens the darkest time of the year. The festival honors Saint Lucia, a young woman who brought hope and light, and children celebrate by dressing in white robes with glowing crowns of candles.

In the classroom, St. Lucia Day sparks curiosity about symbols and seasonal traditions through winter activities for kids.

Light up the darkness with poetry. Using symbolism and figurative language, students create a poem about the importance of light in the darkness.
Became the light with journaling. Write a self-reflection journal using winter writing prompts about a time when students became the light for someone else and helped them through a hard time.
Design the bringer of light. Students create a comic strip based on St. Lucia and how she brightens the world.

Santa Lucia/ Saint Lucia Activities | Digital and Print | Google and Seesaw
By Emily Education
Grades: 1st-3rd

Santa Lucia is such a wonderful holiday of giving and kindness. Teach your students all about it with this amazing unit of activities that includes crafts, digital activities (pre-loaded into Google and Seesaw), readers, and more!

Reenact Las Posadas winter holiday celebrations

Celebrate a beloved Mexican tradition with Las Posadas, observed in Mexico and communities across Latin America and the United States from December 16th to 24th. Reenacting Mary and Joseph’s journey searching for lodging before Jesus’ birth, participants of this religious winter holiday around the world go from house to house singing, carrying candles, and asking for shelter. It brings together music and community celebrations.

Design a soundtrack of the journey. Since Las Posadas focuses on a journey, challenge students to create a soundtrack that represents it.
Weave a journey together. Using the background of Las Posadas, create a narrative that focuses on a journey where the characters must face a challenge and seek help like Mary and Joseph.
Compare the traditions. Compare the celebration of Las Posadas with Christmas caroling, exploring their history and similarities.

Las Posadas | Holidays Around the World & Christmas | Craft, Reading Info & more
By Tweet Resources
Grades. K-4th
Standards. CCSSRI.K.1, RI.K.3, RI.K.4

In addition to informational reading materials, you get access to a word search, a project, and activities, like stamping your passport.

Unwrap Christmas traditions around the globe

Christmas is among the most widely celebrated holidays in December around the world. While it typically is a religious holiday honoring the birth of Jesus Christ on December 25th, traditions vary widely.

It ranges from decorating trees and exchanging gifts to festive feasts and community gatherings. For example, in Germany, Christmas markets and Advent calendars bring holiday cheer. Meanwhile, in countries like Japan, Christmas is celebrated more as a festive occasion with lights, decorations, and special meals rather than a religious holiday.

Try global storytelling. Group students to research different Christmas stories around the globe and present their findings as a story circle.
Examine holiday music. Examine how Christmas music sounds around the globe and create a “winter holiday around the world” soundtrack.
Craft cultural cuisine. Research popular foods for Christmas dinner around the world and create a Christmas cookbook.

Christmas Traditions Then and Now Activities History of Christmas Social Studies
By Tech Teacher Pto3
Grades: 2nd-4th

Perfect for social studies or history lessons, this resource encourages students to compare how Christmas was celebrated in the past with how it is celebrated today. With fact sheets, comprehension activities, crafts, and creative projects, students will explore traditions such as Christmas cards, gift-giving, and decorations in a fun and interactive way.

Celebrate African heritage during Kwanzaa

People in the U.S. and around the world celebrate Kwanzaa from December 26th to January 1st. This vibrant holiday brings families and communities together through storytelling, music, and shared meals. During Kwanzaa, people celebrate the seven guiding principles while lighting the Kinara. Explore the guiding principles with your class through a social studies adventure.

Share a holiday recipe card. Students research and craft a recipe card for one of the symbolic dishes of Kwanzaa.
Map a movie. Students map the seven different days of Kwanzaa by creating a movie storyboard for each day.

Kwanzaa Activities by Latoya Reed
By Latoya Reed
Grades. K-3rd

This all-encompassing bundle includes passages, word searches, bubble maps, circle maps, and traditional writing. Students may also enjoy the Kinara craft and homemade gifts activity.

Get wise to Three Kings Day

Also called Epiphany, Three Kings’ Day honors the visit of the three wise men to the baby Jesus. This religious holiday is celebrated with parades, special breads like the king cake, and gift-giving. As one of the winter holidays around the world, Three Kings’ Day is celebrated on January 6th in countries such as Mexico, Spain, and many Latin American nations. Encourage diversity in your classroom by discovering the meaning behind Three Kings Day.

Decorate a king cake. Make and decorate a king cake while researching its symbolism and traditions.
Write to the kings. Compose a journal entry to one of the kings reflecting the kindness you would bring to others.
Design royal masks. Use papier-mache to create masks for the three kings based on the gifts they brought.

Three Kings Day Mini Book | Holiday Reading Activities Printable + Free Spanish
By Nikki and Nacho
Grades. K-1st
Standards. CCSSRI.K.1, RI.K.2, RI.K.3

Get ready for Three Kings Day by having students complete a printable minibook. There are also comprehension questions, graphic organizers, and Spanish resources.

Learn about Lunar New Year

Celebrated between late January and mid-February depending on the lunar calendar, Lunar New Year is a time of joy and renewal for millions of people in China, Korea, Vietnam, and communities around the world. To celebrate Lunar New Year, many families gather for special meals, dragon and lion dances, fireworks, and honoring ancestors. Each year is linked to one of the 12 zodiac animals, so the holiday is both festive and full of cultural meaning.

Have a dragon dance parade. Use recycled materials to create dragons and puppets, and have a parade down the hallway.
Write a fortune. Write a short story based on a fortune and put it inside a red envelope.
Make a paper lantern. Design a paper lantern and write well-wishes on it.

Kindergarten Lunar New Year Activities (Lessons + Centres) | TPT
By a A Pinch of Kinder – Yukari Sloane
Grades: PreK-1st
Subject: Math

This Lunar New Year activity pack includes lessons and hands on literacy and math activities that you can incorporate into your Lunar New Year week plans in your Kindergarten classroom!

Send bad luck away at Setsubun

Chase away evil spirits and invite luck into your home with Setsubun, celebrated in Japan on February 3rd or 4th. Families celebrate by throwing roasted soybeans to remove the bad luck and bring good fortune. In addition to ehomaki sushi rolls, Japanese people wear demon masks and shout. You can get in on the fun with a few simple activities.

Act out a skit. Perform a skit showing how the ritual is performed.
Create a symbolic drawing. Students draw a good luck charm to put around their house to help keep the bad luck out after Setsubun.
Build a bean toss game. Create a carnival-style game where students throw beans at a demon target.

Culture of Japan: Setsubun (節分) Japanese Bean Throwing Festival Printable Book
By Teaching Terakoya
Grades: K-6th

This printable book covers all the most popular Setsubun traditions, from bean throwing to special sushi, and each page can be colored after reading.

Cherish Valentine’s Day in the name of love

Celebrate love, friendship, and kindness with Valentine’s Day on February 14th. Celebrated in many countries, from the United States and Canada to the United Kingdom, Japan, and Australia, Valentine’s Day traditions around the world are cultural celebrations where people show appreciation for the special people in their lives. Think cards, flowers, chocolates, and sweet messages. However, the holiday did start in honor of Saint Valentine.

Design a cultural heart. Research Valentine’s Day around the globe and create an artwork using symbols and patterns from different countries.
Send international love notes. Write Valentine’s Day cards inspired by traditions from around the world, like heart-shaped poetry in France.
Design a world Valentine’s map. Group students and have them pin Valentine’s Day celebrations on a large world map.

Valentine’s Day Adapted Books { Level 1 and Level 2 } History of St. Valentine
By Mrs Ds Corner
Grades: K-3rd
Subject: ELA

Teach your students all about the history of St. Valentine and Valentine’s Day with this set of leveled, adapted readers. Each leveled book comes with comprehensive questions, too.

Splash Into Holi

The Festival of Colors, or Holi, marks the arrival of spring and the triumph of good. Celebrated in late February or March in India and Nepal, the main day of the festival falls on the full moon of the Hindu month Phalguna. During the holiday, people throw vibrant powders, dance, and share festive foods, creating a lively and joyful atmosphere.

At its heart, Holi is about forgiveness, connection, and celebrating family and community. Use these themes as your guide for your own Holi celebration.

Host a Holi gallery walk. Create illustrated storyboards about the legends of Holi and host a gallery walk for others.
Illustrate cultural infographics. Create a digital infographic about Holi traditions and symbols.
Simulate the Festival of Colors. Using tissue paper and confetti, allow students to experience the colors of the festival and their significance.

Holi Informational Text Reading Comprehension Worksheet Holidays Hinduism
By Teaching to the Middle
Grades: 3rd-5th

The 610-800 Lexile passage briefly describes Holi, then 11 questions (identify and multiple choice) assess students’ understanding. You get a full color and a black-and-white version, as well as a key.

Cheer for St. David’s Day and its traditions

Don daffodils and leeks to celebrate the Welsh holiday St. David’s Day on March 1. In addition to enjoying traditional food and cultural performances, the holiday is based on the patron saint of Wales. More than a religious holiday, St. David’s Day is a cultural celebration of Welsh pride and history.

Create daffodil art. Use tissue paper to create daffodils and various art pieces using research from the holiday.
Create a cultural celebration poster. Design a poster for St. David’s Day and compare it to other cultural festivals around the globe.

St David’s Day | Creative Codebreaker Cryptogram | Wales Research Project
By Pagecraft ELA
Grades: 6th-12th
Subject: ELA

Crack some cryptogram codes this St David’s Day on March 1st with a multiple-choice research project about Welsh traditions, landscape, and language, with an added challenge! It’s a great escape room alternative.

Explore winter holidays around the world with TPT

Winter is a time of celebration and tradition, and exploring winter holidays around the world helps students appreciate the rich diversity of ways people come together. From colorful festivals and meaningful rituals to music and stories, each holiday offers unique lessons and joyful experiences. These winter holiday resources from TPT provide opportunities for learning and reflection, which help connect students to the world around them.

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