Have Fun and Make Memories While Homeschooling in December
I absolutely love homeschooling in December. It’s that time of year when the magic of Christmas meets the requirements of homeschooling, and homeschooling families get to find enchanting ways to bring them together.
This list of memorable ways to bring fun, creativity, and learning to your homeschool this holiday season will get you ready to kick off Christmas School.
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Why Homeschooling in December is Special
December is such a wonderful time of year. You can feel the changes begin to happen as soon as Thanksgiving ends. Holiday lights begin to light up the night and the music of the season begins to play.
It’s a time for family visits, special memories, and slowing down…despite the rush many of us feel doing this month of the year.
The warm feelings and special events that happen in December usually don’t happen during the rest of the year, so it is important to enjoy them while we can.
As homeschooling families, we can take full advantage of our flexibility so that we can truly be present with our kids and make some wonderful memories. It’s okay to treat this month differently…because it is.
Tips for Homeschooling During December
In order to embrace this special season, it’s okay to make changes to the way you typically do things during your school day. Of course, you also want to remain sane, so here are a few tips to help you homeschool during December:
Alter the Typical School Day
This is a great time to take a break from the typical assignments. Take some time to evaluate what subjects are necessary to continue through December and what can be put on hold until January. It does get harder when your kids are teens, especially if they are taking classes outside of the home. But if there are subjects that you can eliminate or back off from a little bit, then this is a great month to pull back.
Plan Ahead for Fun
The month is busy enough so make sure you plan ahead for the fun activities you’d like to add to your December schedule. Take some time to write down a few special ideas and shop for all of the supplies that you need ahead of time.
Little Things Are Enough
Everything doesn’t have to be over the top or “Pinterest-worthy.” Instead, enjoy the simple things that bring your family together. It could be eating popcorn while watching a movie, making Christmas ornaments, or sipping hot cocoa on the porch. You don’t have to overthink it or go all out every day. If you want a few particularly special days, then go for it, but spending some extra time together is the main goal.
Resources and Ideas for December Homeschooling
December is a wonderful time of year to take a break from the normal routine and add some holiday fun to your homeschool. You can find seasonal art fun, visit holidays around the world, and read a Christmas book together. There are so many ways to make this month a special one in your homeschool.
Play Games
We add at least one new board game to our game collection every December. There have been years that we opened one a week, but typically I just grab one or two to begin our month.
This year we added Pandemic, Ticket to Ride: Europe, and a new set of Exploding Kittens.
–> My favorite family board games and card games <–
Pandemic was brand new for our family and it presents quite a cooperative challenge. My 11-year-old son has enjoyed it immensely and we continue to attempt new strategies.
Ticket to Ride: Europe is our second Ticket to Ride game and we enjoyed the new twists in this version. Unlike the USA version, this one has tunnels, ferry routes, and train stations. Each one contributes a new challenge to the game.
Exploding Kittens is one of our favorites so we needed a new pack of cards. Our old set makes it too easy to cheat. We all recognize the bends and folds in the Exploding Kittens cards. We added this to our Imploding Kittens set and the Streaking Kittens set is going to find its way into a stocking this year.
Some of our game-playing favorites:
Math Games Your Tweens and Tweens will Actually Enjoy
The Best Card Games for the Whole Family
Board Games the Whole Family Will Enjoy
Math Games for Your Homeschool
30 of the Best Board Games you And Your Teens will Love
The Best Games you can Easily Play on Video Chat
Homeschool in December with Books
It’s fun to take time during the holiday to read the same book as a family. Maybe it is a cozy winter chapter book and maybe it is a holiday-themed story. Whatever works for your family is the best choice!
Reading Picture Books in December
Request plenty of picture books about winter or Christmas. Curl up with the kids and read a few each day. You can even wrap them in wrapping paper and let the kids open one to read each day.
Need a little Picture Book Inspiration?
100 Winter Picture books to read this Season from Mary Hanna Wilson (that’s me!)
Family Favorite Christmas Books from Raising Life-Long Learners
19 Amazing Advent Books to Enjoy This Year from Alicia Hutchinson
13 of the Lastest Christmas Picture Books You’ll Love from Alicia Hutchinson
Fantastic Christmas Books from My Little Poppies
A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens
We decided to read A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens. I am reading it out loud to my younger three kids while my oldest is reading it to herself. My 8th grader is also reading the Graphic Novel version as part of her year of graphic novels. There are so many versions that you are sure to find one that suits your family!
The Classic Version
The Graphic Version
An Illustrated Version
OMG Classics Version (teens and up)
After you read the book as a family (or with friends), throw a book celebration! Gather together and enjoy some games, crafts, food, and decorations as you celebrate this story and Christmas past, present, and future.
Want a little help planning your book celebration?
Celebrate a Book has you covered! You’ll find fantastic ideas for food, games, decorations, and activities as well as 10 discussion questions you can use to guide a conversation about the book.
I have an entire blog post full of detailed ideas for reading and enjoying this book with your family. You’ll even find tips for learning more about the author, Charles Dickens.
December Book Clubs for Kids
Join my Outschool Christmas Book and Movie club this month and let your child or teen participate in an online discussion. The 2022 book I picked for our online discussions is A Boy Named Christmas. The book/movie club will meet twice. First, we’ll discuss the book and then we will meet to compare it to the movie.
A holiday book club is a fantastic way to add some literature study to your December homeschool plans.
Homeschooling Geography in December
Universal Yums
This is the tastiest way to enjoy Geography based learning and fun. You can order the Universal Yums Holiday Box and enjoy treats from around the globe while learning some facts about different countries.
Holidays Around the World
This Holidays Around the World Unit Study is the perfect addition to your homeschool learning in the month of December.
You’ll learn about 12 holidays/celebrations including Christmas, Chinese New Year, Diwali, Epiphany/Three Kings Day, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, Las Posadas, Omisoka, Ramadan, St. Lucy’s Day, St. Nicholas Day, and Winter Solstice/Yule.
Homeschooling Art in December
We like to dabble in the Winter Wonderland Mixed Media Workshop course, completing new projects this year. One of our favorites has been the watercolor ornaments. My daughter and I had a great time working on the ornaments and the Mixed Media Christmas tree.
After seeing her art, my sons spent about 1.5 hours painting with me as they worked on their own ornament paintings. My 11-year-old enjoyed it enough that he was inspired to create more on his own.
We’ll continue working through several other art projects over the winter months, but is fun to focus on the Christmas-themed ones for now.
We also own two Chalk Pastel art video lessons that we will continue working on this year. There are a few lessons that we haven’t tried as well as a few favorites to complete again with new twists.
My kids always enjoy selecting a few Chalk Pastel lessons from the Christmas guides each season. It is a fun and forgiving media so everyone feels pretty good about their final product. From Christmas trees to the Nutcracker characters, we love creating a few masterpieces.
Homeschooling Music with Christmas Carols
We love SQUILT music lessons. They are so easy and fun to include in your Morning Basket. During December, we like to use the Christmas Carol bundle to learn the history of various carols.
Volume 1 includes: Carol of the Bells; Away in a Manger; The Little Drummer Boy; Angels We Have Heard on High; O Come, O Come, Emmanuel
Volume 2 includes: Bring a Torch Jeanette, Isabella; Go Tell It on the Mountain; In The Bleak Midwinter; The First Noel; Calypso Carol
These lessons are open and go and so much fun to use! Learn more details about some of your old favorites and get to know a few new carols.
Morning Time in December
Teach the entire family together during Morning Time this month using Morning Time Explorations: Christmas Around the World.
Borrow a few ideas from the Christmas Morning Baskets from The Waldock Way. Put them in your own December Morning Basket or store the items and pull out a new activity each day.
Memory-Making Ideas for Homeschooling in December
Do not forget to leave plenty of time to make memories this holiday season. These activities vary from year to year, but it is important for my kids to have space for additional time with friends. Find time for activities like:
sleepovers with friends
Ice skating
art project days with friends
our favorite dessert place (this one is for my birthday)
art and craft sale
mall photo scavenger hunt with friends
decorating together
baking your favorites
Advent dinners each Sunday
Great Wolf Lodge trip (first time we are doing this in the month of December)
family movie night
play video games as a family
visiting light displays in the area
We like to do a few things that are out of the ordinary, even if they are simple. Ask your children what they would like to add to the calendar for the month and make sure those activities happen (if possible).
What will homeschooling look like for you in December?
More December Homeschooling Ideas:
Christmas Homeschooling for Families with Teens
December Gift Giving Ideas
She believes that creativity, laughter, and fun are the backbone for engaging and inspiring homeschools. You can find her encouragement and tips on this blog, Mary Hanna Wilson.
She is an enneagram 7 and an extrovert. She enjoys traveling, tea (iced or hot), good conversations, and books. You can connect with her on Instagram and Facebook.
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