Lesson length : 30 to 40 minutes
Class size : Small Group class
Preparation time : 20 – 60 minutes to prepare the “Decorate the Christmas tree” game, 20 – 60 minutes to prepare the “Pop Cup Bingo”, 5 minutes to prepare “Dancing Santa papercraft”, 30 – 60 minutes to prepare the “What fell down the Chimney?” game, and Christmas flashcards.
Materials :
- For “What fell down the chimney?” : A selection of objects related to Christmas, with flashcards made of each of the objects; a chimney made by stacking two or more cardboard boxes on top of each other, with a hole at the top, a window cut into the front, and a flap cut into the bottom for retrieving any objects that are dropped down the chimney
- For “Pop Cup Bingo” : A large sheet of cardboard with circular holes cut into it, sized so that paper cups can be slotted in from the back and will not fall out unless pushed from the front; paper cups with different coloured bases to slot through the holes of the sheet of cardboard; a printed copy of “Appendix A : bingo sheet” for student; a ball
- For the “Dancing Santa papercraft” : A sheet of paper cut into a square for each student; colouring pens, pencils or crayons
- For “Decorate the Christmas tree” game : Clothes pegs; a selection of different pictures of Christmas Decorations; string; a big picture of a Christmas tree drawn onto the back of a big sheet of poster paper
Instructions :
Before class, stick the poster of the Christmas tree on the wall. Hang up three or four pieces of string between two chairs at different levels and position the chairs so that the string is in front of the picture of the tree.
1. Lay the Christmas flashcards on the floor in front of the chimney, and have students repeat the words after the teacher, then match the objects with the flashcards to which they relate.
2. Play a game of “What fell down the Chimney?” : Hide the objects so that the students are unable to see which one you have chosen. Secretly take an object, and without allowing students to see, drop it down the chimney. Students watch as it falls past the window to the bottom, and from what they could see, guess what object fell. This game can be played competitively with older children, or non-competitively with a younger class.
3. Practice colours with the class. Teachers may wish to sing “The colour song” for a fun way to practice and prepare students the next game.
LYRICS AND PURCHASES OF THE “ROBOT 1,2,3” COLOUR SONG CAN BE MADE AT THE HAPPY HAPPY KIDS WEBSITE.
https://www.happyhappykids.com
4. Play a game of “Pop Cup Bingo” : Hand out printed copies of “Appendix A : Bingo Sheet” to each student. Students colour the spaces of their sheets as they like, but using the colours of the bases of the paper cups. Prop the cradboard sheet against a wall or chair. Each turn a student of the class stands in front of the cardboard and throws a ball at the cups. If they are able to hit a cup and push it through the hole, everyone may cross out the colour of their bingo sheet of the colour of the base of the paper cup. If a student crosses out a line of boxes horizontally, vertically or diagonally, they have scored a bingo and are declared winners.
Appendix A : Bingo Sheet
LET-CLICK ON THE IMAGE ABOVE TO VIEW FULL SCREEN
5. Hand out square-shaped paper to each student and make a “Dancing Santa” as a class. Instructions to making “Dancing Santa” can be accessed by left-clicking the button below.
6. If there is still time at the end of class, play ” Decorate the Christmas tree” : This game plays similarly to “Hang it up” from our infant class, “Is it a boy / girl?”. Bring students to the picture of the Christmas tree and show the class the pictures of Christmas decorations. One by one hand out the decorations to the class. As they are given the decorations, they say the name of the decoration in English, and use a clothes peg to attach it to the string in front of the picture, until the entire tree is decorated.
PERMISSION IS GRANTED TO TEACHERS TO PRINT AND EDIT THE APPENDICES FOR USE IN THE CLASSROOM