Deck the Halls (and Classroom Walls)! Ideas for Easy-to-Do Student Holiday Decorations

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Involving students in the creation of the classroom atmosphere can be a great motivator, and the holiday season is a wonderful opportunity to allow students to lend a hand (sometimes literally!) in making fun, personalized learning spaces.

Credit: www.housepictures.co

Case in point: Several years ago, my class participated in a door decorating contest during Christmastime. (The theme was anti-drug messages, which may seem like a challenge considering the season. However, believe it or not, combining Just Say No to Drugs and reindeer, Santa, and snowmen wasn't as difficult as one may think!) 

Credit: K. Stull

Credit: K. Stull 

My kids were so enthusiastic about constructing this door! They created all of the ornaments, took turns decorating the tree, and volunteered to bring in materials from home to make the tree the best it could be. Seeing this pride in their work, I resolved to reserve a place in my room for student creations only. As cool as the motivational posters that I had were, a visible showcase of student work and decor did more to stimulate students than any picture of a cute animal or superhero with an encouraging thought ever could! 

While there are tons of cute/fun/beautiful Christmas and holiday decorations in stores that you could buy for your classroom, consider asking your students to help you decorate this year. Here are some very easy-to-do, creative ideas requiring minimal supplies that I found:

I saw so many ideas for using books to decorate....

How cool are this book tree and book fireplace? (Credit: Sassy Librarian)

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No lights allowed in the classroom? No problem!

I think these paper Christmas light garlands would be so colorful and easy to hang on the windows or along cabinets. (Credit: Stubbornly Crafty)

Have students create their own personalized strand of paper bulbs and string along the ceiling. (Credit: Kristin Roberts)

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Here are some ideas for ornaments that can be hung on a tree or around the classroom:

Paper Christmas Bulbs (Credit: Chris Gardner, Curbly)

Stained Glass Paper Ornaments (Credit: TeachKidsArt.net)

Parents Magazine has several ideas for paper ornaments, but my favorite is the spiral Christmas tree.

Credit: Parents Magazine

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Have a bulletin board?

Love this personalized snow globe idea from Miss Nelson's Got the Camera!

Credit: Miss Nelson's Got the Camera

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Door displays are a wonderful way to welcome students and visitors!

Credit: CIS/FC Blog

I found so many different creative door displays, but I think this is my favorite.

Do you want to try any of these ideas? Do you have ideas that you'd like to share? Leave a comment!

Warmest seasons greetings to you!

And the Thanksgiving Password Is...FREEBIE!

Pin It Now! Pin It Now! Do you remember the game show "Password"?

I have to admit that I'm too young for the original black & white version. I grew up on the Bert Convy version of "Super Password" in the 1980s and the board game with the little blue plastic folders with the red screens that magically decoded the passwords that couldn't be detected by the naked eye. 

Game shows are so much fun to use as inspiration for classroom activities. In that spirit, I created a FREEBIE Thanksgiving version of Password, which is based on sensory words. No magic decoder folders, but still pretty entertaining! 

In Pick the Password, students choose a Thanksgiving-themed password, then complete a list of descriptive sensory "clues" about the password. Students then say the clues to a partner or small group, and the partner or small group guesses the password. I've provided a list of password suggestions and the password clue lists so all you need to do is print and use!

You might even think about having students do a writing extension activity with the password clue lists that they create.

If you don't have free Teachers Pay Teachers account, #1. Get one! You'll find tons of quality FREE and paid resources there; #2. You can still get this Thanksgiving freebie here. 

Happy Thanksgiving to you and yours!