7 Fun & Festive Christmas Homeschooling Ideas

December is the perfect time for Christmas homeschooling with decorating, cooking, and baking (homemaking), Christmas carols (music), Christmas paintings (art appreciation), and Christmas traditions from other countries (geography).

If you want to go a little deeper, here are seven ways to make Christmas more meaningful and learn at the same time.

Cook a Christmas Feast from Another Country

My children love to learn about other places through food. Every country around the world has their own special meal at Christmastime. Of course, every family in each country has their own traditions, but here are some favorite foods at Christmas from other countries.

Find the country on the globe, make a flag, and cook up a storm. You could choose one country each year or choose a country each week.

Mexico

• Red Pork Tamales
• Red & Green Enchiladas
• Pozole Rojo (stew with pork, white corn, and red chilies)
• Concha (sweet bread)
• Cinnamon Cookies
• Flan
• Champurrado (hot chocolate drink with corn flour)

Germany

• Duck, Goose, Rabbit, or Roast
• Apple & Sausage Stuffing
• Red Cabbage
• Potato Dumplings
• Christmas Stollen

Sweden

• Swedish Meatballs
• Ham
• Smoked Salmon
• Pickled Herring
• Red Cabbage
• Red Beet Salad
• Jansson’s Temptation (potato casserole with anchovies, onions, and cream)
• Rice Pudding

Philippines

• Lechon (roasted pig)
• Macaroni Salad
• Fruit Salad
• Kastanyas (roasted chesnuts)
• Leche Flan (custard)
• Tsokolate (hot chocolate)
• Salabat (ginger tea)

Kenya (Nyama Choma)

• Grilled beef, chicken, lamb, or goat
• Rice
• Chapati (flatbread)
• Christmas Cake

Explore & Appreciate Famous Paintings of Christmas

Look at famous paintings of the Christmas story. Compare painting styles, use of color, use of light, and overall feeling of different works of art.

Here are some famous paintings to get you started.

• Annunciation by Jan Van Eyck
• The Visitation by Philippe de Champaigne
• Birth of the John the Baptist by Artemisia Gentileschi
• Visitation by Domenico Ghirlandaio
• Song of the Angels by William Adolphe Bouruereau
• Nativity Scene by Charles Poerson
• The Middelburg Altar Nativity Triptych by Rogier van der Weyden
• Adoration of the Magi by Fra Angelico & Fra Filippo Lippi
• Adoration of the Shepherds by Gerard van Honthorst
• Saint Joseph Cooks a Meal as Mary Cares for Jesus by Conrad von Soest
• Nativity by Rogier van der Weyden
• The Three Wise Men by Kupelwieser
• The Journey of the Magi by Sassetta
• The Visit of the Wise Men by Harold Copping
• The Flight into Egypt by Giotto di Bondone

You may want to paint your own picture of the Nativity story.

Attend a Handel’s Messiah Singalong

When King George II of England heard the “Hallelujah Chorus,” he was so moved that he stood up! The tradition continues to this day.

You can almost always find at least one Messiah singalong in your community. Churches and community colleges are the first places to explore because they are often the ones who host it.

A choir and orchestra perform, and visitors are given music to use to sing along with the musicians and singers. What a privilege to sing through this thrilling piece of music. And what a great lesson in music!

If you’ve never listened to the Handel’s Messiah, you might start by listening to a little each day this year and attending a singalong next year.

Sing a Different Christmas Carol Each Day

You will be amazed by the beauty and sound theology of the second, third, and fourth verses of the familiar carols we sing each year. Take time to sing a carol through (all the verses!) each school day and enjoy the beauty of the music and lyrics together.

Here are some Christmas carols to start with. (It’s easy to find these carols on YouTube or a music app.)

• O Come, O Come Emmanuel
• Angels From the Realms of Glory
• It Came Upon a Midnight Clear
• Hark! The Herald Angels Sing
• Joy to the World
• Silent Night
• Do You Hear What I Hear?
• Holy Night
• God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen
• Come All Ye Faithful
• Little Town of Bethlehem
• What Child is This?
• The First Noel
• Angels We Have Heard on High
• In the Bleak Midwinter
• While Shepherds Watched Their Flocks by Night

After singing so many carols, your family may be ready to go Christmas caroling.

Participate in Your Church’s Christmas Concert or Play or Outreach

Singing in a choir or acting in a play is a great experience for children. Maybe your child even has a hidden talent in singing or acting.

If your child has stage fright and refuses to participate, they can help make costumes, set up the stage, and work with lighting. It’s an easy way to introduce your child to the world of theatre.

Read the Entire Christmas Story

So often we focus on aspects of the Christmas story found in the Gospels of John, Matthew, and Luke but never get through the entire story which begins with the promise of John the Baptist.

Here are 16 Days of Scripture Passages.

• Luke 1:5-25 Zachariah is promised a son – John the Baptist
• Luke 1:26-38 Angel appears to Mary announcing Jesus
• Luke 1:39-45 Mary visits Elizabeth/John recognizes Jesus
• Luke 1:46-56 Mary spontaneously sings a beautiful song about the Lord
• Luke 1: 57-66 Birth of John the Baptist
• Luke 1: 67-80 Zachariah spontaneously sings a beautiful song about the Lord
• Matthew 1:18-25 Joseph & Mary’s Engagement & God appears to Joseph in a dream
• John 1:1-18 Jesus is the Word with God from the Beginning
• Luke 2:1-7 Mary & Joseph go to Bethlehem to pay taxes; Jesus is born!
• Luke 2:8-10 Angels appear to the shepherds who visit Baby Jesus
• Luke 2:21-24 Jesus is dedicated and circumcised
• Luke 2:25-35 Simeon blesses Jesus
• Luke 2:36-40 Anna blesses Jesus
• Matthew 2:1-12 Wise Men visit Jesus
• Matthew 2: 13-18 Angel tells Joseph to flee to Egypt
• Matthew 2: 19-23 Jesus and His family go home from Egypt

For Christmas morning devotion ideas, read Our Christmas Morning Celebration.

Read a Christmas Picture Book Aloud Each Day

Is anyone ever too old for a Christmas picture book?

We love to start our Christmas homeschooling days with a Christmas picture book followed by singing a Christmas carol.

Here are some of our family’s favorite Christmas picture books.

• Humphrey’s First Christmas by Carol Heyer
• The Christmas Miracle of Jonathan Toomey by Susan Wojciechowski
• Mortimer’s Christmas Manger by Jane Chapman
• The Crippled Lamb by Max Lucado
• The Legend of the Candy Cane by Lori Walburg
• God Gave Us Christmas by Lisa Tawn Bergren
• One Wintry Night by Ruth Bell Graham

For more on Christmas Homeschooling, read Create Treasured Memories with a Christmas Unit Study.

May your Christmas homeschooling be cheery and bright this year. Have fun as you celebrate the best birthday of all!

Until next time, Happy Homeschooling.

Warmly,

Meredith Curtis

Bio

Meredith Curtis, homeschooling mom, writer, speaker, and publisher, loves to encourage families in their homeschooling adventure. She is the author of Travel God’s World Geography, Travel God’s World Cookbook,  and HIS Story of the 20^th Century. You can check out her books, curricula, unit studies, and Bible studies at PowerlineProd.com. Read her blogs at PowerlineProd.com and listen to her at Finish Well Podcast.