It’s the Most Wonderful Time of the Year!🎄

Written By Joanna Hughes

Oh wow, here we go again! It feels like I just sat down to write about my October sure fire hits, and somehow we’re already gearing up for December. Time flies when you’re making music!

December is one of the most magical months in the music room, but it’s also incredibly busy. Between winter concert prep and engaging students with meaningful seasonal activities, it can feel like a whirlwind. If you’re like me, you’re juggling it all and trying to make time for those special December-themed lessons that students absolutely love.

Here’s my updated list of December music room favorites (with links!). I won’t get to everything—there’s simply not enough time in the three weeks before break—but it’s great to have options to keep students excited and engaged during this festive season.

Keeping Focused in December

My students have strong opinions about their favorite December activities, and I’ve learned to use that to my advantage. I start each class with concert rehearsal (priorities!), and then we move on to seasonal activities afterwards. This system works wonders for engagement and classroom management.

December Highlights by Holiday

Hanukkah

  • Hanukkah Resources from My Store – I haven’t always found a ton of authentic Hanukkah activities so I decided to make some myself. In addition to clicking on the images above, here are some you can find in my TPT store:

  • Puppy for Hanukkah – Still the most requested song of the year! Students ask for this gem by Daveed Diggs year-round, and it’s a perfect way to celebrate Hanukkah in the music room.

  • The Dreidel Song – We sing this classic in progressively challenging ways, culminating with a tennis ball rhythm challenge where you only sing (and bounce) on specific words:

    • Dreidel

    • Dreidel + Clay

    • Dreidel + Clay + Play

    • Dreidel + Clay + Play + I

    • Whole song

      So.Much.Fun.

  • The Maccabeats – Their version of The Dreidel Song is a student favorite and a great opportunity to showcase a cappella singing, musical genres, and creativity.

  • Gameplan Favorites – Burn Little Candles, Dance for Hanukkah, Zemer Atik, It’s Hanukkah Tonight, and Hanukkah is Here bring movement and instruments into the mix.

Christmas

Recorder Stocking Stuffer Game for Centers (B-A-G-C-D-E)

  • Christmas Resources from My Store (I’ve got TONS!):

    • Celebrate Christmas in the Music Room Growing Bundle—this continues to expands which means regardless of what you pay when you purchase, any new activities added after you’ve bought are yours for FREE! For example, I recently added five new resources. Anyone who bought before they were added got them for free!

      • There are (currently) 10 products in this bundle, but I have to say, I’m particularly partial to the stocking stuffer game! It’s kind of like “Feed the Monster”—play the rhythm (or note on recorder, depending on the version you’re using) and add the present to the stocking. So cute.

      • There are also games like Christmas Write the Room, I Have…Who Has…, Jolly Old St. Nicholas on recorder (a NO-PREP recorder Google Slides lesson with measure by measure guidance), Christmas Compositions, Christmas Rhythm Matching Games for Google Slides, and MORE! Cray Cray Christmas – This Quaver hit keeps students engaged all the way to dismissal.

  • The Nutcracker – A perennial favorite! I love to start with this Trepak video from the Boston Ballet then go into activities like:

  • Holiday Fun from the Kindergarten Gameplan book: I literally have 4th graders that ask to play this game (it’s kind of like a progressive version of the game “Memory”):

    • “Tis the season for holiday fun, but something is missing can you guess which one?” (all sing and pat the beat)

    • Spread out the ten holiday cards upside down; a new student removes one card each round and the student turning the cards right side up has to figure out which cards are missing (cards are holiday symbols: menorah, Star of David, Christmas tree, Santa, etc.)

    • The first student has it the easiest—they only have to determine the one card missing; each consecutive student has to remember multiple ones. Good luck to the last kid (I always offer the “phone a friend” option).

Kwanzaa

  • Kwanzaa Read-Aloud – Introduce the holiday with a book or video (there’s a good one on BrainPop Jr.) and invite students to share their family traditions.

  • The Kwanzaa Song – This song from Quaver is always something my kids love singing along to.

Balancing It All

December is packed and I can’t cover everything. But, I always try to incorporate as much variety as possible. It’s important to me to ensure that my students all feel seen and that they learn about celebrations from cultures beyond their own (this is one of my goals all year long, not just this month). So whether we’re singing, playing instruments, moving, or listening, my goal is to celebrate the season while preparing them for their upcoming performances.

So…what are YOUR plans this December?!

Good luck out there!
Joanna

Joanna Hughes
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