Oh December! A month with a solid three weeks for learning, yet an endless stream of delightful interruptions like gift shopping, gingerbread decorating, and social opportunities. It’s the most wonderful (and most distracting) time of the year! The good news is you can keep the learning going without full-blown unit studies or lengthy lesson plans. These meaningful December lessons for your homeschool give you low prep holiday learning that still counts! 

Low Prep Holiday Learning that Still Counts

Add a Holiday Twist to Morning Time 

You may already practice morning time routines in your homeschool, but if you don’t, this is a great time to start! December offers a chance to try new things.

Use a morning menu (a collection of printed materials you can reach for every day with zero effort!) for the entire month to memorize poetry, study art, and dwell on Scripture. 

• Choose a seasonal poem to read and memorize for the month. Read and recite it several times a week as part of your memory work. 
• Select a winter or holiday work of art to study. Return to the same art piece weekly to attend to color, shape, line, artist background, time period, and you’ve covered so much ground!
• Choose Scriptures from the birth of Christ passages or prophecies as copywork, or use them as daily readings. 

Anchor your day with 10-15 minutes that count for language arts study, memory work, and family culture building.

Start an easy holiday homeschool tradition in your home by downloading my FREE December Classical Morning Menu printable!

Seasonal Mini-Lessons Keep Kids Engaged

The excitement of the holidays comes at mid-point in the year, which means attention is waning. The shiny pencils are worn to stubs, and the gleaming new folders and notebooks are looking shabby. 

December offers a chance to change the scene without sacrificing the solid plan you created for the year. I always go lighter on regular lessons in December so I can fold in holiday mini-lessons. Mini-lessons are focused, directed lessons that typically take 10-15 minutes, with additional time for kids to practice and explore the concept. 

December offers seasonal and cultural options for quick mini-lessons. Best of all, they are often right in front of us!

• Check stores for seasonal activities and classes.
• Explore a holiday cultural tradition on YouTube.
• Social media “shorts” share quick tips and tutorials for learning new skills.
• The “dollar stores and spots” are filled with small books and activities that could become a mini-lesson. 
• Curriculum companies often offer freebies or free trials, so it’s a great chance to check out a curriculum you’ve been curious about. 

Use this formula to design your own mini-lesson: a classic holiday book/picture book + copywork/tracing + discussion prompt + illustration or presentation by your student = mini-lesson!

Need a mini-lesson right now? Try my FREE Christmas Poetry Writing Workshop with a free video lesson, printable Christmas word bank, and holiday themed writing worksheets for kids to write their own poetry. It’s a done-for-you low prep holiday learning activity that fits a range of ages (anyone who can write words!). 

Movie Days Make for Meaningful Moments!

Who doesn’t love a good winter movie during the daytime!? Enjoy a movie break and use it as a low prep learning idea! Here are a few ways you can use movie concepts in your homeschool: 

• Prepare foods shown in or inspired by the movie = hands-on skills learning (Make traditional hot mulled cider for It’s a Wonderful Life!).
• Create holiday decor with the movie’s theme = visual and fine motor skills (Cut snowflakes for Elf).
• Draw the setting = art-based learning (Oh, nearly any Christmas movie is perfect for this!).
• Put the movie plot on a line graph or brainstorm alternate endings = writing and language arts learning.

Letter Writing: the Original Low Prep Learning

Letter writing is a dying art, but it definitely counts as learning! In December, sending cards (and thank you notes later!) is a traditional holiday activity. Add a mini lesson on letter writing formatting and you’ve got a low-prep writing lesson that builds practical skills and blesses others. 

These holiday letter writing templates (with a printable stationery page!) are an easy way to add letter writing to your December lessons with no prep time from you! They include letter formatting, a holiday word bank, and a keyword outline/brainstorm sheet for your kids to follow.

Wrap up a Meaningful December with Low Prep Holiday Learning that Still Counts!

Meaningful learning during the holidays doesn’t have to be elaborate, or even follow your typical schedule. These low-prep holiday learning activities are intentional and engage kids’ minds and hearts. This December, low prep learning still counts in your homeschool, and gives you back the gift of your presence in your holiday homeschool. 

Happy holiday homeschooling, friend! 🎄

Want More Holiday Homeschool Tips?

We’ve got you covered with Homeschooling Through The Holidays!

• How To Use Christmas Unit Studies
• How To Incorporate Christmas Traditions Into Your Holiday Homeschool
• 5 Low-Stress Ways to Make Family Memories This Christmas

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