Merry Christmas! The holidays are one of the most memorable and busiest time in any classroom. There is a lot of pressure to do “all the things!” As teachers, we want our students to have fun with the holiday, but we also know that they need to be learning. This is the reason why we decided to create our “Santa is Hiring Classroom Event!”
The Idea Behind the Event
Santa is ready for a change! Over the years, the elves at the North Pole have gotten a little lazy and aren’t producing as many presents as they used to produce. Santa needs a new team, so he has opened up some very important positions at Santa’s Headquarters Inc. Will the students get the position? It’s up to them! Their objective is to answer as many questions as they can in the amount of time given. The team that answers the most questions gets to pick their job title from Santa’s Classifieds first at Santa’s Headquarters Inc.
Getting Ready for the Event
We love setting the stage for our students! We want them to walk into the classroom and be engaged from the beginning! Since students need to take the task cards at random, we love the idea of putting them in small gift bags with festive tissue paper! After printing, laminating and running copies, your job is done!
Before the Event
Students get broken up into teams. We like teams of 4. We always have them come up with a festive team name, such as The Snowflakes or The Holly Jolly Jingle Bells. Students choose job titles to help the event run smoothly. There is a runner, a recorder, a decorator and a holiday spirit expert! We always sit down as a class and go over the directions page together. Students also read over Santa’s Classifieds and choose the job title they will be working for!
Head Elves
Here is where the magic happens! For a class of 32, we use 2-3 Head Elves. The Head Elves are in charge of checking teams’ answers so that you can pop around and enjoy the event! We have been the Head Elf in the past, but we suggest getting a parent volunteer. You want at least two Head Elves so that a line doesn’t form. Before the festivities begin, Head Elves go over directions, sign a contract and are given a script. The script is our favorite! It gives them ideas of what to say for correct and incorrect answers, such as “Only coal for you!” or “You must be on the nice list!” We also love the idea of giving the Head Elves a bell so that every time a team gets a question correct, they ring the bell. A simple way to add to the fun!
Ready, Set, Go!
Set a timer. We usually stick to 45 min. This gives them enough time to complete the majority of the task cards, but not all of them. Runners race off to grab task cards, bring them back to their team to solve, take to the Head Elves, and then repeat! Teams have 2 chances to get a task card correct. If a team gets stuck on a task card, they have two tokens that they can use. There’s a “Peek at the Cheat Sheet” token and “Ditch a Present” token!
The Task Cards
Here’s the part that we love! The task cards are content driven! There are 8 math, 8 language, 8 vocabulary and 8 Christmas trivia task cards. All of the task cards are Christmas themed for more engagement and fun! Mission accomplished: Students are having fun while still learning!
Ending the Event
Be sure to watch the clock. Give a five minute warning and have a timer go off to end the event. Have teams count up how many task cards they got correct. Have the recorder share out for each team. Start with 1st place and have them choose their job title. That job title is now off limits. Move to the rest of the teams in order. At the very end, give each student a contract with Santa’s Headquarters Inc. The Head Elves also get a contract for rehire. We love that they get something to remember all of the fun!
Looking to add some holiday fun to your classroom?
We are going to give away our Santa is Hiring Classroom Event!
Enter below!
Want to add more holiday fun into your school year? We have a classroom event for Halloween and Thanksgiving!
Halloween Classroom Event: Haunted House Incorporated is HIRING!
Thanksgiving Classroom Event… The Turkey Takeover Team is HIRING!
Need more Christmas Resources?
Christmas Brochure Tri-fold Bundle
17 Comments
This activity looks so amazing! What a creative way to keep the kids learning and engaged during the holidays!!!!
I’m excited to try this activity! I love the collaboration !
I love task card activities!!! This looks so fun and engaging!
Loved this at Halloween! I’d love to win one for the holidays.
My kiddos had so much fun with the Turkey Takeover that we want to do this one too
This looks like so much fun! What a great way to keep everyone engaged during a hectic time of the year!
What a fun idea. Thank you for coming up with great ways to keep students engaged.
I can only imagine how much fun the kids must have!!
This looks like so much fun and so engaging!!! I’d love to do this in my classroom!!!
I can’t decide what part I like best. It all looks amazing!
What a fun idea!! I can only imagine the team work that takes place with this.
This looks so engaging!
Love so many things about the activity from giving each student a role, making it content driven, and all the collaboration involved! Can’t wait to try it with my students!
Love so many things about the activity from giving each student a role, making it content driven, and all the collaboration involved! Can’t wait to try it with my students!
I love the variety of activities! The cross curricular tasks are wonderful! I would be blessed to win this.
I love everything about this idea! We have never done anything like this before, so it is all very exciting!! I really like the teamwork aspect if this. And also the application/interview process. I can see many other lessons that can be taught using this. Thank you for sharing!
The task cards sound interesting since students can have fun while learning. My friend is organizing a party for her preschool students. I think she should hire a Santa to make the party special.