Spread Holiday Joy: 12 Easy Ideas for Your Kind Classroom
12 Easy Ways to Create a Kind, Humane Classroom This Holiday Season
The holiday season is in full swing (as if you needed reminding!), and it’s the perfect time to wrap up the semester with activities that spark joy and compassion. Are you looking for festive and easy ways to weave kindness to animals into your lessons?
We’ve got you covered like a cozy, cruelty-free blanket with our 12 favorite ways to enjoy a holly, jolly, and humane holiday season at school.
1. Keep Minds Sharp and Hearts Warm With Games That Spark Compassion
Let’s face it—students often get a little wiggly before winter break (can you blame them?). Keep 3rd-5th graders engaged with fun academic activities like TeachKind’s Main Idea and Supporting Details Sorting Game. Paired with our animal comics, it’s a merry mix of critical thinking and compassion that keeps kids practicing key reading skills while reminding them that every animal deserves respect. When you’re finished, explore our selection of Kind Holiday Kahoots for even more compassionate fun.
2. Wool You Be Kind? Teach the Truth About Winter Wardrobes
As temperatures drop, winter fashion rises—and so does the demand for wool. Millions of sheep are abused for coats, hats, scarves, and more every year. Use TeachKind’s age-appropriate, standards-aligned lessons to help students shop with empathy. Try:
- Not Just Part of the Flock (K–2)
- Woody: A Survivor’s Story (3–5)
- From Sheep to Sweater: The True Cost of Wool (6–12)
Available in English and Spanish, these resources will help students expand their reading comprehension and dress their best.
3. Deck the Halls With Kindness-Ornament Crafts
Holiday crafts? Yes, please! Help students create festive ornaments with kind messages for animals. They’re a fantastic way to connect as a class, and the ornaments look great, are a delight to make, and can be crafted using inexpensive, recycled, and easy-to-find materials. Simple, cute, and full of heart, this fun and meaningful activity spreads a message of peace for all beings. Check out TeachKind’s easy ornament instructions and get crafting!
4. Speak Up to Get Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer Out of SeaWorld
SeaWorld is trying to brighten up its shady image by teaming up with holiday icon Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer—but don’t be fooled. Young learners can use our coloring sheet, and high schoolers can learn from elements in our debate kit to help students understand why using animals for entertainment is wrong. Then have them write respectful letters asking Character Arts to pull the plug on its partnership with SeaWorld. This is a meaningful way to advocate for orcas and other marine animals during the season of giving and gives learners a powerful opportunity to practice their persuasive writing skills.
Speaking of Rudolph, elementary students will love our Winter Wonders: Reindeer Quiz Kahoot! It’s a fun way to learn about these majestic animals while discovering fascinating facts about their unique adaptations, behaviors, and roles in their ecosystems.
5. Build Kindness, One Cookie at a Time!
Nothing says “happy holidays” like sweet treats! Making vegan gingerbread houses with elementary students is a sweet way to celebrate the holidays with compassion. This hands-on activity helps young learners practice cooperation, creativity, and fine motor skills while showing kindness to animals by using plant-based ingredients. It’s a festive, inclusive tradition that teaches kids that holiday fun can be delicious and gentle on everyone.
If you enjoy baking at home, surprise your class with a batch of simple, vegan sugar cookies and remind students that they’re cruelty-free—free of eggs, dairy, and honey. Get some dairy-free icing for students to decorate their own cookies on the last day of class. It’s a tasty and enjoyable way to demonstrate that compassion can be sweet.
6. Use the Season of Giving to Share the World
‘Tis the season to spread compassion! TeachKind’s Elementary kit, Share the World, makes it easy to nurture empathy, no matter our differences. Featuring a heartfelt video, K-2 and 3-5 worksheets, a teacher’s guide, creative ideas for extension activities, and more, it’s a perfect way to wrap your winter lessons in SEL. Order a copy for free or access it online, and help your class give the gift of understanding.
7. Top the Tree With a (Not a) Nugget of Joy
Is your school tree lacking a little character? Spruce it up with a fun and festive ‘Not a Nugget’ tree topper. Trust us, kids of all ages will love this adorable and animal-friendly holiday touch. Print plenty of extras for students to decorate, take home, and “peep” their support for other animals right at the treetop.
This also makes a terrific topper for an “Angel Tree for Animals,” which will benefit a local animal shelter or accredited sanctuary by seeking donations for food or supplies. It’s an engaging way to encourage the school community to think of others during the season of giving.
8. Chill Out With a Lesson on Arctic Animals
Winter’s chill provides a perfect setting to explore how Arctic animals survive in extreme conditions. TeachKind’s printable Arctic Animals mini-book and companion activities introduce children to the fascinating adaptations and unique challenges these animals face. This ready-to-use resource helps 2nd-5th grade students understand how human choices impact the inspiring animals who inhabit the Arctic, motivating future changemakers one page at a time.
9. Make a Wish—for Animals!
Encourage K-5 students to think beyond their lists of toys and tech with a meaningful writing activity. Use TeachKind’s Holiday Wish ornament activity to help learners reflect on the needs of others. Ask them to imagine what animals—like pigs, cats, chickens, or whales—might wish for this holiday season (hint: no cages, no tests, no nets!). Have kids use their creativity and teamwork to display their wishes around the classroom as a garland of goodwill that will lift spirits and warm hearts.
10. Read About Santa’s Plant-Based Pivot
Introduce your class to Santa’s First Vegan Christmas, a festive tale with a twist. This charming book shows K-3 students that everyone—even the big guy in red—can embrace change and live compassionately. Pair it with TeachKind’s corresponding reading activities for a jolly literacy lesson that reminds kids that kindness is the greatest gift of all.
11. Remind Everyone to Be Sweet to Animals
High schoolers heading to the mall? Since students are likely to wind up with a gift card or two in hand during winter break, remind them that their shopping choices reflect their values. Encourage them to avoid items made with fur, leather, or wool – because there’s no way to stay on the ‘nice list’ by taking things from others. Attach our cute and festive Be Sweet to Animals tags to candy canes, pencils, or another simple gift, and give them to students before the holidays as a gentle reminder that kindness never goes out of style.
12. Give Back With a Shelter Supply Drive
Turn the holiday spirit into real-world impact by organizing a donation drive for a local animal shelter. Engage students in community service by collecting items like gently used towels and blankets, dog and cat toys, and food, and encourage them to come up with creative ways to involve the community. Contact the shelter to coordinate a drop-off event so they can meet the animals they’re helping—now that’s the most wonderful time of the year!
Elevate the learning experience by inviting students to create adoption profiles for shelter residents. This activity celebrates children’s natural love of animals while enhancing their persuasive writing, making it a fun and engaging opportunity to meet educational goals and encourage their budding empathy. Across the country, kids have inspired kind humans to welcome animal companions into their homes by designing eye-catching adoption profiles, showcasing what makes each dog and cat unique, and encouraging their adoption.
We hope these festive ideas help you wrap up your semester with warmth and compassion.
If you snap a photo of your classroom in action, send it to [email protected] for a chance to be featured on our social media and inspire other kind teachers like you.
Wishing you a peaceful, cozy, and compassionate holiday season!
