Low-Prep Holiday Activities to Save Your Sanity

These low prep holiday activities are the perfect way to save your sanity this December.

The holidays in the primary classroom are magical… and let’s be honest, a little chaotic too. Whether it’s the excitement of Halloween costumes, Thanksgiving feasts, Valentine’s cards, or end-of-year celebrations, every holiday season brings a wave of energy that can be hard to harness. Sometimes, it can feel nearly impossible to keep your students focused while staying caught up on academics! That’s exactly where low-prep holiday activities come in! Come along to see my go-to options that will save your sanity, while bringing a healthy dose of holiday cheer, no matter what time of year!

How Low-Prep Holiday Activities Will Save Every Season!

Low-prep holiday activities are a total game-changer during any holiday season. Instead of spending hours cutting, laminating, or prepping complicated lessons, you can have engaging, ready-to-go activities that work in small groups, centers, or as independent practice. Not only do they keep students learning, but they also save your energy for the things that matter most… connecting with your kids and enjoying the holidays right along with them!

With the right mix of engaging, festive, and standards-based tasks, you can keep learning fun without piling more onto your already full plate. These types of activities are truly classroom lifesavers! They’re easy to print and go, work beautifully in centers, and help you stay calm and collected no matter what the calendar brings.

I promise, the holidays don’t have to feel totally overwhelming. With some smart and careful planning, you CAN have fun with your students this year! Now, without further ado, here are some of my personal faves!

Color by Code Activities

We have to start with the MVP, right?! Color by Code activities are a must-have for every holiday! They combine fun and focus in one easy-to-prep printable. These pages sneak in math and literacy skills like number recognition, number sense, and letter identification while letting students color in themed pictures for the season.

You can use them for any holiday such as, pumpkins in October, turkeys in November, snowmen in January, hearts in February, shamrocks in March, or flowers in April! What makes them even better is that editable options let you customize for the exact skills you’re teaching. Type in your own sight words, CVC words, or math facts, and watch your students work independently while you grab a much-needed moment to breathe. They’re perfect for:

Low-prep activities like these color by code worksheets will save your sanity all year long.
  • Morning work
  • Fast finishers
  • Homework packets
  • Sub plans
  • After break “ease-in” lessons
  • Quiet re-entry activities after parties or assemblies

Each set includes print-and-go options that are ready to use. So, if you’re really short on time, just select the pages you’d like to use and you’re off to the races. If you have a little more time and want to customize or differentiate beyond the included pages, that’s where the editable features come in. I love the flexibility of these pages, especially during the busy season. Keep a few extra stacks of these on hand to pull out when your classroom needs a moment to calm the chaos and re-focus. Trust me, they will come in handy again and again!

Low-Prep Holiday Activities for CVC Words

If you love color by code but want to level up, I have one more option for you to take a peek at in the world of Color by Code activities… Holiday Mystery Pictures! These are just a little more advanced than the color-by-code pages and focus specifically on CVC words. They are still super friendly for primary learners, but involve coloring more spaces to reveal a picture. This Mega Bundle covers holidays and seasons, so you’ll be set for the whole year! Inside you’ll find pages for:

Mystery pictures are another low-prep way to add fun to your holiday activities.
  • Back to School
  • Fall
  • Halloween
  • Winter
  • Christmas
  • Valentine’s Day
  • Spring
  • St. Patrick’s Day
  • Easter
  • Summer
  • Ocean Theme
  • 4th of July

My teacher pro tip for using these is to print a few extra copies of the season or holiday you’re currently celebrating, and place them on your desk before break. Then, when you return after the holiday, you’ve got a printed and prepped activity to begin your day with as you ease in slowly. We all know this is a MUST after any holiday break, or even a long weekend.

Oh, and I almost forgot the best part… these are editable too! Use the 20 pre-made CVC word pages for each theme, or choose the editable option to fill these pages with just about any skill you can think of. The options are truly endless!

Editable Search and Find Activities

This image highlights Winter themed search and find printables.

Next up, a student favorite for center time! If you’re looking for a versatile activity that covers multiple skills, this Holidays & Seasons Search and Find Bundle is a must-have. These are hands-down one of the most engaging options for primary learners. With editable Search and Find mats, students look for letters, numbers, or words hidden within a festive holiday scene.

Each set can easily be adjusted for the time of year, too. Think pumpkins and bats for October, snowflakes for winter, or eggs and bunnies for spring. Students love the challenge of “hunting” for their targets, and the format keeps them actively learning while having fun. Students will practice numbers 1-20, addition, subtraction, the alphabet, and CVC words through fun “search and find” mats. With multiple options like “Find & Color,” “Find & Trace,” and “Cover Up,” your students will stay engaged while you target specific skills and mix up the format each time. Add magnifying glasses, and suddenly your literacy or math center feels like a festive detective mission! I’ve even included fun badges they can wear as they search for an extra boost of excitement.

The best part? Every set is editable! If you’d like to target something else, you can plug in the exact skills your students need and easily customize this activity. This makes it a perfect fit for differentiation during busy holiday seasons in the classroom.

Holiday CVC Word BINGO Cards

No list of low-prep activities would be complete without BINGO! This classic classroom game never fails to engage students, especially when it’s themed for the season.

Add this CVC word St. Patrick's themed bingo game to your plans.

These CVC BINGO Resources include pre-made cards for each short vowel, along with editable templates so you can create your own BINGO boards using sight words, spelling words, or word families. I’ve also included pre-made CVC word cards and a calling list to make this activity super simple to facilitate.

BINGO is perfect for whole-group review, small groups, or even a fun Friday game that sneaks in a ton of learning. With editable versions, you can easily differentiate to match your students’ levels and make this activity fit your needs!

I love handing this one off to a parent helper if we’re lucky enough to have one before a holiday break. The kids absolutely love it, and I love that they are engaging in meaningful practice while having fun! Keep a few sets for different times of year, so you’ll always be ready! You’ll have built-in review games ready to go anytime.

More Low-Prep Holiday Activities

I’ve got a few more fun suggestions to tuck into your teacher toolbox to celebrate every holiday! Keep these ideas handy for those days when you need to mix it up, but don’t have a ton of time to prep activities.

Read alouds are the perfect low-prep holiday activities.
  • Holiday Read-Alouds: Pull holiday books from your school library and do a daily themed read-aloud. You can find all of my holiday favorites right here!
  • Simple Crafts: Cut paper snowflakes, make paper hearts, or color turkeys. All you need is scrap paper and crayons! For more crafting inspiration, check out this post, too!
  • Simple Holiday Chain: Give each student strips of colorful paper to connect into chains and create a low-prep holiday decor. Use black and orange for Halloween, pink and red for Valentine’s Day, and so on!
  • Holiday Writing Prompts: Use notebook paper for prompts like, “If I were an elf for a day…” or “If I went to a haunted house…” Just write them up on the board for the ultimate, low-prep writing activity to fit any holiday.
  • Festive Brain Breaks: Play holiday music and do a freeze dance for each holiday. There are tons of fun playlists on YouTube, just do a quick search for the holiday you’re looking for!

Low-Prep Holiday Activities for the Win

Holidays don’t have to mean extra stress or lost instructional time. With the right low-prep resources, you can keep your classroom calm, learning-focused, and festive all at once. From editable search-and-find mats to color-by-code pages, mystery pictures, and BINGO cards, these activities are simple, engaging, and perfect for every holiday of the year!

So this year, skip the endless prep and grab activities that will truly save your sanity. Your students will be learning, laughing, and engaged, and you’ll finally have time to enjoy the magic of the season, too. Head on over to TPT to grab these low-prep holiday activities and say YES to a successful year of celebrating in the classroom.

Looking for More Holiday Fun?

Check out these posts next for activities to fit the upcoming holiday!

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Looking for seasonal and holiday activities that won’t take forever to prep? These simple and fun low prep activities will keep your students engaged—while saving your sanity during the most exciting times of year!