Elf on the Shelf Learning Activities

December 9, 2024 by Sarah White Leave a Comment

It seems like a lot of elementary classrooms have an Elf on the Shelf, but even if you don’t, talking and writing about elves can be a lot of fun this time of year.

Primary Theme Park has a set of free printable pages where students can write about what they would do if they were an elf (as well as drawing what they would look like). There are also pages for drawing and writing about how Santa got his elves and a dairy of an elf, which is great for older kids, too.

A Grace Filled Classroom has another take on the “if I were an elf” writing prompt that makes it a little craftier, as well as other writing prompts and ideas you can use in the classroom. Another one I love here is having a daily journal that kids pass around, with each child taking a turn writing about what the elf did that day.

Monday Mandala has a fun set of Elf on the Shelf coloring pages that you can use in the art area or have kids write a story based on what they see in the picture. I love this one of the elves playing Twister!

PJs and Paint has a whole page of printable “build your own” templates, including one for an elf. You can search for elf on the page and it will come right up for you; the printables are free so grab some more while you’re there for easy winter activities.

Simply STEAM has some writing prompt ideas you can use with older kids to get them thinking about what elves do. The bonus of these is they are no prep — just ask the kids to write for a while and see what happens. Or you can combine it with the blank elf journaling page from The Moffatt Girls, where kids can write the question at the top then answer it on the lines.

If you need more ideas for incorporating the elf into learning activities in the classroom, check out this post from Rainbow Sky Creations, which has writing, math, reading and STEM challenges that involve the elf.

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Celebrating Mexican Independence Day

Lots of Americans seem to think that May 5 is Mexican Independence Day, but that holiday actually falls on Sept. 16.

May 5 is the celebration of the Battle of Puebla, in which the Mexicans defeated the French in 1862. Independence Day marks the beginning of their fight for independence from Spain in 1810. That was the day of what’s known as El Grito de Dolores, or the cry of Dolores, for when the Catholic priest Miguel Hidalgo y Costilla rang the church bells at his church in Dolores and declared that Mexico should be free from Spanish rule.

They would fight for their freedom until 1821 when they finally gained independence.

Fabulous Classroom has a little of the history and ideas for celebrating the holiday for all age groups. There’s also a link to a good video in that post about the real story of Mexican Independence Day.

Twinkl also has a good tops about the history and different activities, discussion ideas, crafts and foods that can be incorporated into lessons at school or used at home.

I also found a few pins that no longer link to a website but include good information on Mexican Independence Day, including some questions for students to answer based on the reading. You can find more printables and questions for kids from TX Homeschool Mama on Etsy (also available in Spanish).

You can find a lot more paid resources about Mexican Independence Day at Teachers Pay Teachers.

Mexican flag crafts are a fun option for celebrating Mexican Independence Day (though the current iteration of their flag has only been in use since 1968). Kids Activities Blog has a free Mexican flag printable and a few different ideas for decorating it including dot markers and torn tissue paper.

You can also find some great Mexican crafts at Red Ted Art. The post includes all sorts of Mexican inspired projects including Day of the Dead crafts, Frida Kahlo pinatas and upcycled musical instruments. I love the giant paper flowers they shared from Honestly WTF.

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