Do you ever feel like you're teaching through quicksand in the weeks before the winter break?
What you need is some fun Spanish Christmas activities! Students love the holiday spirit, but when your students are obsessing over their break plans, getting them to focus on Spanish grammar or practice their reading skills feels like pulling teeth.
But what if you could stop worrying about that energy drop and start harnessing it? What if you could deliver meaningful lessons that keep learning strong while keeping student engagement—and your sanity—intact? This time of year offers the most authentic hook for deep cultural learning, blending holiday excitement with high-value language practice.
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This post is packed with zero-prep, engaging Spanish Christmas activities designed to turn that classroom buzz into comprehensible input and fun Spanish games. Say goodbye to frantic planning and hello to easy wins that carry your Spanish class right up to the final bell.
Using Spanish Christmas activities also helps students:
- Practice high-frequency verbs and vocabulary related to traditions, gifts, and food.
- Strengthen listening and comprehension through engaging, fast-paced Spanish games.
- Stay engaged right up to the break with interactive, culturally relevant tasks.
- Have fun with Spanish Christmas brain breaks or easy tasks for early finishers.
Ready for some practical, zero-chaos ideas for your December Spanish Class? Let’s dive in.
Disclosure: This post may contain affiliate links. As an affiliate for Amazon and other companies, I earn from qualifying purchases. This means that if you click on a link and make a purchase, I may earn a small commission at no additional cost to you.
Low-Stakes Engagement: Spanish Christmas Coloring Sheets
Sometimes, your students just need a quiet moment to breathe. Don't waste that time with busywork; give them a meaningful, low-stakes brain break that genuinely reduces the affective filter.
These Spanish Christmas Coloring Pages are designed for exactly that quiet, focused time. They combine beautiful, festive Navidad designs with pre-written Spanish Christmas vocabulary and messages. Best of all, these hojas de colorear de Navidad are easily transformed into vibrant classroom decor, helping you get your Spanish Class into the Christmas spirit!
The Focus
The activity reinforces Spanish Christmas vocabulary and festive messages in a completely low-pressure environment. It allows students to process the language passively while engaging in a relaxing, familiar task, making it perfect for young teens starting to learn Spanish.
Adapting for Your Class
If you want something a bit more challenging than a simple coloring sheet, these pages also include a version with blank spaces. This flexibility lets students create their own Christmas messages, practicing simple writing and creative expression. And there are instructions to help you make these coloring pages into a collaborative activity. Use these pages for individual work, early finishers, homework, or add them directly to a substitute plan packet!
Resource Tip
Grab my Spanish Christmas Coloring Sheets to stock your activities drawer and ensure you have that moment of classroom calm ready when you need it. You'll get 8 different engaging designs with blank spaces for messages
Teach or Review Spanish Christmas Vocabulary with a Spanish Christmas Bingo Game
When you need high energy, zero ambiguity, and maximum repetition of vocabulary, turn to a Spanish Game like Bingo. It’s a classic for a reason—it works!
This cute Spanish Christmas bingo uses visual images related to the holiday season (like las campanas, la chimenea, Papá Noel, etc.). You call the terms out in Spanish, and students locate the matching image on their boards, marking it quickly. It's fast, fun, and competitive!
The Focus
The primary goal is immediate auditory recognition of Navidad vocabulary and quick recall. The repeated exposure to the terms reinforces the word-to-image connection, cementing high-frequency terms just before the break. It's also ideal as a fun Christmas Party Game all your students will enjoy!
Adapting for Your Class
This activity is designed for differentiated learning. Since it includes versions with text and without text, you can tailor it perfectly. It's no-prep—just print and cut! It's a fun Spanish Christmas activity that guarantees high participation.
Resource Tip
Play a 'speed round' where the first student to get Bingo shouts ¡Feliz Navidad! and wins a prize! Get your students playing this engaging Spanish Christmas Bingo Game today (includes 36 unique cards and counters)!
I Spy/Veo Veo Spanish Christmas Vocabulary Game
Ready to move beyond recognition into descriptive production? The classic Veo Veo game is perfect for getting students to use descriptive vocabulary without feeling pressured.
What It Is and How It Works
This I Spy/Veo Veo Game provides a richly illustrated picture of 40+ festive items. Students can work individually for quiet time, or in pairs where they try to find all the items on their list. Simply print the game picture and one of the two lists—it's zero prep!
The Focus
This activity encourages students to read and understand the items in the list and pay attention to find them in the picture while they learn or review Spanish Christmas words and characters. It's ideal for collaborative learning and helps students connect terms with visual representations.
Adapting for Your Class
This resource is super easy to differentiate, featuring three differentiated versions of the lists. You can use the simplest list for beginners just reviewing vocabulary, or get your students talking by having them describe the items, talk about colors, and more. It’s perfect for using with more than one grade level!
Resource Tip
This is a great option for a quick warm-up or closing activity focused on Navidad vocabulary production. The included vocabulary list/word bank in Spanish and the instructions make it seamless to implement in your Spanish Class.
Independent Research: Navidad Alrededor Del Mundo
As students progress, they need something a bit more challenging they can work on independently, and webquests are brilliant to keep your students busy while doing some meaningful work. What´s more, these webquests are great if you need something Christmas related before the Winter break that can also serve as a a fun substitute plan for December lessons.
What It Is and How It Works
The Navidad Alrededor Del Mundo Webquest sends students on a guided journey to explore Christmas around the world in Spanish Class. This resource includes three different webquests (Christmas in Spain, Christmas in Spanish-Speaking Countries, and Christmas Around the World), each with 7 or 8 questions. Students must conduct their own research to complete the tasks.
The Focus
The core focus is on information literacy and cultural appreciation, promoting collaboration and learning how different countries celebrate Christmas in Spanish. It's an immersive language exploration that teaches students how to find and synthesize authentic cultural information.
Adapting for Your Class
This resource is perfect for differentiated learning since you get three webquests—you can assign the challenge level based on your grade! Use these for individual or collaborative learning. You also get a mini extension Poster Activity your students can design, which is great for decorating your bulletin board before the break. They also work perfectly as early finisher work or as a fun substitute plan for your December lessons!
Resource Tip
Do 1 or all 3! Use these webquests to kick off a mini research project or cultural presentation in your December Spanish Class.
Get Your Students Moving! Navidad Scavenger Hunt
If you want your students to burn some energy or need a fun Spanish Christmas Party Game, Scavenger Hunts are a powerful way to make learning physical, collaborative, and incredibly engaging.
What It Is and How It Works
The Navidad Madness Scavenger Hunt turns your classroom into a puzzle. Students read clues (there are 4 differentiated versions) about Christmas vocabulary or traditions, and then find the corresponding answer in one of the other cards posted around the room. It features two sets of cards so you can play a short 12-card game or the full 24-card version. The looping design makes this Spanish game self-checking!
The Focus
The activity requires reading comprehension, critical thinking, and applied knowledge of Spanish Christmas traditions and vocabulary. It fosters quick communication and collaboration in Spanish as teams work together to solve the chain of clues. It's perfect for adding excitement to your holiday lessons!
Adapting for Your Class
This resource is highly flexible, offering four differentiated versions of the cards (using images, English translations, an easy Spanish definition, or a harder Spanish clue). This makes it super easy to adapt to your class, whether you want them to play in competitive teams or work individually. It's low-prep—just choose your option, print, cut, and set the cards up around your class.
Resource Tip
Mix up the cards each time for a fresh challenge! This is one of the most engaging actividades de Navidad para clase you can use. You also get answer sheets for both the 12-card and 24-card versions!
Reading Comprehension With a Christmas Theme Spanish Christmas Reading Passage - El Olentzero
For those days when you need quiet, focused individual work, a culturally rich reading passage is the way to go. This year, go beyond the typical lessons and introduce a fascinating regional tradition!
What It Is and How It Works
These Spanish Christmas Reading Comprehension Activities focus on El Olentzero, the unique mythical Christmas Basque figure, like Santa but with a Basque twist. The resource provides the engaging article with Spanish Christmas vocabulary support, followed by comprehension questions (available in English and Spanish) and a fun crossword puzzle.
Students are immediately immersed in a specific piece of Christmas in Spain culture, then guided through comprehension tasks that reinforce the new information.
The Focus
The core focus is on building reading fluency and expanding cultural knowledge about Spanish regions (specifically the Basque area). Students practice critical thinking and reinforce Navidad vocabulary and general literacy skills. It's an excellent Spanish Christmas activity for focused work.
Adapting for Your Class
This resource is also flexible and suitable for mixed-ability groups. The no-prep nature makes it perfect for individual, group, or whole-class work, reading workshops, homework, or a substitute plan. It allows students to engage with real Spanish culture and compare it to their own traditions.
Resource Tip
Use it with the Webquest from earlier and help your students compare Christmas traditions around the world! And for year-round cultural planning, don't miss my full post on Essential Spanish Festivals to teach in Spanish class to keep the authenticity going.
Final Tip: Keep It Practical, Keep It Fun
Look, December is exhausting enough without fighting for focus every day. That's why these Spanish Christmas activities are lifesavers. They're not just time fillers; they are actual, high-value practice—from the quick vocab hits of the Scavenger Hunt to the meaningful cultural deep-dive of the El Olentzero Reading.
And if you are already planning ahead, or if you're early enough to still need some, check out my Thanksgiving activities post for fun games and lessons on DÃa de Acción de Gracias!
Ready to grab these super handy resources and make your life easier this December?
Head over to my TPT store today, grab a few of these, check out my other Christmas activities, and your last couple of weeks before the Christmas break are basically planned.
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