Someone once told me that ringing bells make you happy. Sounds good to me! I'm tying bells on my shoes and I'm ready to "jingle all the way" with holiday ideas for your lesson plans the next few days.
Note! I cut pipe cleaners into 4" pieces and attached my bells to my shoes that way.
Bell Bracelets
Let children thread several jingle bells on a pipe cleaner. Twist the ends together to make a bracelet children can shake as you sing.
Jingle Bell Painting
You will need an empty cheese ball container or similar cylinder shape with a lid. Cut a piece of paper so you can roll it and put it in the cylinder. Take two jingle bells. Drop one in red paint and the other in green paint. Use a spoon to transfer the bells to the can. Put on the lid, then shake up the can as you sing “Jingle Bells.” Take out the paper and you’ll have a jingle bell painting!
Paper Candy Canes
This is a craft idea that you can use to decorate your classroom. Take a square sheet of paper (8 1/2" x 8 1/2" works well) and color around the edges with a red marker or crayon. (Demonstrate how to cut a square by folding up the bottom edge to the side to make a triangle. Cut off the top and you'll always have a square.) Put a pencil at a bottom point and roll up as shown. Tape the end, remove the pencil, and use as a pointer or decoration.
*Use the candy cane as a prompt for descriptive writing. Children could also brainstorm creative ways to use candy canes or write original stories about how candy canes were invented.
Candy Cane Book
Fold 3 sheets of paper in half. Punch holes about 2" from the top as shown. Take a rubber band and insert it through one hole and slide one end of the candy cane through the loop. Insert the rubber band in the other hole and slide the other end of the candy cane through that loop.
*Make a similar book with a holiday pencil.