Secular Homeschool Christmas Curriculum and Unit Studies with Free Unit Study Planner Download
Homeschool Christmas Curriculum and Unit Studies To Inspire Students this holiday season
When planning a homeschool Christmas curriculum or unit study, it’s easy to feel overwhelmed by the abundance of materials and ideas out there. But don’t worry; creating a meaningful and engaging Christmas unit study or curriculum doesn’t have to be stressful!
Research shows that over 90% of U.S. households celebrate Christmas in some way (Gallup Poll, 2019), and many secular homeschoolers are finding ways to incorporate the magic of the holiday season into their lesson plans. By focusing on cultural traditions, literature, science, and even history, you can create a festive and educational experience that your kids will love.
When people ask me why we celebrate Christmas as a secular family, I usually say that I find the Christmas season to be beautiful because I get to make special holiday memories with my family and give them gifts. I love giving gifts!
In this article, I will discuss pre-made Christmas curriculum and unit studies, but I will also guide you through different activities for Language Arts, Math, Science, History, Art, Music, and more if you want to build your own Christmas unit study. Make sure to download my FREE unity study planner if you want to plan your own unit study.
Browse these homeschool Christmas curriculum resources to make this holiday season memorable for the whole family, no matter what your family’s homeschooling style is!
How to Build a Homeschool Christmas Curriculum or Unit Study
Creating your own Homeschool Christmas Curriculum or making your own Unit Study can be a fun and personalized way to bring the holiday spirit into your learning. Start by selecting a central theme—this could be the history of Christmas traditions, winter-themed science, or classic holiday literature. This is an opportunity to make the weeks leading up to Christmas fun and unique to your family. Homeschooling gives us the freedom to create a truly magical holiday season.
Break down your subjects:
Language Arts: Read Christmas stories or picture books and write festive poetry.
Math: Explore budgeting for gifts or baking recipes.
History: Discover the history of Christmas and read about Christmas traditions around the world.
Music: Listen to lots of Christmas music and research the origin of the songs.
Art: Try some fun crafts this holiday season, like making your own ornaments.
Customize your unit study based on your child’s interests, making it as rich or as simple as you like. I have provided lots of options for you to choose from!
Download my FREE Unit Study Planner PDF file with 4 different color options to help you plan your unit study! You can also discover the best productivity tools I recommend to keep yourself on track.
Why Should I Incorporate Christmas Curriculum or Unit Studies into My Secular Homeschool Plan?
Do secular families celebrate Christmas? Yes, we do, of course!
Secular families celebrate Christmas for many reasons beyond its religious origins. For many, Christmas has become a cultural holiday focused on family traditions, generosity, and the joy of the season.
Secular families also enjoy the festive atmosphere, exchanging gifts, decorating, and gathering with loved ones. Celebrating the Christmas season offers an opportunity to create lasting memories through meaningful traditions like baking, giving back to the community, and spending quality time together. It is also the perfect time to take a more relaxed approach to homeschooling, following interests and adding new activities in.
Secular celebrations often emphasize values like kindness, togetherness, and the spirit of giving rather than focusing on the holiday’s religious aspects.
Incorporating Christmas unit studies into your secular homeschool plan can add festive, engaging elements to your learning routine. Unit studies are particularly well-suited for unschooling families because parents can pick and choose resources based on their child’s interests.
These unit studies help break up the regular school schedule with fun, themed activities. They allow you to explore the cultural, historical, and even scientific aspects of the holiday season without a religious focus, making learning more enjoyable and relevant to the season.
Pre-Made Homeschool Christmas Curriculum and Unit Studies
Choose from these great homeschool Christmas curriculum and unit study options:
Build Your Library Christmas Unit Study: The Build Your Library unit study on Jan Brett’s Christmas books offers a week-long study focused on Jan Brett’s beautifully illustrated and richly detailed Christmas stories. The unit includes reading several of Brett’s Christmas-themed books, such as The Wild Christmas Reindeer and The Hat, and engaging in various activities related to the stories. These activities involve art projects, geography (exploring the settings of the books), and writing assignments inspired by Brett’s work.
The Waldock Way: The Waldock Way has two Christmas unit studies available for purchase. The first unit study is Holiday Fun Around the World, which helps you learn about 30 different festivals, holidays, and celebrations from around the world and is appropriate for all ages. The other Christmas unit study is Santa’s Tasty Trip Around the World, which focuses on Christmas celebrations around the world in places like Egypt, Poland, Japan, and more. You will get traditional recipes from each place studied, and information on how they celebrate. A map is provided to follow your journey around the world with Santa.
Unit Studies on Etsy: There are so many options for Christmas learning on Etsy. This homeschool Christmas bundle from At Home Education is an excellent choice for elementary-aged students. Or maybe you can try this Christmas unit study from Fun Mom Printables!
Reading Recommendations for the Holiday Season
There are so many great Christmas and Holiday living books out there to explore Christmas folklore and learn about Christmas around the world. These read alouds are an invitation to gather your family and enjoy some Christmas-themed literature.
Here are a few recommendations:
Books for younger students:
The Polar Express by Chris Van Allsburg: This classic tale is a magical story about a young boy who takes a mysterious train ride to the North Pole on Christmas Eve. Along the journey, he encounters wonder, adventure, and new friends. At the North Pole, he meets Santa Claus, who chooses him to receive the first gift of Christmas—a special bell that only those who believe in the magic of Christmas can hear. The story beautifully captures the themes of belief, wonder, and the magic of Christmas.
The Night Before Christmas by Clement Clarke Moore: This book contains the classic holiday poem about a family’s magical Christmas Eve. As everyone sleeps, the narrator hears a noise outside and discovers Santa Claus arriving in a sleigh pulled by eight tiny reindeer. Santa joyfully delivers presents, fills stockings, and quietly leaves before disappearing into the night. The poem’s timeless imagery and rhyming verse capture the excitement, wonder, and charm of Christmas Eve, making it a beloved holiday tradition for generations. We always read this one on Christmas Eve, sitting around the Christmas tree.
Christmas Around the World by Mary D. Lankford: This informative children’s book explores how different countries and cultures celebrate Christmas around the world. The book highlights various traditions, foods, and customs from countries such as Mexico, Sweden, Ethiopia, and the Philippines. Each chapter details the unique ways people around the world honor the holiday, including special decorations, celebrations, and religious practices. With colorful illustrations and simple explanations, this book provides a beautiful introduction to the global diversity of Christmas traditions.
The Legend of the Poinsetta by Tomie de Paola: This book is a heartwarming retelling of a Mexican legend that explains how the poinsettia became a symbol of Christmas. The story follows a young girl named Lucida, who tries to help her mother weave a blanket for baby Jesus in their village’s Christmas procession. When things go wrong, Lucida feels ashamed and prays at the altar, offering a simple bouquet of weeds. Miraculously, the weeds bloom into beautiful poinsettias, becoming the “Flower of the Holy Night.” The book highlights themes of humility, generosity, and the true spirit of Christmas.
Little Golden Books Christmas Stories: This delightful collection includes several beloved holiday tales, perfect for young readers. The anthology includes classic stories such as: Jingle Bells, The Nutcracker, The Twelve Days of Christmas, The Little Christmas Elf, The Christmas Story, The Poky Little Puppy’s First Christmas, Baby’s Christmas, The Night Before Christmas, and The Christmas ABCs. Each story is beautifully illustrated, conveying themes of generosity, kindness, and the magic of the holiday season. Ideal for bedtime reading or family gatherings, this book offers a beautiful way to celebrate Christmas through engaging narratives and vibrant artwork.
Books for older students:
A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens: This classic tale tells the story of Ebenezer Scrooge, a bitter, greedy old man who despises Christmas. On Christmas Eve, he is visited by the ghost of his former business partner, Jacob Marley, and three spirits—the Ghosts of Christmas Past, Present, and Future. Through these visits, Scrooge is shown the impact of his selfishness and is given a chance to change his ways. By the end of the story, he transforms into a kind and generous man, embracing the true spirit of Christmas—compassion, generosity, and joy. This classic tale emphasizes redemption and the importance of kindness.
Christmas Day in the Morning: A Christmas Holiday Book for kids by Pearl S Buck: This book is a heartwarming story about a boy named Rob who wants to give his father a special Christmas gift. Reflecting on how much his father has done for him, Rob decides to surprise him by waking up early to do all the farm chores. His act of love and kindness is the true gift, showing that the most meaningful presents come from the heart, not from material things. This timeless story highlights the importance of love, gratitude, and giving from the heart during the holiday season.
The Carpenter’s Gift by David Rubel: This is a touching story about the origins of the Rockefeller Center Christmas tree and the importance of giving. Set during the Great Depression, the book follows Henry, a young boy whose family is struggling. One winter, Henry’s father helps workers build the Rockefeller Center, and in return, they give the family a Christmas tree. Years later, as an adult, Henry donates a tree to the center, continuing the tradition. The story emphasizes kindness, community, and generosity. The back pages of the book provide information about Habitat for Humanity, explaining how each year, the wood from the Rockefeller Christmas tree is donated to build a home for a family in need, furthering the message of giving back.
Christmas is Coming: Traditions from Around the World by Monika Utnik: This book is a delightful exploration of global Christmas traditions, featuring holiday customs, foods, folklore, and festive legends from around the world. Filled with captivating illustrations, the book introduces readers to how Christmas is celebrated in diverse cultures—from Poland’s Christmas Eve feast to Japan’s colorful light displays—making it a wonderful resource for children to learn about and appreciate holiday traditions beyond their own.
Horrible Christmas by Terry Deary: Horrible Christmas is part of the Horrible Histories series and takes a fun, irreverent look at the history of Christmas, highlighting strange, shocking, and often hilarious holiday traditions through the ages. From bizarre medieval feasts to Victorian Christmas cards featuring frogs and beetles, the book explores the quirky and sometimes gruesome side of Christmas. Packed with dark humor and entertaining illustrations, Horrible Christmas gives kids a unique perspective on holiday history, perfect for readers who love learning about the weird and wonderful stories behind their favorite celebrations. Screen this one and see if it’s your style! We love Horrible Histories in our house.
Christmas-Themed Language Arts Activities
Try some of these Language Arts Ideas:
Christmas-Themed Writing Prompts: Download my FREE 12 Days of Writing Prompts for Christmas. No email is required! This can be a creative way to count down the days until Christmas or used as a weekly writing exercise during the holiday season.
If you are interested in more writing exercises for the holiday season, check out my New Year Journal Prompts printable, which provides 52 writing prompts- one for every week of the year!
Writing a Christmas Wishlist: Writing a Christmas list can be a valuable learning experience for children. It gives them practical writing practice as they organize their thoughts and put them into words and lists. Parents can extend the learning by encouraging children to research the prices of the items on their list and introduce them to budgeting concepts. This teaches children about money management, comparison shopping, and making thoughtful decisions based on a budget, turning a fun holiday activity into a lesson in financial literacy and critical thinking.
Write a letter to Santa: Writing a letter to Santa offers a fun way for children to practice essential writing skills. They get to express their thoughts, organize ideas, and use creativity as they craft their message. Parents can extend this learning by encouraging proper letter structure, including greetings, body paragraphs, and a closing. Additionally, writing to Santa teaches children how to communicate politely and thoughtfully while fostering a sense of excitement and imagination, turning a holiday tradition into a valuable educational activity.
If you are interested in browsing Language Arts curriculum choices, you can explore this list of 20+ options.
Homeschool Christmas Math
Try some of these Christmas Math ideas:
Christmas Budgeting and Gift Planning Math: Have your children set a budget for each family member they are buying gifts for. Children will get practice with adding numbers with decimal places, addition, subtraction, and more.
Fun Christmas-Themed Word Problems: Teachers Pay Teachers has some FREE Christmas-themed word problems. Try these free prompts from Treasures for Thematic Teaching, aimed at 1st – 3rd grade students. For older students, try this free download called The 12 Days of Christmas Word Problems from Rachel Lynette.
Using Recipes for Christmas Math: Baking provides many opportunities for learning in the kitchen. Or allow children to help prepare homeschool lunches. Pick a favorite recipe and double it, triple it, or cut it in half for lots of math practice with fractions, multiplication, division, and measurement. You could try this fun FREE download from Teaching Math from Hart called Baking with Fractions.
Science Projects for Your Christmas Unit Study
Try some of these Christmas Science ideas:
Candy Cane Chemistry: Try this fun science experiment from Science Sparks in which students place candy canes in different liquids or try water at various temperatures and see which one dissolves the fastest. This would be a great opportunity to write in a science notebook. Children can make a hypothesis, learn about independent and dependent variables, and get some hands-on holiday time learning.
Reindeer Lava Lamps: This project from Science Sparks offers a playful way to explore scientific concepts like density and chemical reactions. This activity captivates children’s attention and encourages curiosity about the science behind everyday phenomena. It’s a fantastic opportunity for parents and educators to introduce fundamental chemistry principles in a festive and memorable way.
Paper Science Experiments: This Christmas mini-book from Science Sparks is a free, downloadable file designed to engage children in festive learning through creative activities. This interactive resource encourages kids to explore problem-solving, design thinking, and engineering concepts. Children will enhance critical thinking skills and creativity as they follow the directions and complete various tasks. The mini-book promotes hands-on learning, making it a fun and effective way for families to integrate educational play into the holidays.
The Science of Christmas Lights (Electricity and Circuits): This page offers an engaging exploration of the technology behind Christmas lights. Through simple explanations, children can learn about electricity, circuits, and the different types of lights. The page includes fun diagrams that allow kids to observe how circuits work.
If you are interested in secular Science curriculum options, browse this list of the best 15+ options. There is an option on the list for every age and budget!
History and Social Studies Christmas Unit Study Ideas
Try one of these History and Social Studies ideas for the Christmas season:
The History of Christmas Traditions Across Cultures: Freedom Homeschooling has FREE and comprehensive “around the world” Christmas unit studies. The units cover Christmas traditions, cultures, and geography.
The Origins of Santa Claus and Winter Celebrations: Read about the history of Santa and Christmas celebrations from the History Channel’s website. This article is great for older students.
Mapping Christmas Celebrations Around the World: As you learn about different countries and their Christmas traditions, mark it off on a map to add some geography practice to your Christmas learning.
If you are interested in secular history curriculum options, explore this list of 10+ options for every budget and learning style.
Secular Christmas Art and Music Unit Ideas
Creating Christmas-Themed Art Projects: Add fun, hands-on learning to the Christmas season by choosing one of these numerous craft options from Projects with Kids. You can keep it simple and choose one craft or pick several if your children enjoy crafts.
Exploring Christmas Music: Listen to lots of Christmas songs! There are many secular options out there for this if you prefer. Older students can read about the history of Christmas Carols or research the most popular modern Christmas songs. You can use music as a writing opportunity. Have your child pick their favorite Christmas song or carol and write about why they like it, what year it is from, and a little bit about the artist who sings it.
Hands-On Activities and Crafts for the Christmas Season
DIY Ornaments: It is so fun to make your own ornaments, and there are so many options out there! Try one of these 50 ornament ideas for kids from Little Bins for Little Hands. Plus, handcrafted ornaments make wonderful keepsakes!
Build a Gingerbread House: You can usually buy a pre-made kit at your local stores to make it easy. Or you can start from scratch wth this gingerbread house recipe from Sally’s Baking Recipes. You could opt for a candy-free option here by getting these clay gingerbread houses.
Make Paper Snowflakes: Decorate the house with beautiful paper snowflakes by following this tutorial on how to make 6-pointed paper snowflakes from Instructables.
Make a Sugar Cube House: This is a fun alternative to the more traditional gingerbread house. Check out this sugar cube house tutorial from the Food Network.
Buy or Make an Advent calendar: An Advent calendar counts down the days until Christmas and usually has a treat for the child each day. You can buy a pre-made advent calendar or get creative and make your own! You can generally find advent calendars at local stores, but this Lego advent calendar would be a fun choice. Or try this Advent Calendar and choose what goes in each box as the day’s treat. You can also start from scratch and make your own Advent Calendar from inexpensive materials.
Try Scavenger Hunts: Homeschool Share’s ABC Christmas scavenger hunt is great for practicing phonics skills in a fun way. Or you can download my Christmas Lights Scavenger Hunt, which comes with my Christmas Bucket List AND Christmas-themed Charades Bundle.
If you want to get your children outside more often for hands-on learning, explore this list of the best nature-based homeschool curriculum options.
Additional Secular Homeschool Christmas Curriculum and Unit Study Resources
Use a Santa Tracker: Use this Santa Tracker from the North Amercian Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD). This would be a great opportunity to learn about different time zones; plus, it’s just plain fun!
ABCYa! Online Christmas Games and Learning: ABCya! has an entire section dedicated to Holiday games. Kids will learn as they play! Everything on the site is FREE to use on your desktop or laptop.
Final Thoughts: Creating a Secular Homeschool Christmas Curriculum or Unit Study
Creating a homeschool Christmas curriculum brings the season’s warmth and wonder into your family’s holiday celebrations, along with some valuable learning opportunities. By incorporating stories, crafts, music, and even scavenger hunts, you’re creating a space where learning feels magical and connected to real traditions from around the world.
Remember, there’s no right or wrong way to do this—each activity or unit study is a chance to engage with your kids, honor your family’s values, and explore the beauty of different cultures.
Keep yourself motivated and inspired by visiting homeschooling blogs and websites often, reading motivational homeschooling books, and staying connected to your local homeschooling community. As a homeschooling parent with ADHD, I know how easy it is to get burnt out if we don’t make time for self-care.
Your homeschool Christmas curriculum or unit study can be as unique as your family. The most important thing is to enjoy the season together as a family, creating memories that make learning meaningful and memorable. Enjoy every moment, and I wish you a holiday season filled with joy, discovery, and family connection!
Interested in more unit studies? Make sure to download my FREE Human Body Unit Study to understand what a unit study could look like and how flexible and fun it can be!
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FAQ: Homeschool Christmas Curriculum
How can I incorporate Christmas into our homeschool curriculum?
You can weave in holiday-themed lessons, crafts, books, and activities that blend learning with the magic of Christmas. Try unit studies focused on Christmas traditions, history, or holiday science experiments.
Do I need to buy special materials?
Nope! You can use things you likely have on hand, like art supplies, Christmas decorations, and holiday books. Many resources are available for free online, too.
What subjects can be included in a Christmas curriculum?
Pretty much any! Language Arts, History, Math, Geography, and even Science fit well with holiday themes. For example, you can study holiday customs around the world or experiment with Christmas or winter-themed science projects.
How do I keep learning fun and low-stress during the holidays?
Keep it simple and flexible. Focus on activities that spark joy and curiosity; don’t worry about covering everything. Enjoy the season, and make the most of this unique time to learn together. Don’t overwhelm yourself with options. Choose a few and run with it! You can dive deep into a different aspect of the holiday season each year to keep it interesting.
