This post is part of a series of FREE Simple and Effective Literacy Activities.
Christmas Carols for Kids: An Effective Literacy Activity
Using Christmas carols for kids as a literacy tool is slightly different than my other suggested literacy activities because instead of it being a single literacy activity, it is several activities based around one particular piece of text, a Christmas carol. Using Christmas carols as a literacy tool was born out of a need to help my First Grade students learn the words to select Christmas carols in order to be prepared for the music teacher’s annual show. But, as fun as singing carols all day might sound, we also needed to be working on their young literacy skills as well.
Hence, my Christmas carol literacy activities became a regular thing in my classroom each year that was loved by all! And, as a homeschool mom, it was also a fun way to introduce classic Christmas carols to my son, especially when he was a young reader.
Why Are Christmas Carols an Effective Literacy Activity?
There are multiple reasons why Christmas carols for kids are an effective literacy activity.
- Christmas carols for kids improve reading fluency by allowing the student to hear AND say the text in the correct tone, speed, and pattern.
- Christmas carols for kids expand vocabulary by exposing early readers to more than simple CVC words.
- Christmas carols for kids increase student confidence by taking the spotlight off of struggling readers while setting them up for success to participate in a group.
- Christmas carols for kids speed up letter to sound recognition by providing opportunities to track while reading familiar text.
- Christmas carol activities are FUN! And, we all know that enjoying literacy work enhances the level of learning!
Who Can Benefit from Using Christmas Carols as a Literacy Tool?
Anybody who has pre-readers, early readers, or unconfident readers should give Christmas Carols for kids a try. It works well with a variety of skill levels and is fun enough to be considered “not school” during the weeks leading up to Christmas!
How Simple Is It to Use Christmas Carols for Kids as a Literacy Tool?
It’s uber simple! The best part about Christmas carols for kids is that all you need is an easy-to-read copy of the Christmas carol of choice along with a few simple suggestions on how to approach the text with literacy work in mind. A few ideas include:
- Rhyming
- Vocabulary
- Word Recognition
- Text Replacement
- Writing
- Parts of Speech
And so much more! Some activities will be easy to apply to every Christmas carol while other carols lend themselves to specific types of literacy work.
Here is a free Carol Literacy Starter Pack to get you going. It uses Frosty the Snowman for the text and includes literacy work on rhyming, word recognition, writing and text replacement. There are loads more you can do with Frosty, but the Starter Pack will give you a good idea of how to begin.
Can Christmas Carols for Kids Be Modified?
Using Christmas carols as a literacy tool is highly adaptable. There are dozens of ways each Christmas carol can be used for literacy work which means there are dozens of ways it can be modified. The full Carol Literacy Pack for Frosty the Snowman includes nine different types of literacy activities using the fun and festive Frosty as the focus!
In addition to Frosty, we also offer Carol Literacy Packs for Rudolph, Let It Snow, O Christmas Tree and Jingle Bells.
You can also find my Christmas Carol Literacy Packs in my store on Teachers Pay Teachers.
Christmas Carols for Kids: An Effective Literacy Activity
This was fun for my granddaughter. She really doesn’t know the classic Christmas carols. She was exposed to the beauty and rhyme. She enjoyed everything in the packet and is excited to do the other packets.
This is for O Christmas Tree,