Holiday Centers for Kindergarten: Fun & Low-Stress Activities for the Week Before Winter Break

The week before Winter Break is always chaos. There are changes in our daily schedule for class parties, assemblies, school performances, and special visitors. It’s exciting — but without structure, it can quickly feel overwhelming for teachers and students.

That’s why I focus on keeping our normal classroom routines and center rotations, while simply making the centers more fun, creative, and holiday-themed. This keeps expectations clear, supports independence, and still allows space for festive joy.

During the week before break, I shift our centers to be more art and STEAM focused, while maintaining our regular center structure. My students already know what to do during center time, how to clean up, and how to transition — so we can have a different kind of fun without adding chaos.

Here are my favorite holiday centers for kindergarten:

🎄 Gingerbread Man STEAM Center

This center pairs perfectly with our Gingerbread Man unit. By this point, we have already read multiple versions of the story, compared and contrasted them, and even gone on a Gingerbread Hunt around the school.

At this center, I provide:

• Small paper gingerbread men

• A “river” made from blue construction paper

• LEGO bricks, Magna-Tiles or scrap building materials

Challenge: Students must work together to design and build a boat or bridge to help the Gingerbread Man escape the fox.

This activity encourages problem-solving, creativity, collaboration, and hands-on STEM skills.

This activity encourages problem-solving, creativity, collaboration, and hands-on STEM skills.

🎨 Color the Giant Gingerbread House

This is pure, simple joy.

I set out a large gingerbread house from Amazon (or you can make a huge butcher paper version), and students work together to color and decorate it using markers, crayons, or paint sticks. It becomes a beautiful collaborative art piece for your classroom.

Bonus: This center also works perfectly as an indoor recess backup if it rains that week.

🦌 Reindeer Food Station

At this center, students create “reindeer food” to take home.

I always make this safe and edible for both animals and kids — and I never use glitter. You can use a simple mix like oats, sprinkles,M&Ms, raisins and cereal.

Students scoop the mixture into small bags, and I use free printable bag labels from Curriculum Castle to send them home. I tell students they can sprinkle it outside for reindeer or add warm milk and eat it themselves — they love that part!

This center is great for fine motor skills and simple measuring practice.

🛍 Gift Bag Decorating + Dot Art String Lights

Prep:

• Use plain white sandwich bags

• Draw a black, curvy “string” line across the front of each bag

Students:

• Use dot markers to create “string lights” on the line

These bags are perfect for whatever small gift you send home (class ornament, photo, or special project). Add tissue paper inside and staple the bag closed.

| ⭐ My go-to gift is a laminated snow globe ornament. Each student chooses whether to add:

• A ribbon to make it a Christmas tree ornament

  or

• A magnet to place it on the fridge

This makes the gift inclusive for all families, regardless of which holidays they celebrate. |

🖍 Gingerbread Man Oil Pastel Art

Whenever I pull out the “special” art supplies, something magical happens — my kinders work more carefully, more quietly, and with so much focus.

Students use oil pastels to create a Gingerbread Man artwork. Not only is it beautiful, but it’s also far less messy than decorating real cookies (and just as fun!).

Happy Holidays!

The week before Winter Break doesn’t have to feel like survival mode. By keeping your regular center routines and simply swapping in more creative, hands-on, and seasonal options, you give students the structure they need and the fun they crave.

It’s the perfect balance of festive and functional — and it might just be your most joyful week of December.