Literacy

Professional Development

December 5, 2020

8 Christmas Read Alouds Your Class Will Love

With the holidays near, I always found myself enjoying read alouds in the classroom more than ever. Even now, I find myself enjoying Christmas read alouds with my kids at home more often. There is just something warm, cozy, and inviting about enjoying a book together. Not to mention, all of the benefits and power of interactive read alouds.

If you are looking for new Christmas stories to add to your Amazon wish list or Teacher Christmas wish list, then these I have found are a must for you!

Remember, read alouds are great not only academically, but also to build a strong classroom community. They are great for you to use both in person or in your virtual classroom. If you want to read more about virtual read alouds, check out THIS POST.

**Amazon affiliate links are used below at no cost to you.

Christmas Read Alouds

A Christmas Surprise for Chabelita by Argentina Palacios

If you are looking for a story that shares the Latin culture, this is a beautiful one to share! This is the story of a little girl whose mom has to go away to work and is raised by her grandparents. She is very sad and missing her mom often. She has a recital coming up soon and her Abuelita and Abulelito plan a Christmas surprise she will never forget! Read this heart-warming story as you celebrate family and the holiday season!

As a post-reading activity, you could have students write to share about their family and a time that they were surprised.

Mortimer’s Christmas Manger by Jane Chapman and Karma Wilson

This delightful story about a mouse named Mortimer will warm your heart! It tells about a mouse who was not pleased with his house so he scurries about looking for a new home. He finds one in the nativity scene a family has set up. Each day as he goes out looking for food, the nativity gets set back up. Each night he has to pull the statues out to make room for himself. Soon he learns that the stable was really there for baby Jesus! He longs for a home and finally finds one! You’ll have to read to find out where this sweet mouse finds a home!

Grab the book on Amazon HERE!

This book would be great to practice making predictions! You also could do a writing extension to have kids write what they would do to make a home for the mouse!

Mooseltoe by Margie Palatini

This book is about a moose family with a super jolly moose dad. Dad gets the house all decorated and ready for Santa, but the kids notice something missing–a Christmas tree! How could Santa leave gifts without a tree? As they set out to find a tree and come up short, Dad moose gets a wonderful idea! Read this funny story to find out how the moose family gets a Christmas tree for Santa to leave presents.

Grab the book on Amazon HERE!

While reading this story, kids can practice visualizing! This reading strategy is perfect for this detailed, silly book!

Imogene’s Antlers by David Small

If you love The Bad Case of Stripes by David Shannon, you’ll love Imogene’s Antlers! This is the story of a little girl who wakes up with antlers! She LOVES her antlers, but the same cannot be said for her family. Her mom faints each time she sees her! Imogene finds all kinds of fun ways to use her antlers! Read this silly story to find out if her antlers stay—-or if she gets something else new one day!

Find it on Amazon HERE!

This silly story is great for making inferences! You could also have kids write “If I were a reindeer…” as they work on their creative storytelling skills!

The Night of Las Posadas by Tomie DePaola

Learn about this wonderful Spanish custom for celebrating the Christmas season! In this story, not only does DePaola share the details of the celebration, but he tells a story of how a young, new couple will play Mary and Joseph. This couple has trouble on their way to the town for their performance and a new family steps in to help! This beautiful story of families helping one another and a long-held tradition is sure to bring a smile to your face!

Grab the book on Amazon HERE!

Before reading, this book lends itself naturally to asking questions! It’s a great read aloud to use as you model this reading strategy.

The Legend of the Candy Cane by Lori Walburg

Learn the story behind this favorite holiday candy! In this Christmas read aloud story, the townspeople have a new guy who is working very hard on a mysterious new businesss. No one knows what he is doing! When the big day comes, he reveals his brand new shop–a candy shop! As he welcomes people in, he shares a special story behind the candy cane and the reason we celebrate Christmas!

Grab the book on Amazon HERE!

This Christmas read aloud would be perfect to practice inferring while reading!

Auntie Claus by Elise Primavera

This fun-filled story about an eccentric aunt will keep you on your toes! Is she a normal New Yorker or is there something else to her? In this story, a little girl has always had her suspicions. Read to find out how Santa’s sister is living life outside of her yearly ” business trip”.

A friend recently introduced this Christmas read aloud to me and oh my goodness, is it adorable! I sat and listened to her read the whole thing and then promptly requested it from our library.

Grab the book on Amazon HERE!

This book is perfect for making predictions and asking questions!

When Santa Lost His Ho! Ho! Ho! by Laura Rader

Are you ready for a Christmas problem? Santa has lost his Ho! Ho! Ho! Everyone is wanting to help and is trying all the things and nothing is working. Can you guess what will bring back his Ho! Ho! Ho! ? Read to find out how this problem is solved!

Grab the book on Amazon HERE!

For read aloud activities, you could:

  • write to have kids share how they would make Santa laugh again
  • retell the story using story elements
  • practice making predictions

No matter if you are teaching through Zoom, GoogleMeet, or are lucky enough to be teaching in person, using Christmas read alouds is a great way to model for our readers how readers sound, think, and interact with the text!

pin it

If you are searching for Christmas read aloud printables and stations, check out these favorite resources!

Friends, if you are wanting to join a community of over 3,000 other teachers, head to my Facebook group. We chat about all things literacy, classroom management, and more! I love brainstorming and problem-solving with teachers! Come join us!

Happy Teaching,

Amanda

8 Get to Know You Games for Distance Learning

Getting to know your students can be trickier while distance learning. Grab this FREE printable with eight get-to-know-you games and activities so that you can start connecting with students, help them get to know each other, and build a positive classroom community.

Hi, I'm Amanda

I’m a K-1 teacher who is passionate about making lessons your students love and that are easy to implement for teachers.  Helping teachers like you navigate their way through their literacy block brings me great joy. I am a lifelong learner who loves staying on top of current literacy learning and practices. Here, you’ll find the tools you need to move your K-2 students forward!

Topics

Literacy
Math
Science
Writing
Digital
Soc St

You may also enjoy...

3 Responses

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Which type of professional development interests you?