
December is a wonderful time to explore cultural traditions, share stories, and build language skills in your ESL classroom. For adult learners, celebrating holidays can offer meaningful opportunities to connect with classmates and develop vocabulary, listening, and speaking skills. Here are some ideas for incorporating December holidays into your lessons.
Discuss Global Holiday Traditions
Introduce students to a variety of December holidays celebrated around the world, such as:
- Christmas: Observed on December 25, this holiday often includes decorations, gift exchanges, and feasts.
- Hanukkah: The Festival of Lights spans eight days and includes lighting the menorah, playing dreidel, and eating traditional foods.
- Kwanzaa: Starting on December 26, Kwanzaa celebrates African heritage and includes principles like unity and creativity.
- New Year’s Eve/Day: Many cultures welcome the new year with unique traditions, from fireworks to food rituals.
Encourage students to share holidays and traditions from their home countries, fostering cultural exchange and mutual understanding.
Build Holiday Vocabulary
Introduce thematic vocabulary related to the holidays, such as:
- Decorations: ornaments, garlands, candles
- Foods: gingerbread, latkes, rice cakes
- Activities: caroling, lighting candles, exchanging gifts
You can use flashcards, matching games, and pictures to make learning interactive and fun. Vocabulary is an excellent time to activate background knowledge for ESL learners. When introducing new vocabulary ask students about their cultural celebrations and how that vocabulary word relates.
Practice Communication Skills
Holiday-related topics can inspire engaging language practice:
- Role-plays: Practice shopping for gifts, planning a party, or sending greetings.
- Storytelling: Share personal memories or describe a favorite holiday tradition.
- Listening exercises: Use holiday songs or simple videos about holiday customs.
Create Cultural Projects
Hands-on activities can deepen understanding and make lessons memorable:
- Crafts: Students can make holiday cards or create decorations. Ask if there are crafts from students’ culture they would like to share and lead others in creating.
- Recipes: Share simple recipes and discuss holiday foods from different cultures. This can be a writing exercise and have students write a favorite dish on a recipe card. You can also host a recipe exchange or put together a cookbook!
- Classroom Celebrations: Host a potluck where students bring dishes from their culture, fostering community and conversation.
Reflect on Universal Themes
December holidays often emphasize themes like family, gratitude, and hope. Use these to inspire writing prompts, such as:
- “What are you thankful for this year?”
- “Describe your ideal holiday celebration.”
- “Share a favorite holiday memory”
By connecting lessons to universal values, you make them relatable and meaningful for all students. It’s another way to activate background knowledge in students’ lived experiences.
Closing Thoughts
Teaching about the December holidays is a fantastic way to celebrate diversity and deepen connections in your classroom. By weaving in cultural traditions, language practice, and creativity, you create a warm and engaging learning environment that resonates with adult learners