Learning & Development: Christmas - The big day

Children love the run-up to the festive period and their excitement is captured in a variety of picture books, including the classic Lucy and Tom's Christmas by Shirley Hughes (see box).

This story follows the two children as they join in the traditional preparations for the big day. They make cards, wrap presents, cook a pudding and decorate the house. They watch carollers and a brass band and go out shopping for a tree at the local market.

On Christmas Eve, it starts to snow and in the morning they discover that Father Christmas has visited. Family and friends arrive for dinner and everyone unwraps their presents. As Christmas day ends, so does the story, with the lighting of the tree and a Christmas wish for everyone.

ACTIVITY IDEAS

Here are some activity ideas linked to the story that children will love in the run-up to Christmas.

Make yummy puddings

Recipe (for six mini puddings)

50g breadcrumbs; 3 eggs; 12tsp mincemeat; 6tsp brown sugar; 1tsp nutmeg; 1tsp cinnamon; 2tsp mixed spice; zest of two oranges; 100g dried mixed fruit

Equipment/utensils

Microwave, mixing bowl, mini pudding basins, wooden spoons, weighing scales, greaseproof paper

Method

• Preheat oven to 220C/gas mark 7
• Grease some mini pudding bowls with butter
• Mix all the ingredients together.
• Spoon the mixture into the bowls and cover with greaseproof paper
• Microwave the puddings individually for one minute, then put them in the oven for 8 minutes.
• Send the puddings home with instructions to steam them for 15 minutes before eating.

• Encourage the children to taste the mincemeat and dried fruit and ask them about their likes and dislikes.
• Talk about the pudding ingredients and discuss why puddings are best enjoyed as a treat.
• Help the children to weigh and measure the ingredients.
• Let the children stir the mixture, grease the pudding basins and spoon the mixture into them.
• The children might want to make a Christmas wish while stirring the pudding mixture.

Possible learning outcomes

• CL Responds to simple instructions.
• PD Knows the importance of a healthy diet.
• M Uses everyday language to talk about weight and capacity to compare quantities.

Parcels for the postman

• Involve the children in wrapping pretend presents to put under the setting's Christmas tree or for using in a role-play post office. Extend this activity by using objects in a variety of three-dimensional shapes and talk about their properties while wrapping.
• Read The Jolly Christmas Postman by Janet and Allan Ahlberg (Puffin). Discuss why each present that the postman delivers is suited to each recipient. Are the children expecting to receive any parcels in the post this Christmas? Does anyone have relatives who live far away? What happens when parcels arrive? Are the children allowed to open them straight away or are they put under the tree until Christmas day?

Possible learning outcomes

• PD Handles tools and malleable materials with increasing control
• M Begins to use mathematical names for 'solid' 3D shapes and 'flat' 2D shapes, and mathematical terms to describe shapes
• UW Talks about past and present events in their own lives and those of family members.

Dear Santa

• Write letters to Santa. Royal Mail usually provides a 'Letters to Santa' service. Children can send their letters to a specified address and receive a reply, usually a postcard. Go to www.royalmail.com/letters-to-santa for more information.
• Set up an email address for the children to use as well as another for Santa and help the children send emails. Wait a few days before sending them personalised replies.
• Photocopy the letters to be sent to Royal Mail for use in a role play Santa's Grotto mail room. Set out an in-box for the mail with labelled shoeboxes for different categories of present. Provide charts and clipboards for the children to keep tallies of how many of each type of present the elves need to make.

Possible learning outcomes

• PD Handles equipment and tools effectively, including pencils
• L Attempts to write short sentences in meaningful contexts
• UW Recognises that a range of technology is used in homes and schools.

Christmas crafts

• Set out a range of craft materials, including coloured paper and cellophane, recycled Christmas cards and tags, tinfoil, milk bottle tops, glitter, sequins and sparkles. Hang up some Christmas decorations and pictures for inspiration. Challenge the children to make decorations for the setting.
• Provide folded card in different shapes and sizes with paint, felt pens, crayons, stamps, stencils, cotton wool and recycled cards for the children to make their own cards. Set up an art or paint program on the computer for children to create Christmas pictures for printing and mounting.
• Make Christmas stockings using oversized green and red football or rugby socks. Provide fabric pens for the children to draw patterns and write their names on them.
• Provide kitchen rolls cut to size and covered in tissue paper along with sparkles for the children to make their own Christmas crackers.

Possible learning outcomes

• PD Handles equipment and tools effectively, including pencils
• EAD Safely uses and explores a variety of materials, tools and techniques experimenting with colour, design, texture, form and function
• UW Completes a simple program on a computer.

The Christmas story

• Talk about how different religions have different beliefs and explain that Christians believe in the birth of Jesus Christ - the reason for the Christmas festival.
• Read A Christmas Story by Brian Wildsmith (Oxford University Press); The Christmas Story by Ian Beck (Picture Corgi); and The Christmas Story by Heather Amery (Usborne).
• Act out the Christmas story. Legler has produced a nativity scene and character figures (amazon.co.uk). Otherwise involve the children in making the characters using wooden pegs, fabric, wool and felt pens. Provide role-play costumes for the children to act out the story.
• Explain why some people attend church at Christmas. Ask if any children attend and encourage them to share this experience.

Possible learning outcomes

• CL Listens to stories with increasing attention and recall
• L Describes main story settings, events and principal characters.

Family Christmas

• Give the children the opportunity to talk how about they spend Christmas Day.
• Encourage the children of different religions to share what they do over the Christmas break and tell of their experiences of other major festivals that are important to them.

Possible learning outcomes

• UW Know about similarities and differences between themselves and others, and among families, communities and traditions.

Big brass band

• Either take the children out to see a brass band playing traditional Christmas music or invite a local band to come into the setting. Learn some simple Christmas carols such as Away in a Manger and Silent Night to sing.
• Provide materials for the children to make their own instruments and form a band - for example, boxes, basins, pans and tubs for drums; kitchen rolls, cones and funnels for wind instruments; and plastic cups or bottles with pasta, rice or dried pulses to make shakers.

Possible learning outcomes

• EAD Sings songs, makes music and dances; selects tools and techniques needed to shape, assemble and join materials they are using.

A Christmas market

• Take the children to soak up the atmosphere of a Christmas market.
• If this is not possible, take photographs or video of a market to show them.
• Talk about what you can buy at a market and how it works; customers usually buy food by weight which is measured using scales; traders often have money belts instead of tills; customers will sometimes barter with traders.
• Set up a role-play Christmas market. Ask the children to make decorations and cards to sell. Help the children make pretend gingerbread men, mince pies and cakes out of baked, painted salt dough. Provide price labels, weighing scales, pretend money, cash boxes and money belts.
• Plan a real Christmas market with friends and family of the setting for the local community.

Possible learning outcomes

• UW Talks about why things happen and how things work
• EAD Represents their ideas, thoughts and feelings through role play.

Marianne Sargent is a writer specialising in early years education and a former foundation stage teacher and primary and early years lecturer

GET READY FOR CHRISTMAS

Second-hand copies of Lucy and Tom's Christmas (Puffin Picture Books) are available from Amazon.co.uk and Ebay.co.uk. An alternative is Doing Christmas by Sarah Garland (Frances Lincoln Children's Books).

On the same theme are:

• Get Busy This Christmas by Stephen Waterhouse (Bloomsbury)
• Maisy's Christmas Day, Maisy's Snowy Christmas Eve and Merry Christmas Maisy by Lucy Cousins (Candlewick Press)
• Bear Stays Up For Christmas by Karma Wilson and Jane Chapman (Little Simon)
• Olivia Helps With Christmas by Ian Falconer (Simon & Schuster).