Christmas is just around the corner and so to is a whole new vocabulary for your students. Have you downloaded our Christmas theme word cards yet? They are the perfect way to support the learning and spelling of new words. 

Here are some suggestions for different ways to use the theme cards...

• Display the theme cards on a theme word wall. Select one student to be the leader, they get to hold the pointer as the class sing the song "Ho, ho, ho, here we go. Where we stop we do not know." At the end of the song the leader lands the pointer on one of the theme word cards. The leader then selects another student to read the word and use it in a sentence. If they can do this then they become the leader. To make the game more 'Christmassy' use a plastic candy cane as the pointer.

  	(This is my nephew with a large candy cane - only $3 from KMart (Australia)!

• Spray some "snow" (shaving cream) onto the table and have students practise writing the theme words using their finger.

• Cut the picture and word apart and then have your students match the picture and word. For beginning readers you might like to make the puzzles self-correcting (e.g. each set is cut in a different style).

• Whole class game: Santa's delivery. Have students sit in a circle and select one person to be Santa (they could wear a Santa hat). Santa will then skip around the circle while everyone sings "Ho ho, ho ho, a delivering I will go. I've got my words, first second and third. Ho ho, ho ho ho ho ho ho" (sung to the tune Hi-Ho). At the end of the song Santa will deliver a different word card to three students. Depending on your students ability you might like to have each student; read out their word, make up a nonsense rhyming word and have the class guess their mystery word, place their word in a sentence or have all 3 students line up in alphabetical order.

Don't forget we have a range of different types of Christmas theme cards for you to choose from. Which one is your favourite? Let us know via our facebook page.

We hope you enjoy using this Christmas resource.

'Remember keep calm and pretend it's on the lesson plan.

Top Teacher xx

Christmas theme words - tree border
Christmas theme words - present border