I can’t believe it’s almost December … but what fun!!! We’re starting a special holiday unit right now with activities about both St. Nicholas and Santa Claus. While each family has its personal preferences regarding St. Nicholas and Santa Claus, you can easily choose what works best for your family or classroom.
Here, you’ll find links to free St. Nicholas and Santa Claus printables used to prepare hands-on activities and a new Montessori-inspired St. Nicholas and Santa Claus pack for our free newsletter subscribers’ resource library! This unit has resources for preschool through early elementary.
I grew up in a family that didn’t believe in Santa Claus. And I was very happy with that. We got to open our presents on Christmas Eve, which I loved. And I always knew the gifts were from my parents. My husband and I raised our children that way, too. We taught them that Santa Claus was just a fun story, but it was a fun story that we all loved. We thoroughly enjoyed Christmas books and movies (and cheered for the Christmas miracles)!
Disclosure: This post contains some affiliate links (at no cost to you).
Montessori Shelves with St. Nicholas and Santa Claus Themed Activities
Montessori Shelves with St Nicholas and Santa Claus Themed Activities
You’ll find Montessori-inspired St. Nicholas and Santa Claus themed numbers, letters, and and more (part of my subscriber freebie pack, so just sign up for my email to get the link and password … or check the bottom of your latest newsletter if you’re already a subscriber) Note: The Montessori-inspired St. Nicholas and Santa Claus pack isn’t designed as a complete fall scavenger hunt unit but as supplemental materials. I design the packs using realistic images that I’ve often looked for when preparing a unit study (such as font cards and phonogram cards featuring the letter and phonogram related to the theme and math cards with realistic images that fit the theme and can be adapted for math activities at a variety of levels.)
You could mix your St. Nicholas and Santa Claus themed activities among your shelves according to curriculum area. Or you could have a special St. Nicholas and Santa Claus themed area something like the one pictured. My shelves at the beginning of our unit have a mixture of skill levels. Many of the activities can be adapted for a variety of levels. If you’re a homeschooler, just choose the activities that work for your child’s interests and ability levels. If you don’t have room for all the activities you’d like to do, simply rotate them.
Montessori Shelves with St Nicholas and Santa Claus Themed Activities and Norman Rockwell Art Print
Notice the framed art print King Kong Santa (The Saturday Evening Post Cover) (December 3, 1927) by Norman Rockwell. It’s a free download from Wikimedia Commons.
For our monthly featured art print, I purchased a Li’l DAVINCI art frame that opens in the front for easily changing a free art masterpiece printable or vintage illustration to fit with the month’s theme. The frame can be switched from horizontal to vertical without changing the hanger, which is perfect!
If you’re wondering about the rugs and rug box I use, both the rugs and wooden rug holder are from Montessori Services. I love the Montessori Services rugs and rug holder! I used to use an umbrella stand something like these. I loved that for 1-3 rugs, but I needed something different when I had more grandchildren and some projects that needed more than one rug.
Favorite Shelves, Trays, Baskets, and More for Montessori Homeschoolers
I often get asked about the trays, baskets, etc., that I use, so I published a post with many of the items. You can find lots of helpful resources here. They’re not all essential, so don’t feel you need to have everything. Just choose what’s best for your budget and your unique family’s needs. You’ll find more ideas in the Living Montessori Now Amazon shop
Books for a St. Nicholas and Santa Claus Unit
Even though I have books on shelves, I’m now keeping many of my themed books in a forward-facing display after placing a plant where the themed book basket was before. My seasonal books are now in that book basket.
For toddlers and preschoolers, about ¾ of the books I use are typically Montessori friendly (focusing on reality without smiling or talking animals or smiling or talking vehicles). Of course, more than ¼ of the books in this unit aren’t Montessori-style books.
Books for a St. Nicholas and Santa Claus Unit
Books on Top Shelf of Themed Shelves:
- The Night Before Christmas: The Classic Edition (includes a four-page fold-out)
- The Legend of Saint Nicholas is a lovely book telling the legends and traditions about Bishop Nicholas of Myra, who became a saint and was known for his generosity and many acts of kindness.
Top Shelf of Forward -Facing Display:
- Saint Nicholas (Beautiful book!)
- The Baker’s Dozen
- The St. Nicholas Day Snow (I like that the book has a lot of historical information about St. Nicholas Day along with a natural depiction of one of the girls using a wheelchair and crutches.)
2nd Shelf:
- The Polar Express
- The Night Before Christmas (This lovely pop-up version is now rare and only available at a very expensive price. There are many fun versions of The Night Before Christmas.)
3rd Shelf:
- Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer (The original story of Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer—written in verse by his creator, Robert L. May)
- Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer (I have an old version from when my now-adult children were little, but there are many versions other than the original version written in verse.)
- Pete the Cat Saves Christmas
This book is totally unrealistic … and lots of fun. It has a wonderful message and song that runs through the book:
“Give it your all, give it your all.
At Christmas we give,
so give it your all.”
4th Shelf:
- A Little Spot of Christmas: A Story About Santa’s Helper
- Richard Scarry’s Best Christmas Book Ever
- The Berenstain Bears Meet Santa Bear
Bottom Shelf
I love but don’t have The Truth About Santa: A Warm and Honest Story Based on Saint Nicholas’ Life on display because it’s for a specific group. It’s a perfect book for families who want to have a gentle and honest conversation with their child about Santa without ruining their child’s experience of Christmas. It’s also great for children who have always been taught that Santa is just a fun story. The book focuses on the origins of Santa based on the generosity and kindness of St. Nicholas (Bishop Nicholas of Myra). It encourages children to share the magic of kindness through love and kindness.
Santa’s Favorite Story: Santa Tells the Story of the First Christmas is a sweet story for Christian families and Christian schools. In it, Santa tells the story of the first Christmas.
You can see many St. Nicholas and Santa Claus books here: St. Nicholas and Santa Claus Books for Kids (including books as they’re published)
The Night Before Christmas Book with Santa’s Beard Countdown Calendar
The Night Before Christmas Book with Santa’s Beard Countdown Calendar
The book is The Night Before Christmas: The Classic Edition (includes a four-page fold-out)
Free Printable: Santa’s Beard Countdown Calendar from Mommy Musings (There are great free options at The Craft Home Family and other sites, too!)
This was super easy to prepare. I just printed out the countdown calendar and added cotton balls!
St. Nicholas Book and Page with DIY 3-D Shoes for St. Nicholas
St. Nicholas Book and Page with DIY 3-D Shoes for St. Nicholas
The book is The Legend of Saint Nicholas, a lovely book telling the legends and traditions about Bishop Nicholas of Myra, who became a saint and was known for his generosity and many acts of kindness.
On the right side of the shelf ( book on a wooden cookbook holder), is the awesome Children Just Like Me: Celebrations!
Free Printable: Shoes for St. Nicholas from St. Nicholas Center
There are three styles of shoes to choose from to make a stand-up shoe. I love this as a sweet, sanitary option for St. Nicholas Day!
Sand Writing Tray for a St. Nicholas and Santa Claus Theme
Sand Writing Tray for a St. Nicholas and Santa Claus Theme
Free Printable /S/ for Saint Nicholas and /S/ for Santa Claus font cards (part of my subscriber freebie pack, so just sign up for my free newsletter to get the link and password … or check the bottom of your latest newsletter if you’re already a subscriber). They come in print, D’Nealian, and cursive.
You’ll see a variety of simple letter writing trays in my previous unit study posts. I often used the wooden tray from the Melissa & Doug Lace and Trace Shapes. This sand tray is an inexpensive but nice sand tray with a wooden pen and fun scrape sand block. You’ll find lots of other options for Montessori sand trays on Etsy.) You can use whatever tray or container work best for you, though.
I found some colored sand in 12 colors on Amazon that I started to use instead of salt or colored salt. I love it because it’s so soft and feels great!
If you would like help with introducing phonetic sounds, introducing objects with sounds, or beginning phonics in general, check out my DIY Beginning Montessori Phonics with Preschoolers.
I have a post and video on how to introduce words starting with phonograms, even with very young children.
“EIGH” Christmas Game
You’ll see this activity in the middle of my middle shelf.
Free Printable /eigh/ in sleigh phonogram cards (part of my subscriber freebie pack, so just sign up for my free newsletter to get the link and password … or check the bottom of your latest newsletter if you’re already a subscriber). They come in print, D’Nealian, and cursive.
Free Printable: Eigh Christmas Game from 123 Homeschool 4 Me
There are 3 levels of difficulty in this printable. It’s similar to snakes and ladders and can be played cooperatively or competitively. It’s a fun way to focus on the “eigh” phonogram!
Santa Hat Alphabet Activities
Free Printable: Santa hat alphabet cards (part of my subscriber freebies, so just sign up for my free newsletter to get the link and password … or check the bottom of your latest newsletter if you’re already a subscriber).
Sandpaper Letter, Santa Hat Letter, and Christmas Object Matching
This is one idea for using the Santa hat alphabet cards with sandpaper letters and miniature Christmas objects. The objects I have here are from the Safari Ltd. Christmas Designer TOOB.
Spelling with Santa Hat Alphabet
This activity uses the Santa Claus font cards from our Montessori-Inspired St. Nicholas and Santa Claus pack along with the Santa hat alphabet cards for spelling in both print and cursive.
The alphabet cards in print and cursive are easily adaptable, depending on the child’s level. They can be used for a variety of activities, such as matching letters with sandpaper letters, matching print to cursive letters, or movable alphabet word building.
Working with Santa Claus Words and Read Write Build Board
Working with Eigh and Mirus Toys Read Build Write Board
Free Printable: Christmas Picture Word Cards from PreKinders (printed at 95% to fit Mirus Toys Read Build Write Board)
We used the Read Build Write Board from the Mirus Toys shop (also available on Etsy). Here, my 6-year-old grandson, Caleb, is writing the word sleigh in cursive, using the cursive eigh phonogram card from our Montessori-Inspired St. Nicholas and Santa Claus Pack.
Check out my review of Mirus Toys to see a fun way we used the Read Build Write Board when Caleb was younger. You’ll see another activity using the board with Caleb in my road construction unit.
Santa Bag Math Cards and Gift Division Activity
Santa Bag Math Cards and Gift Division Activity
Free Printable: Santa bag number cards 1, 2, 4, 5, 10, 20 and division symbols (part of my subscriber freebie pack, so just sign up for my email to get the link and password … or check the bottom of your latest newsletter if you’re already a subscriber).
I used this with miniature resin gift boxes, small velvet bag, and 10 LEGO Minifigures. (We have a number of Minifigures, and my grandson helped me put together 10 Minifigure kids.) You can use peg people, little dolls, etc., if you don’t have Minifigures. Caleb thought this was a fun idea for a math activity!
This is a simple division activity, showing how many gifts each child would get if the gifts are divided between specific numbers of children. You could turn the numbers over and draw one or choose numbers 1, 2, 4, 5, and 10 in order to show the number of children the gifts are divided between. The child can divide 20 gifts between the specified number of child, saying “1 for you, 1 for you….” until they are all divided equally.
There are so many different activities you can prepare using the math cards! You’ll find many ideas in our previous units.
St. Nicholas Craft Tray
Free Printable: St. Nicholas Stand Up from St. Nicholas Center
Free Printable: Dress St. Nicholas from St. Nicholas Center
You’ll see this tray on the bottom right of my main themed shelf. They’re simple crafts that focus on St. Nicholas, the bishop and saint.
St. Nicholas and Santa Claus Activities on Another Shelf
St. Nicholas Day Materials
Montessori-Inspired St. Nicholas Day Printable Pack from Every Star Is Different. The Every Star Is Different printables here aren’t free, but they’re great!
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- Introduces basic concepts involved in the celebration of St. Nicholas Day
- Discusses cultural differences regarding the holiday by country
- Emphasizes the number three in math activities
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Montessori-inspired St. Nicholas Day Printable Pack Table of Contents
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- Shoe Matching Activity
- St. Nicholas Day Nomenclature Cards
- St. Nicholas Day Description Cards
- St. Nicholas Day Word Strips in Print
- St. Nicholas Day Word Strips in Cursive
- St. Nicholas Day Around the World Country and Tradition Match Up
- St. Nicholas Day Graphing Activity
- Nut Addition Clip Cards
- Pepernoten Subtraction Clip Cards
- Gold Coin Skip Counting Clip Cards
- Gold Coin Skip Counting Cards
- Gold Coin Skip Counting Hundred Board Activity
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I have St. Nicholas Day nomenclature and description cards from the St. Nicholas Day Printable Pack. Then I have the St. Nicholas Day Around the World Country and Tradition Matchup. I added our countries globe as well.
Next to the country and tradition matchup cards, I have St. Nicholas Day nomenclature and description cards from the St. Nicholas Day Printable Pack. On the right side of the shelf ( book on a wooden cookbook holder), is the awesome Children Just Like Me: Celebrations!
Parts of Speech Poster (Montessori Symbols) with Santa Adjective Clip Cards
Free Printable: Parts of Speech Poster (Montessori Symbols) by A Wise Old Owl at TPT
2022 Christmas Bundle at Every Star Is Different
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- Montessori-inspired Santa Printable Pack
- Montessori-inspired Christmas Reindeer Printable Pack
- Montessori-inspired Christmas Skip Counting Printable Pack
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Montessori-inspired Santa Printable Pack
- Focuses on vocabulary related to Santa’s attire and accessories
- Provides opportunities to focus on beginning, intermediate, and advanced language skills through reading, writing, and spelling
- Includes comparison, odd and even, greater than/less than, addition, subtraction, and measurement activities related to math
Montessori-inspired Santa Printable Pack Table of Contents
- Santa themed Do-a-dot Pages
- Santa Nomenclature Cards
- Santa First Letter Sounds Clip Cards
- Santa Vowel Sounds Clip Cards
- Santa Other Sounds Clip Cards
- Santa Writing Strips in Print
- Santa Writing Strips in Cursive
- Santa Spelling Activity
- Santa Adjectives Clip Cards
- Which Christmas Object is the Same?
- Which Christmas Object is Different?
- Santa Boots Odd/Even Sorting Activity
- Christmas Cookies Greater Than/Less Than Clip Cards
- Santa Addition Clip Cards
- Santa Subtraction Clip Cards
- Santa Measurement Activity
Christmas Metal Inset Designs
I love the plastic insets from Alison’s Montessori for home use, but they seem to be discontinued. Alison’s Montessori does have the traditional metal insets, of course. And I found some inexpensive wooden insets on Etsy that look like a great option for home use. There are also DIY insets you can make for home use.
We’re having fun with the Winter Holidays Around the World Montessori Metal Inset Design Cards by MindfulMontessoriMe on Etsy. For this unit, I just have out the design cards that work for a Christmas theme. Later, I’ll be adding the cards for other holidays from around the world. The cards aren’t free, but they’re a great extension to work with the metal insets! My grandkids love them!
Free Montessori-Inspired St. Nicholas and Santa Claus Pack
Montessori-Inspired St. Nicholas and Santa Claus Pack for DIY Cards and Counters, Number or Letter Matching, Number or Letter Basket, Bead Bar Work, Hands-on Math Operations, Number or Letter Salt/Sand Writing Tray, Letter Tracing, DIY Movable Alphabet, and Creative Writing (subscriber freebie, so just sign up for my email to get the link and password – or check your inbox if you’re already a subscriber).
More Advent and Christmas Resources
Advent
Christmas
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- Activity of the Week – Montessori-Inspired Decorating the Christmas Tree Activity
- Activity of the Week – Gift Wrapping Work
- December Family Activities
- Turning Christmas Crafts into Montessori-Oriented Activities
- Montessori-Inspired Christmas Activities
- 50+ December Family Activities
- Montessori-Inspired Christmas Activities (Part 2)
- Holiday Manners
- How to Prepare a Special Kids’ Table for Holiday Gatherings
- Homeschool Christmas
- Montessori-Inspired Christmas Playdough Activities
- Montessori-Inspired Christmas Crafts
- Montessori-Inspired Nativity Activities
- Christmas Around the World: Scotland
- Montessori-Inspired Christmas Activities and Free Christmas Printables
- 40+ Christmas Sensory Tubs
- Montessori-Inspired Christmas Scavenger Hunt
- Montessori-Inspired Kids’ Gift Wrapping Activities
- Hundreds of December Holiday Activities for Kids
- Using Variations of Elf on the Shelf to Encourage Kindness
- Montessori-Inspired Christmas Cards and Crafts
- Montessori-Inspired Set-Ups for Christmas Playdough Activities
- Christmas Gingerbread Man Fine-Motor Activity or Craft
- Montessori-Inspired Christmas Craft – Painted Wooden Ornaments
- Free Christmas Tree Printables and Montessori-Inspired Christmas Tree Activities
- Using Kindness Elves to Encourage Kindness {Ideas and Free Printables}
- Using the Christmas Angel to Encourage Kindness
- Free Nutcracker Printables and Montessori-Inspired Nutcracker Activities
- Montessori-Inspired Christmas Activities with Spielgaben {Free Printables}
- 20+ Christmas Phonics Activities
- Free Christmas Songs and Rhymes for Circle Time
- Baby or Toddler Handprint or Footprint Keepsake Ornament
- Free Gingerbread Printables and Montessori-Inspired Gingerbread Activities
- Christmas Bell Basket for Babies and Toddlers
- Christmas Box and Bag Treasure Basket for Babies and Toddlers
- Montessori Christmas Tree Decorating Activity
- Simple Snowman Sensory Bin {A Fun Way to Work on Essential Skills for Toddlers and Preschoolers
- The Ultimate Guide to Having Kind Kids This Christmas
- Our Favorite Montessori Fine-Motor Christmas Tree Activity
- Christmas Book Basket for Those of Us Who Just CAN’T Do a Christmas Book Countdown
- Kid-Made Sparkly Craft-Stick Christmas Tree Ornament {Montessori-Inspired Learning Activity Included}
- Simple Godly Play for Toddlers during Advent
- Quick and Easy Christmas Playdough Activity
- DIY Christmas Dot Wrapping Paper … Simple Enough for a Toddler to Make
- Simple and Sweet Craft Stick Photo Frame Gift Kids Can Make
- 20+ Acts of Kindness Advent Calendars and Christmas Countdowns {Free Printables}
- Where to Get the Best Kindness Elves with Options for Skin, Hair, and Clothing Color
- How to Make the Switch to Kindness Elves from Elf on the Shelf
- The Ultimate Guide to Kindness Elves
- Best Gifts for Kids: Montessori-Friendly Toys for Preschoolers
- Free Bell Printables and Montessori-Inspired Bell Activities
- Holiday Bell Sensory Bin with Scavenger Hunt
- Free Christmas Bell Cutting Strips (Montessori-Inspired Instant Download)
- 40+ Free Resources for a Christmas Around the World Unit
- Free Bell Do-a-Dot Printable (Montessori-Inspired Instant Download)
- Cinnamon Stick Christmas Tree Ornament with Sensory Activities
- Pouring Jingle Bells: A Simple, Fun Practical Life Activity
- Christmas Craft-Punch Wrapping Paper and Fine-Motor Activity
- How to Have a Kind Classroom with Kindness Elves {for Teachers and Parents}
- Using Kindness Elves to Encourage Acts of Kindness in the Family
- Using Kindness Elves and Pete the Cat in a Food and Toy Drive
- Holiday-Themed, Editable Name and Word Tracing Pack
- The Ultimate Guide to Having Kind Kids This Christmas
- The Ultimate Guide to Kindness Elves
- Montessori-Friendly Ornaments and Cards Kids Can Make
- Kid-Made Sparkly Craft-Stick and Jingle-Bell Christmas Tree Ornament
- How to Make Simple, Sparkly Wrapping Paper {Craft Project for Toddlers on Up)
- The Best Free Kids’ Songs for the Holidays {Traditional Holiday Songs + Character Education Songs}
- Teaching about Hunger and Poverty through a Food and Toy Drive
- Promote Peace with Montessori Holidays Around the World Resources
- Free Peace Printables and Montessori-Inspired Peace Activities
- Scrap Ribbon Christmas Tree Ornament {and Practical Life Activity}
- Small Gift Bags Kids Can Make Using Free Printables
- Best Christmas Quotes for Everyone
- The Kindness Elves and Pete the Cat Join Our 5th Annual Family Food and Toy Drive
- You Don’t Have to Believe in Santa Claus to Love NORAD Tracks Santa
- Our Online and Curbside Family Food and Toy Drive
- Free Gingerbread Printables and Activities for a Montessori-Inspired Gingerbread Uni
- Free Gingerbread Songs and Rhymes for Circle Time
- Free Decorate Do-a-Dot Phonics Printable (Montessori-Inspired Instant Download)
- Free Gingerbread Cutting Strips (Montessori-Inspired Instant Download)
- The Kindness Elves, Pete the Cat, and Our 7th Annual Family Food and Toy Drive
- The Kindness Elves, Pete the Cat, and Our 8th Annual Family Food and Toy Drive
- The Kindness Elves, Pete the Cat, and Our 9th Annual Family Food and Toy Drive,
- Kids’ Christmas Activities Pinterest Board
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If you’d like ideas for calendar-based themes throughout October and November, see my November Themed Activities for Kids. and my December Themed Activities for Kids.
Have a wonderful holiday season!
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