Christmas Stocking Fillers is a low-prep Christmas themed activity that encourages students to describe their likes, dislikes, wants, wishes, hopes and dreams.
Choose your theme and ask your students to fill their Christmas stockings with anything they can think of.
December is upon us and I wanted to write something new for 2015 and I wanted the post to be about a Christmas themed activity that involved very little preparation.
Contents
Introduction
Honestly, I had no idea what Christmas themed activity I could write about.
Then earlier today, I saw the stockings hanging in my house and it got me thinking about how my family would open the stocking presents as soon as everyone had woken up on Christmas Day. The presents were usually small but a few of them will fill up a Christmas stocking, so they are called stocking fillers. The stocking fillers varied every year, but oranges and chocolate coins were usually among them. The main presents would be unwrapped when everyone had breakfast, washed and were ready for the day.
To this day, I still find it quite fun trying to think of small and inexpensive presents that will fit inside a Christmas stocking.
So, I decided to produce a template about ‘Christmas Stocking Fillers’ and base the activity on picture dictations.
Downloads
Click on Christmas Stockings – Picture Dictations to download the template.
This is the template for the picture dictation activity.
One A4 page is for two students.
Cut the paper in half (horizontally) so that each student will have ‘My Christmas Stocking’ and ‘______’s Christmas Stocking.’
Click on Christmas Stocking – Blank Template to download the template.
This is the template is for making Christmas stocking decorations.
One A4 page is for two students.
Cut the paper in half (vertically) so that each student has a blank stocking.
Activity Suggestions
Picture Dictations
Show the class a question or theme or discuss. Here are two examples:
A: What do you want for Christmas?
B: I want…A: What would you like to do next year?
B: I’d like to…
Ask the students to ask as many classmates the question as they can within a time limit. This will hopefully give them some ideas for the next part of the activity.
Ask the students to return to their desks and give them the Christmas Stocking handout. Negotiate a time limit with the students and ask them to draw a number (3-5) of different images inside the stocking to represent their answers.
It’s important that the students know you don’t need to draw well to have fun with this activity and a few bad drawings from the teacher can get a few laughs.
When the time is up or the students have finished, ask them to write some words that describe the object that they have drawn. If the student has drawn a baseball bat, they might write these words:
wood, long, hit ball
During this stage the students can use dictionaries, ask the student sitting next to them or ask the teacher to help with new words and descriptions. When the students have at least one clue word for each image, ask them to find a new partner from a different part of the room.
Have them write their partner’s name in the blank space next to ‘ ‘s Christmas Stocking.’
The students can’t use the word of the things in their stockings but they can describe it. Student A describes a picture from their stocking and student B draws it.
A: It’s a long piece of wood you hit a ball with.
Student B may want to ask a follow up question or take a guess.
B: Is it a cricket bat?
A: No, it isn’t.
B: Is it a baseball bat?
A: Yes, it is! Good guess.
Afterward, Student A and Student B compare their stockings to check they have drawn the correct objects.
Optional activity extension – Interviews and 3rd person reporting
Once the stockings have been completed. Ask the students to interview each other.
A: Why did you draw a baseball bat?
B: Because I want a new baseball bat for Christmas.
Student A writes down Student B’s answers. When the interview has finished the students change roles.
When both students have been interviewed ask them to find a new partner. In this new pair they can now introduce their partner’s Christmas stocking. You may want to provide them with an example.
Hi Mark. This is John’s stocking. John drew a baseball bat because he wants one for Christmas.
Optional activity extension – Describing location
Use phrases that help the students describe the position of their image inside the Christmas stocking.
- At the top of the stocking
- In the middle of the stocking
- At the bottom of the stocking
- Above …
- Below …
- To the right of …
- To the left of …
At the bottom of the stocking, there is a long piece of wood you hit a ball with.
Whose is it?
This activity is very similar to snowballs.
Show the class a question or theme or discuss. Here are two examples:
A: What do you want for Christmas?
B: I want…A: What would you like to do next year?
B: I’d like to…
Ask the students to interview the person next to them. Ask them to think of as many answers as they can within a time limit. This will hopefully give them some ideas for the next part of the activity.
Give the students the blank Christmas Stocking handout. Negotiate a time limit with the students and ask them to draw a number (3-5) of different images inside the stocking to represent their answers. Alternatively, the students could write down the words instead of drawing.
When they are finished, ask them to fold up their piece of paper and collect it in a small box or bag.
Ask the students to choose a new piece of paper. If they choose their own, they should fold it up and choose a new one.
The goal is to find the person who originally wrote or drew the stocking.
The students may ask questions like this:
A: Did you want a baseball bat for Christmas?
B: No, I didn’t.
The students should ask another students if the answer is no.
A: Did you want a baseball bat for Christmas?
B: Yes, I did.
A: Oh, really? Did you want a new computer as well?
B: No, I didn’t.
*Change the dialogue to suit the topic
The students should ask follow up questions to see if there is a match with all the images.
Optional activity extension – Interviews and 3rd person reporting
Once everyone has had their stocking returned to them. Divide the students into pairs for interviews. Give them a few minutes to have a look at each other’s Christmas stocking.
A: Why do you want a baseball bat for Christmas?
B: Because my one is quite old.
Student A writes down Student B’s answers. When the interview has finished the students change roles.
When both students have been interviewed ask them to find a new partner. In this new pair they can now introduce what they learned from their previous partner. You may want to provide them with an example.
A: Hi Mark. I spoke to John.
B: Who’s John?
A: Oh, that’s John over there.
B: Okay. What does John want for Christmas?
A: John wants a new baseball bat because his is quite old.
Decorations
The goal of this activities is to create some wall decorations with a Christmas theme.
Divide the students into pairs or small groups and ask them to think about the words or phrases that are connected to Christmas. They can use their dictionaries at this point.
Elicit some examples from the students and offer some of your own suggestions.
Ask the students to think of images, pictures and symbols that are connected to Christmas. Elicit some examples and draw them on the board.
*Depending on your teaching context, be careful when it comes to symbols.
Once you have explored enough words and images, give one copy of the blank Christmas stocking template to each group.
Tell the students they are going to make a Christmas collage and ask them to work together and decide which words, phrases and images they want to use. You may want to provide example phrases on the board to help.
I think we should use…
I’d prefer… to… because…
Can we have … as well?
That’s a good idea, but what do you think about…?
What color should we use for that?
How big should it be?
Negotiate some time with the students. Let them decide how they are going to design the stocking.
Walk around and ask the students about their ideas, offer some suggestions and check spelling. Allow the students some time to complete their designs.
When all the decorations are finished, or when the time limit is up, display all the Christmas stockings on the wall, on the board or on spare tables in the room. You may want to number the stocking or add a group name to them.
When the students have viewed all the designs. Ask them to go back to their groups and vote on the best design.
I really like this one because …
I like the colors.
I think it is really colorful.
By the end of the activity, the students have practiced trying to reach an agreement, they have practiced making decisions and giving reasons and they have made some festive decorations for the classroom.
Can you think of any other ways to use this template? Please leave a comment if you have any ideas or suggestions you would like to share.
Alternatively you can send me a message on my Facebook page or on Twitter.
Thanks for reading and take care!
You may also like to read:
The Christmas Quiz – Last week’s post about a Christmas themed quiz template with a Christmas tree menu design.
Countdown to Christmas – This year’s design for an advent calendar but with a tutorial video showing how to transform any image into an advent calendar.
Picture Dictations – A description of the picture dictation activity written by Fiona Lawtie and available at teachingenglish.org.uk
Snowballs – A description of this activity is available at Dave’s ESL cafe.
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