Put a twist on your traditional holiday crafts by making three-dimensional reindeer crafts that are perfect for decorating the classroom or your home! These crafts are easy for online distance learning or at-home activities, making them perfect for this holiday season. For instructions on how to make 3D reindeer crafts, like pop-up cards, ornaments, and more, keep reading!

Rudolph Pop-up Card

Download your free Rudolph pop-up card template here.

This craft will make a fun and simple Rudolph pop-up card! In addition to the free activity page, you will need:

• Construction paper (6″ x 8″ any color for folder)
• Scissors and glue
• Crayons/colored pencils

Follow these easy and simple steps to make this fun craft:

1. Color your reindeer brown with a red nose.
2. Cut out the reindeer pieces, pasting the ears and antlers to the reindeer head.
3. Cut out form A.
   
   1. Fold it in half, hamburger style.
   2. Cut on the dotted lines.
   3. Fold back the small middle tab.
   4. Open the paper and push the tab to the reverse side.
4. Cut out form B.
   
   1. Cut on the dotted lines.
   2. Fold on the fold lines.
   3. Open and reverse folds by pushing them inside.
5. Put the card together.
   
   1. Fold your construction paper in half.
   2. Paste A inside the construction paper.
   3. Paste B on top of form A.
   4. Put paste on the tab and attach the reindeer so that the bottom of the reindeer touches the fold line.

Download your free Rudolph pop-up card template here.

Reindeer Card Holder

Download your free reindeer card holder template here.

This is a practical and cute craft for storing Christmas cards! You will need:

• Red butcher paper
• Construction paper
  
  • Brown (7″ x 12″ for body, 5″ x 3″ for ears)
  • Black (6″ x 8″ for antlers and eyes)
  • Green (7″ x 3″ for halter)
  • Red (2.5″ x 2.5″ for nose)
• Hanger
• Scissors, glue, stapler

Step-by-step instructions:

1. With the paper portrait style, place the hanger at the upper side with the hook sticking out above the paper.
2. Fold the corners of the paper down and staple the red paper to the hanger.
3. Fold up the bottom three times in 4″ segments, then staple the edges to create a pocket. Do this so the back of the staples are on the same side as the folded top edges of the paper.
4. Cut your reindeer pieces (body, ears, antlers, eyes, halter, and nose) from construction paper.
   
   1. For the antlers, use your handprint outline to make it fun and personal!
5. Paste the pieces on the butcher paper so that the reindeer head is just below the hanger hook.
6. Store Christmas cards in the fun reindeer pocket.

Pinecone Reindeer Tree Ornament

For this classic craft, you’ll need:

• Pinecones
• Googly eyes
• Brown pipe cleaner
• Red pompoms
• Hot glue
• String or twine to hang ornament

Once you have all your materials, follow these simple steps to make your cute Rudolph tree ornament:

1. Using the pinecone as the base, hot glue the googly eyes and red pompom on the center of your pinecone ornament.
2. Use the brown pipe cleaners to make antlers by wrapping short pieces to a long piece so there are several short pieces sticking out.
3. Hot glue the antlers to the pinecone.
4. Tie or glue the string/twine to the back of your pinecone and hang it on your tree!
5. You can also use the same materials and substitute a toilet paper roll for the pinecone!

Milk Carton Reindeer/Rudolph Craft

This is another creative and original craft using leftover juice or milk cartons. For this activity you will need:

• Milk or juice carton
• Brown, white, and black construction paper
• Red and brown paint
• Glue
• Markers
• Scissors

Here are step-by-step instructions for how to make this craft:

1. Cover the entire carton in either brown paint or paper.
2. Take off the cap and paint it red. For extra sparkle, cover it in red glitter.
3. Trace you or your child’s handprints in brown construction paper and cut them out.
4. Glue the handprints/antlers and paste them to the back of the top tab of the carton.
5. Cut out eyes using white and black cardstock and paste them to the top tab of the carton.
6. Using the brown paper, cut out the ears and paste them to the sides of the carton.
7. Draw or paint on a smile!
8. You can also use red paper or paint to paint a collar, halfway down the carton.

Reindeer Books to Pair with Your Crafts

Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer (Little Golden Book) by Rick Bunsen: This is a classic story of Rudolph, retelling the animated 1964 TV special.

Reindeer (A Day in the Life: Polar Animals) by Katie Marsico: Using vivid photos and descriptions, this is a great book to teach kids about the real-life creatures that pull Santa’s sleigh.

How the Reindeer Got Their Antlers by Geraldine McCaughrean and Heather Holland: This fun story describes how the reindeer, embarrassed and ashamed of their funky antlers, became heroes of Christmas.

Use these fun books and 3D crafts to bring reindeer cheer to your home or classroom this holiday season! Don’t forget your Christmas or holiday cookies to finish off your festive theme.

Check out 10 Holiday Activities from Around the World for more free holiday activities! 

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Christine Wooler has experience working with children as a youth soccer coach and summer camp counselor. She is currently studying English Literature and journalism in college. She enjoys exploring educational topics that help students have fun while learning.

If you’re looking for a seasonal activity that isn’t as messy as pumpkin carving, check out this fun spider web craft that doubles as a STEM lesson! Keep reading for detailed instructions on how to do this spooky STEM challenge and for other fun Halloween activities you can do at home! Don’t miss the free downloads below.

How to Make a Spider Web

Download your free Spider Web STEM lesson here. 

Spider webs follow a very specific pattern to catch their prey; spiders use multiple kinds of silk and weave certain ways to successfully catch visitors, like flies and other small insects. Spiders lay out a frame for their webs, followed by walkways for themselves and a trap for other insects. Following this pattern and using their own knowledge of math and science, students are challenged to create a spider web that captures food for a spider, using household items!

STEM Challenge: The goal of this project is for children to design, construct, and redesign their own spider web that can catch and hold up to three light items. When these items are removed from the trap, the web must stay intact. There’s a suggested materials list, but kids can get creative and use materials found around the house. The STEM challenge is for grade 3 and is flexible for other grade levels.

Some of the suggested materials:

• Waxed dental floss
• Thread or string
• Wire
• Glue
• Honey or agave nectar
• Duct tape
• Paintbrush
• Paper plate
• Scissors
• Test items: leaves, seeds, dried flowers, etc.

How to Make a Web

• Form your frame first, outlining the area where your web will go.
• Criss cross materials from one side of the frame to the other to form the “walkways”
• Add a spiral that starts in the middle and works its way towards the outer layers of the frame. Try not to leave any large gaps where items could fall through.

Tips for Creating Your Web:

• Use your stronger materials for the frame.
• Use light and sticky materials when constructing your trap, coating whatever you use in honey, glue, etc…
• Interweave your trap and walkways together so when you remove items, the web does not fall apart.
• Try different materials to see which works best and try different combinations.

Download your free Spider Web STEM lesson here. 

Evan-Moor’s STEM Lesson & Challenges: The Spider Web activity comes from STEM Lessons and Challenges, where students apply science, technology, engineering, and math concepts to solve real-world problems. Each book provides 15 STEM hands-on challenges for students to enjoy, covering life, Earth, and physical science concepts. Grades 1–6

Read Aloud Spider-Themed Books

Halloween and Spider read-aloud books the whole family can enjoy!

• Aaaarrgghh! Spider! By Lydia Monks: This is a fun and colorful book about a little spider who just wants to be a family pet. She tries everything she can think of, but only ends up scaring her family instead!
   
• Diary of a Spider by Doreen Cronin and Harry Bliss: Follow the adventures of a little spider, who’s just like me or you! He goes to school, plays sports, but his best friend is a fly.
   
• The Eensy Weensy Spider by Mary Ann Hoberman and Nadine Bernard Westcott: Based on the classic song, this story follows the adventures of a little spider as it journeys from home to the water spout.
   

Additional Spooktacular Halloween-themed Activities

Easy Hanging Spider Craft for Halloween: This easy spider craft consists of making hanging spiders for at-home decorations! It’s simple and quick, perfect for levels PreK-3 and to add a little Halloween decor to your home.

Skeleton Art Projects and Science Activities: Create a silly skeleton with this free skeleton art project and sciences activities!

Educational Halloween Activities: From pumpkins to skeletons to ghosts, these free activities practice math, writing, science, and other skills and subjects!

Christine Wooler has experience working with children as a youth soccer coach and summer camp counselor. She is currently studying English Literature and journalism in college. She enjoys exploring educational topics that help students have fun while learning.

Learning multiplication facts for primary students can be fast and fun when all the senses are involved. “See It, Say It, Write It” ensures students will be able to easily memorize these facts for life! This quick-paced, energetic system works for addition, subtraction, and division in schoolrooms, micro schools, pods, and homeschools.

Supply List

Teachers and parents need only a few supplies for math fact memorization. Start with a dry-erase whiteboard 3 ft. x 4 ft. or larger mounted on your wall with just two nails. Set up a couple of tables or desks for the children where they can see and access the whiteboard. You will need a set of:

• Multiplication flashcards
• Wide-ruled lined paper
• Sharpened pencils
• Multiplication facts practice (from Basic Math Skills or create your own)

See It!

Keep your “See It!” teaching lively and quick. Choose one set of facts to concentrate on each day. We will use 6 as an example. Once children are settled and have turned on their “math brains,” write 6 x 1 and say, “Six times one is __?” Let the students answer, then move quickly to 6 x 2, etc., all the way through 12. As you go, teach tricks, like, “6 x 4 is 24” – “there’s a four in the answer so you can rhyme it,” and “6 x 6 is 36 – look, there’s a six in the answer.” “6 x 8 is 48, another rhyme!” Use body language with a little dance move for the rhyming ones.

Remind them that 6 x 5 will either end in a zero or a five (a fun clue – even numbers times five always end in zero, and odd numbers always end in five), and that whenever a number is multiplied by nine, the digits in the answer will add up to nine! “The mystery of the nines” is intriguing to them.

Say It!

When all of the facts are on the board, then have the students read them together, “Six times one is six, etc.” Explain that you always say the number on the bottom first. As they say it aloud, they are also hearing it.

At the top of the board, say and write the “Sixes Sequence,” 6-12-18-24-30-36-42-48-54-60-66-72.

Have your child come to the board and write the facts answers in the problems you first wrote. As they do the problems, have them say it, “Six times three is eighteen, etc.” With a small group, each child can work at the board. Make sure their ones and tens are lined up correctly. Some students can also write the “Sixes Sequence.”

Write It!

Now for the Write It! portion of your lesson. On wide-ruled notebook paper, have the children neatly write the “Sixes Sequence” and all of the 6x fact problems and answers from the board. If time allows, have them read their answers back to you.

At this point, pass out a simple Math Facts review sheet from Evan-Moor’s Basic Math Skills for grades 1–6 with all of the facts up through the lesson you just taught. For example, ones through sixes if you have covered those. Keep reviewing what you have learned every day. If you find that the sixes need another day, then do it again tomorrow before moving on to the sevens.

Tips and Free printables

Free Multiplication Table Chart: For those who need help, print out and give them this free multiplication table chart from Building Math Fluency grade 3.

To round out your learning session, do a quick multiplication flashcard game, where you quickly flash the cards to each student, let them have a chance, then the next, etc. You can find flashcards here:

Download these free multiplication flashcards from Building Math Fluency for grades 1–6.

A fun way to reward their good work is with a bag of Skittles, raisins, nuts, or any small treat that the students make into a multiplication problem. For example, “William, show me three times four with your Skittles.” Make sure he creates three groups of four. Then ask him, “William, now show me four times three.”

The key to “See It, Say It, Write It!” is repetition, repetition, repetition. Go all the way through to twelves. Yes, second and third graders can do this, and older students will appreciate the pace. Keep reviewing previous lessons. Have fun with the doubles: 4 x 4 and 8 x 8, with some of your math whizzes memorizing 10 x 10, 15 x 15, 20 x 20, and 25 x 25!

A Guide to Evan-Moor’s Math Practice Titles

Building Math Fluency: This series helps develop children’s understanding of number patterns and relationships. It includes plenty of addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division math fact practice, as well as shortcuts for learning math relationships. Included are math fact tests, practice pages, and printable flashcards.

Basic Math Skills for grades 1–6 provides plenty of practice pages that cover important skills in each grade.

Learning Line Flashcard Set: Subtraction, Multiplication, Division

Check out Tips for Teaching Multiplication and a Free Multiplication Strategy Printable for multiplication tricks and strategies.

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Connie Pillsbury graduated from the University of Redlands with a B.A. in English Literature and earned her Lifetime Credential through the University of Southern California (USC) Honors Intern program in Elementary Education. She has over 15 years of experience as an Elementary teacher and Resource Specialist. She is currently dedicating her time to teaching cursive to students of all ages through “Connie’s Cursive,” a community service program on the Central Coast of California.

Hands-on activities are the key to making social studies a fun and memorable experience for children. I can still vividly recall building a Pyramid during my Egyptian unit in 7th grade and wearing a toga during the Greek unit later that year. Make your social studies class memorable with hands-on History Pockets from Evan-Moor!

History Pockets

History Pockets by Evan-Moor is a great hands-on addition to social studies classes. These social study units include interactive and engaging activities that are easy to assemble and include colorful activities.

For example: History Pockets: Ancient Civilizations contains introductory units for Ancient Greece, Rome, China, Egypt, and more! Each unit includes reading, activities, coloring, and more that will bring the ancient world to life. At the end of each unit of each title, students can display their projects in the history pocket folder. Some of the fun activities include:

• Pop-up books
• Cut-out puppets
• Paper models of ancient monuments
• Additional hands-on projects that enhance each period study

Here is a full list of History Pockets available for grades 1–3.

History Pockets: Life in Plymouth Colony

History Pockets: Native Americans

History Pockets: Ancient Civilizations

Here is a full list of History Pockets available for grades 4–6.

History Pockets: Ancient Rome

History Pockets: Ancient Egypt

History Pockets: Ancient Greece

History Pockets: Explorers of North America

History Pockets: Colonial America

History Pockets: Moving West

History Pockets: The American Civil War

History Pockets: The American Revolution

History Pockets provides an in-depth study into every aspect of historical and ancient life. Every pocket book includes seven to nine pockets (about 20 pages each) that include a unit introduction and topics such as:

• Geography
• Religion
• Architecture
• Daily life
• Important individuals

This example is from History Pockets Ancient Rome and showcases the first of eight pockets, an introduction to Ancient Rome.  

Geography

Daily Geography Practice books provide short 15 to 20 minutes geography activities that help children learn important map skills. Map lessons introduce basic geography skills and vocabulary terms with fun hands-on projects. Daily Geography Practice is aligned to National Geography Standards and the six essential elements of geography:

• The world in spatial terms
• Places and regions
• Physical systems
• Human systems
• Environment and society
• Uses of geography

The Skill Sharpeners activity books are available for grades PreK–6 and cover many different subject areas across the curriculum. Skill Sharpeners: Geography for grades PreK–6 engages students in the world around them by providing different geographical activities and lessons. Students learn:

• Map skills
• Regions
• Continents
• Oceans
• Habitats and biomes

The colorful and fun activities included in Skill Sharpeners provide children with an in-depth understanding of geography.

Interactive Social Study Activities

Animating your lessons as much as possible with activities is a great way to get children excited about history. Whether it’s costumes, props, or art projects, finding a way to entertain your students with the material will benefit their involvement. Here are some fun ideas and projects for your classroom:

• Dress up: When my class went over Ancient Greece and Rome, we were required to make a toga out of bedsheets and wear it to class each day. It was a lot of fun for everyone, and added an interactive element to our unit. Add a costume project to your class to liven up the unit!
• Roleplay: In addition to togas, my teacher would often act out parts of history or include elements of the unit in our classroom. For example: Group students together under different Greek gods when learning about mythology or do a field-day mini Olympics when teaching the Olympics of Ancient Greece.
• Interactive projects: Assign projects that are fun to complete, like building a model monument from the historical period you’re studying. It could be a pyramid, a temple, the liberty bell, anything!
• Clothesline timeline: Hang a clothesline across the classroom and have students work together to accurately place historic events, whether cumulative or just from your current unit. Clip a picture or label to the clothesline with the dates.
• Wax museum: Have students pick a historic figure they’d like to do a report on. Instead of a traditional report, have them dress up in costume, with any props they’d like, and pose as a “wax museum.” Invite students, teachers, and parents to tour the museum, where your students will provide facts and information about their historic figure.
• Assign a curiosity project: Tap into children’s curiosity with an historical curiosity project. Check out this blog post that describes a form of student-led and inquiry-based learning called a “Curiosity Project.” Click here to read the blog and learn how to engage your child in researching what he or she is interested in.
  

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Christine Wooler has experience working with children as a youth soccer coach and summer camp counselor. She is currently studying English Literature and journalism in college. She enjoys exploring educational topics that help students have fun while learning.