As winter break approaches and students get more and more excited about the holiday season, incorporating some common festive songs into your daily movement breaks is easy! Using the movement bank concept, draw stationary activities out of a hat (or simply preselect these movements). These may include squats, neck rolls, marching in place, touching toes, or any number of activities. Designate a movement to a specific word that is repeated in each song. Play the music. When that word is sung, students perform that movement! For example, let’s use Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer. The lyrics are below. Every time Rudolph is said, students do a star jump. Any time another reindeer is said, wave arms from side to side. When Santa is said, do the mixing bowl.

Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer

You know Dasher and Dancer and Prancer and Vixen
Comet and Cupid and Donner and Blitzen
But do you recall
The most famous reindeer of all?

Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer
Had a very shiny nose
And if you ever saw it
You would even say it glows

All of the other reindeer
Used to laugh and call him names
They never let poor Rudolph
Join in any reindeer games

Then one foggy Christmas Eve
Santa came to say
“Rudolph, with your nose so bright
Won’t you guide my sleigh tonight?”

Then how the reindeer loved him
As they shouted out with glee
“Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer
You’ll go down in history”

Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer
Had a very shiny nose
And if you ever saw it
You would even say it glows

All of the other reindeer
Used to laugh and call him names
They never let poor Rudolph
Join in any reindeer games

Then one foggy Christmas Eve
Santa came to say
“Rudolph, with your nose so bright
Won’t you guide my sleigh tonight?”

Then how the reindeer loved him
As they shouted out with glee
“Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer
You’ll go down in history”

Deck the Halls

Another potential festive song may be Deck the Halls. This one could include a movement for every time Fa-la-la-la-la, la-la, la, la is sung.

Deck the halls with boughs of holly Fa-la-la-la-la, la-la, la, la
’Tis the season to be jolly Fa-la-la-la-la, la-la, la, la
Don we now our gay apparel Fa-la-la, la-la-la, la, la, la
Troll the ancient Yule-tide carol Fa-la-la-la-la, la-la, la, la
See the blazing Yule before us Fa-la-la-la-la, la-la, la, la
Strike the harp and join the chorus Fa-la-la-la-la, la-la, la, la
Follow me in merry measure Fa-la-la-la-la, la-la, la, la
While I tell of Yuletide treasure Fa-la-la-la-la, la-la, la, la

As a reminder, use some calm down techniques after the students engage in these activities so they will be better prepared to focus on the next activity or lesson. I encourage you to find a few other holiday songs in which you can incorporate fun movement breaks too. Your students will thank you!