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Make A Fun Virtual Christmas Party For Students
Make a virtual Christmas party for students a little more exciting for students while practicing social distancing at the same time.
Here are some fun virtual Christmas party ideas for students that will keep everyone COVID-free this holiday season!
These past two years, students have adjusted quite well due to the effects of the pandemic, from going to school every day, meeting their teachers and classmates in their respective classrooms, to being confined to a chair in front of their desktops or laptops at home.
Students deserve a break, and since the holiday season is just around the corner, what better way to do that than to throw them a virtual holiday party!
The Christmas season is a special time of the year! We have some great ideas on what you can do during the holidays:
- Best Virtual Christmas Party Ideas
- Best Virtual Christmas Party for Family and Friends
- Virtual Holiday Party Ideas For Work
Virtual Christmas Party For Students
We’ve come up with some creative virtual holiday party ideas to spread some Christmas cheer to students and to remind them that school isn’t all about homework and exams.
Let’s face it, we all need a little fun and excitement in our lives.
Host A Dress-up Get-together
Finding ways to keep your students engaged and excited is a great way to break up the monotony of looking at each other on Zoom calls every day, and throwing a costume party is the perfect way to do so!
Although Halloween is a great excuse to throw a virtual costume party, you can also plan dress-up days for other occasions.
Encourage your students to make their own costumes based on specific lesson plans or books you’re studying, and hold a monthly group birthday call where everyone dresses up in their Sunday best!
You can give prizes for the most colorful, creative, and outrageous costumes, and if it’s possible, you can get your class together for a virtual and socially distant parade to add to the fun.
Decorate Their Space
Encourage everyone to decorate the space behind them on a video call as another way to make online celebrations more exciting.
This is a fantastic way to encourage your students to be creative, and you can award prizes or tokens for specific categories or the best Christmas backdrop decoration to encourage everyone to go all out!
Host A Virtual Scavenger Hunt
If you’re looking for more engaging and interactive virtual classroom holiday party ideas, a scavenger hunt is one of the simplest things you can do.
If the parents of your students are willing, you can ask them to hide specific items around their homes, or you can keep it simple and write a list of generic items for the kids to look for during your class video call.
Send the list ahead of time (or you can share it using a screen-sharing feature) and challenge your students to see who can look for all of the items first!
Get Together And Enjoy A Treat
While you may not be able to eat and enjoy cupcakes as a class to commemorate a special occasion or holiday, you can still ask everyone to bring their favorite treat to share during your virtual call!
One piece of advice is to keep it broad and simple, as not everyone will be able to bake something from scratch.
All that matters is that your students feel like they are a part of a larger celebration with their peers, whether they bring freshly baked cupcakes, ice cream, cookies, or a package of gummies to your call.
Organize A Sing-a-long
Why not organize a sing-along with holiday-themed songs if you’re looking for virtual classroom party ideas to get everyone in the holiday spirit?
With younger children, you can take the lead, and if you’re teaching tweens or teens, they can choose their favorite tunes and sing together. Music can be a powerful tool for lifting everyone’s spirits, as well as a fun way to spend time with friends.
Watch a Holiday Movie Together
Organizing a pretend sleepover is another of my favorite virtual classroom party ideas! Every holiday has a plethora of age-appropriate films to choose from, and you can make it even more enjoyable by asking your students to dress in their pajamas and bring their favorite movie treat to enjoy.
Allow them to relax on their couch or bed and take a break from teaching while you all watch a fun movie to commemorate whatever holiday you’re commemorating!
Plan A Couple Of Games To Play
You can find ideas for virtual holiday parties on video platforms. They offer many virtual party games. To get you started, here are some suggestions for both younger and older children!
Simon Says
This classic game is a hit with kids, and it’s a great way to help them burn off some energy when they’re stuck inside.
Allow each child to stand in a space where they can move freely, and then lead them through various gross motor movements: “Simon says stand on one leg,” “Simon says to do three jumping jacks,” “Simon says hop like a bunny,” and so on.
Provide a command without saying “Simon says” first at some point during the game, and whoever completes the movement is out. If you have more than one student on the Zoom call, keep playing until you have a winner, then name that person ‘Simon’ and play again!
Musical Statues
Musical statues are always a good option if you’re looking for easy (and mess-free) virtual classroom party ideas that don’t require any setup.
Play some holiday music, let your students dance off some energy, and see who follows directions by stopping the music and yelling “FREEZE!” This is a fantastic way for everyone to let off steam, including teachers and parents!!!
Charades
Charades are a fun way to get kids laughing, and it’s a simple option if you need last-minute virtual classroom party ideas.
Make a list of holiday-themed prompts and send them to your students ahead of time so they can practice (or message them privately on Zoom) and have some fun!
20-Questions
To play 20 Questions, one student thinks of a person, place, or thing, and the other players try to figure out what it is by asking 20 yes or no questions.
After 20 trivia questions, if a player guesses correctly, they earn a point and become ‘it’! If no one guesses, no one gets the point, and a new ‘it’ is chosen at random. It’s simple to play via Zoom and suitable for a wide range of ages!
Pictionary
If you’re looking for virtual classroom party ideas for older children, this is a fantastic option. Set a timer for each student to draw out their clue before showing it to the class to see if they can guess what they drew, and then send them their clues ahead of time.
Zoom In
This virtual and fun game is new to me, but it’s a lot of fun and can be easily customized for any holiday or celebration.
Find a few holiday-themed photos (e.g., a spider for Halloween, pumpkin pie for Thanksgiving, Santa for Christmas, etc.) and take a screenshot of a specific portion of each photo.
During your virtual classroom party, share the zoomed-in photos via screen sharing and see if anyone can guess what it is.
You can add a little spice to this by asking everyone to find and share a holiday-themed zoomed-in photo and then see who gets the correct answers!
Bingo
There are plenty of free printable bingo templates online, and you can make it even more fun by using holiday-themed candy as markers when a number is called.
You can send these to everyone ahead of time so they can print them, or you can give each of your students a copy along with a small treat bag, so they have something to eat during your virtual classroom party!
Organize A Talent Show
Many schools hold a winter concert and another performance near the end of the school year, both of which can be difficult to coordinate from afar.
Consider organizing a talent show where the students can share their special skills and talents with their classmates if you’re looking for virtual holiday party ideas to replicate the excitement these virtual events bring.
Allow them a few weeks to prepare a song, dance, or skit, and invite parents to tune in to see their children shine!
Host An Awards Celebration
Hosting an awards ceremony is my final suggestion for those looking for virtual classroom party ideas to celebrate the end of a semester or school year.
It can be difficult to keep kids motivated and engaged online, so recognizing their accomplishments, no matter how minor, will go a long way.
You can make this as simple or as elaborate as you want, and you might want to invite parents to your ceremony so that your student’s hard work and accomplishments are recognized. To make it even more special, have everyone dress up!
Final Thoughts
This school year will be unlike any other we’ve ever known. Teachers are scrambling to find new and creative ways to keep their students engaged and connected with their classmates, with a mix of in-person, virtual, and hybrid learning plans in place.
This is especially difficult during the holidays when traditional classroom holiday party ideas are no longer safe or practical. But that doesn’t rule out the possibility of celebrating with your students!
These virtual classroom holiday party ideas will inspire you to think outside the box and celebrate with your students.
There are numerous opportunities to celebrate as a class during the school year. We hope this collection of virtual classroom holiday party ideas inspires you if you’re looking for fun ways to make holidays and celebrations special for your students while teaching them online!
Frequently Asked Questions
1. What are some good ideas for a virtual Christmas party?
Booking a fully hosted virtual holiday party, holding a remote secret Santa exchange, and playing festive online team-building games are all good virtual Christmas holiday party ideas.
2. What are virtual Christmas parties, and what do they entail?
Holiday celebrations for online offices are held using video conferencing platforms such as Zoom, Skype, Google Meet, or WebEx. Remote students can get together, bond, and build camaraderie at these virtual parties, which include festive holiday games, traditions, and entertainment.
3. Why are virtual holiday parties so important?
Virtual holiday parties will be important because they will help maintain strong and natural connections with friends and classmates who are unable to see each other in person due to physical or social distance imposed by the COVID-19 pandemic.
Even when celebrations must take place in various formats, these virtual parties maintain a sense of normalcy and the feeling of living full lives.
4. How do you throw a virtual holiday get-together?
Choose video or conferencing technology, exciting virtual holiday party games, party activities, and a festive theme to tie it all together to host a virtual holiday party.
5. What makes a unique virtual holiday party from others?
A virtual holiday party will be one-of-a-kind thanks to creative holiday themes, one-of-a-kind virtual party ideas, and plenty of personal touches.