The Cultural Classroom
Where culture is the key to language acquisition.
Welcome December! | Cultural & Seasonal Activities for Spanish Class
updated December 2025
Looking for some fun ideas for the Spanish classroom? This can be a challenging time of the year: on one hand, engagement may be waning, and on the other hand, students’ attendance is often all over the place, both making lesson planning so difficult (absences that may be due to illness, vacations, holidays, etc).
However, this time of year is also a very festive time, with celebrations being had all across the Spanish-speaking world! Let’s look at ways to bring more culture and excitement into the classroom for these last few weeks of the year!
Increase Engagement + Student Buy-In
Switch it up a bit by changing your routine! Add some festive music to your daily routine! Play some fun games to review topics or for brain breaks! Take a look at my full list below of ideas:
- Check out this video on increasing engagement in the classroom! Related blog post here!
- Check out this video on my favorite classroom game, Pájaro enojado!
- Play some música navideña from my YouTube playlist! Students are sure to love Mi Burrito Sabanero!
- ***Consider playing Pájaro enojado to the above YouTube playlist! So much fun!
Planning Ahead (So You Can Enjoy Your December!)
Here are a few cultural resources that you might find helpful during this season in the Spanish classroom!
- Navidad en Puerto Rico Bundle: Check out this unique take on teaching Christmas through the lens of Puerto Rico, an island that boasts one of the longest holiday seasons in the world!
- Navidad en Mexico – Spanish Christmas Daily Culture Activities: Download includes presentations in English and Spanish, offering daily activities to teach students about the uniqueness of the holiday season in Mexico
- Navidad en Colombia – Spanish Christmas Daily Culture Activities: Daily cultural activities to teach students about the holiday season. Download includes presentations in English and Spanish.
- Año Nuevo Bundle: This Año Nuevo Bundle has everything you need for when you return from Winter break! So no more thinking about what to plan: your plans are done! Click for more info!
- Winter Bundle: A combo of La Navidad & El Año Nuevo resources so you can be prepared before and after Winter Break
- FREEBIE: You read right! Freebie! A four-page learning activity/writing prompt where students write a letter to Los Tres Reyes Magos! Beautifully designed–can be printed or completed digitally! Click here or below for more information!
Bring Authentic Culture into the Classroom: Holiday Edition
Here are some ideas on how you can teach authentically in the classroom!
- Plan a parranda: I am so inspired by the spirit of Puerto Rico. Maybe it’s my Caribbean background; maybe it’s growing up in a Puerto Rican neighborhood–but I love bringing elements of Caribbean and Puerto Rican culture into the classroom. I bought instruments (inexpensive from Amazon) for all my kiddos: güiros, maracas, tambores, etc! We practice a few songs, and then we plan an “asalto” on nearby classes. I bring my JBL, and it is so much fun! It fits in perfectly with the Navidad in Puerto Rico Bundle curriculum.
- Plan a holiday party: Organize a party where everyone has to bring in something from the target culture! This may involve shopping down a different food aisle and exploring what is out there! My kids enjoy these parties and we listen to music and sing karaoke (en español)!
- *****don’t forget about the music playlist to keep these parties going! And sign up for my YouTube channel while you’re there!
Enjoy December!
Un abrazo fuerte,
Allison
About the author
Hi! My name is Allison Perryman. I have taught Spanish for over a decade and enjoy exploring diversity within world language communities. I am passionate about inclusion, Afro-Latinidad, and diversity. I founded The Cultural Classroom to help other teachers integrate authentic culture into their curriculum. I have presented at various conferences and was the Keynote speaker at The Fellowship of Language Educators of New Jersey (FLENJ). If you have any questions, feel free to email me at theculturalclassroomtpt@gmail.com!