Christmas Library Centers

Who’s ready to set up Christmas Library Centers? After Thanksgiving, our thoughts and decor turn to Christmas and other winter holidays. I’ve shared before about how I decorate with a holiday-neutral candy theme, how I rotate the winter and Christmas picture books, and how I created a “gingerbread house” for students to read in. In this post, I’ll share some ideas I’ve used for library centers in December.

Elf on the Shelf

I’ve got the elf on the shelf on the move in December, and I include books in his displays whenever I can think of a connection. Our elf on the shelf made a new friend in the library last week.

Barbie came to visit, and she’s much friendlier than that mean ole Grinch! We have a lot of fun with our Elf on the Shelf, and I’ve gathered lots of ideas for him on this Pinterest board. I know that lots of parents don’t have the time or energy to create elf scenes at home. It just takes me a couple of minutes to set him up after school for the following day, and it adds a sprinkle of magic to our school library during the holiday season.

Search, Count & Color Library Center

We’ll have winter centers in the library this week as an option for those who don’t celebrate Christmas. I found this FREE winter I Spy search and color activity. There are two different version of this counting and coloring printable. The first gives students the target amount of each object to search and color, and the second leaves the total amount out and has students count how many objects they see.

After you make copies, you’ll need to add pencils and colored pencils at this library center.

Christmas Ornament Library Center

I’m also setting up a simple center for students to make ornaments out of strips of scrapbook paper, looped and tied with a ribbon. They’ll write greetings like “peace” or “joy” on the inside with a marker. I want my students who don’t have Christmas decorations or trees or living rooms to have something colorful for the season. Here’s what that Christmas decoration library center looks like.

If you’d like to have this Christmas ornament center in your library, you can download the “I Can” sign here as a pdf. You’ll just need to add strips of scrapbook or construction paper, pieces of ribbon, glue sticks, and markers. As you can see from the above photo, I make one sample ornament to show what the finished product should look like. Our students love to create ornaments for our library tree AND ornaments to take home.

Winter Directed Drawing Library Center

Of course, I’ve always got a bookmark center going, with winter and holiday books on display. My Directed Drawing Winter Bookmarks are perfect for December! Just print, copy, chop, and you’re ready to go. The expectations sign for this center is included in your download. I find that the holiday season at school can be overwhelming for some students, with all of the changes in schedule and different activities and dress-up days. A bookmark center can be the perfect Christmas library center for creating an island of calm.

Christmas Puzzle Library Center

A puzzle center is another great idea for allowing students to slow down and relax. They’ll also collaborate and talk to each other as they work the puzzle. You can find great choices on Amazon, like this one, with dogs and cats wearing holiday hats, or this snowman family puzzle. I shared here about how I set up my puzzle center, including a free download for my puzzle center expectations sign.

I hope these Christmas library center ideas help you and your students have a colorful, fun-filled week of winter fun in your school library!