Sing for the Season

The holidays are a time for love, laughter, and an opportunity to enhance learning. Santa Claus elicits feelings of joy and excitement for young children. Research has taught us that the brain is stimulated when learning has an emotional connection. This song (sung to the tune of “Bingo”) uses this connection with Santa to teach letter recognition, beginning spelling, and descriptive language.

1. Challenge students to list things they associate with Santa Claus (long white beard, flying sleigh, comes on Christmas Eve, big black boots, soft white suit, bag of toys).
2. Write the letters S-A-N-T-A on a dry-erase board or chalkboard.
3. Sing the following song to the tune of bingo inserting the descriptive phrases provided by the children.

There was a man with a long white beard and S-A-N-T-A was his name-o

S-A-N-T-A

S-A-N-T-A

S-A-N-T-A

And Santa was his name-o

Erase the “S” and insert a line for a ‘blank.’ Explain to the children how to clap in place of singing the letter. There was a man with a bag of toys and S-A-N-T-A was his name-o

_-A-N-T-A

_-A-N-T-A

_-A-N-T-A

And Santa was his name-o

Erase the “A.”

There was a man with a cherry nose and S-A-N-T-A was his name-o

_-_-N-T-A

_-_-N-T-A

_-_-N-T-A

And Santa was his name-o

Erase the “N.”

There was a man with big, black boots and S-A-N-T-A was his name-o

_-_-_-T-A

_-_-_-T-A

_-_-_-T-A

And Santa was his name-o

Continue until each letter has been erased.

More ideas for Christmas in the Classroom: http://infinitecvideos.wikispaces.com/Literacy