The Polar Express Day. We look forward to it every year. I instantly get the warm fuzzies thinking of comfy pajamas and hot chocolate. Although in Florida we might still rather have a frozen hot chocolate some days! 🙂
I’ve been doing a version of these activities since I taught kindergarten in the public school system, but more has been added now that I get to do it with my own kids!
And here’s where it gets good for you…I’m sharing all of our activities right here! (Plus some new ones created for this year!)
I usually spend one day doing The Polar Express themed activities, but you can space it out however you want.
Let’s get started!
Read
Start off your day by reading the book together!
Write
Prompts:
After reading the story, choose one (or both!) of the writing prompts pictured below for them to work on. There are three levels for each prompt: one for just drawing a picture, one for a picture and a sentence, and one for just writing.
Copywork:
If you use a Charlotte Mason approach to homeschool, then you (and your kids!) are probably familiar with copywork. We’ve only begun using this method more this year, but I am a fan.
I’ve noticed a significant improvement in my 5 year old’s handwriting. It’s also a great teacher of grammar and sentence structure, so I wanted to create something specifically for The Polar Express!
This free resource for you to download and enjoy is below. 🙂
Polar Express Copy WorkDOWNLOAD RIGHT HERE!
Poem:
Here’s an acrostic poem that can be used with a wide range of ages! (Available in Polar Express Bundle!)
Art
Art for Kids Hub is one of our FAVORITE go-to places for drawing. My kids and I both love how easy it is to draw along with Rob and his kids!
Linked below are a couple of great videos to add to your list of Polar Express activities…a Christmas Train and a Realistic Jingle Bell.
You could also take this opportunity to talk about the difference between cartoon and realistic art!
Christmas Train:
Realistic Jingle Bell:
Cook
The Polar Express Day is a great opportunity to take the fun into the kitchen! There’s about a hundred different sweet treats you could make but the two easiest, and the ones we always choose, are chocolate chip cookies and hot chocolate!
During the day, teach your kiddos how to make hot chocolate, then print out my recipe printable and have them write down a recipe for it. They could write it out the same way you made it together or they could create their own unique hot chocolate recipe!
I like to use a crockpot hot chocolate recipe for this because then it’s ready for them to have during the movie later that evening.
As far as the cookies go, just go with your favorite! Like I said above, we choose chocolate chip because they’re quick and always delicious, but you could take the time to make and decorate cute Christmas sugar cookies too.
Now the purpose of the cookies is to serve them with hot chocolate during that fun part in the movie later in the evening…so if this your first time having a Polar Express Day and you want to surprise your kids with that (which I HIGHLY recommend!), then bake the cookies the night before, after they go to bed, and hide them away.
You can always briefly rewarm them in the oven while they’re watching the movie (or just serve those yummy things the way they are!). They will LOVE seeing you bring out real cookies and hot chocolate for them just like the kids in the movie. 🙂
BOTH recipe templates available in the Polar Express Bundle!
Learn
Incorporate some extra learning into your day by watching a video or two on how marshmallows and/or chocolate is made:
Watch
Everyone’s favorite part of the day is when we finally get to watch the movie! You can do this anytime that works best for your family, but we enjoy saving it for after dinner once the sun has went down and it feels extra magical!
A List of Things I Have Prepped BEFORE the Movie:
- hot chocolate warming in crockpot
- cookies baked and ready
- Polar Express train tickets printed on card stock
- conductor hat printed and assembled (for you or your spouse to wear during the movie…optional but fun!)
- How To: Just print and cut out hat template on colored paper, or color it yourself. Then cut out a strip of construction paper long enough to wrap around your head, staple it together into a circle and staple on the hat front. That’s it!
- jingle bells turned into necklaces
- the watching area (aka our living room) arranged to look like a train
- set up chairs in two rows for each child in front of television creating a center aisle
- provide blankets
- leave it as simple as this or decorate the area as much as you’d like!
- everyone’s changed into comfy pjs 🙂
What We Do DURING the Movie:
- Children must present their ticket to get on the “Polar Express” for the movie.
- Let them choose their seat and get comfy, then start the movie.
- During the train scene where they pass out the cookies and hot chocolate is your cue to bring it to life for them! Pass out those cookies and hot chocolate in step with the music! Or just casually if that’s more your style. They’ll be excited either way. 🙂
- At the end of the movie, give each child one of the jingle bell necklaces as a keepsake.
Included in the polar express bundle:
- Writing Prompts
- Copywork
- Acrostic Poem
- 2 Recipe Templates
- Tickets
- Conductor Hat Template
I hope you’re able to put some (or all!) of these resources to use this holiday season and create a magically fun Polar Express Day for your kids!
If you enjoy thematic units then make sure to check out the Thematic Unit section of my blog where I have other themes organized and ready just for you! I’m constantly adding more, so check back often!
Don’t forget to use the photo below to pin this post so you can quickly find it again when you’re ready to start planning!
Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays. 🙂
