Wednesday, November 19, 2025

Montessori-Inspired Reindeer Activities Using Free Printables

By Deb Chitwood from Living Montessori Now

A reindeer theme is so much fun in December ... whether or not you want to focus on Santa's reindeer. Our new unit has Montessori-inspired activities using free reindeer printables along with a new Montessori-inspired reindeer pack for subscribers to our free newsletter at Living Montessori Now! 

You'll find many activities for preschoolers through early elementary throughout the year in my previous PreK + K Sharing posts. You'll also find ideas for using free printables to create activity trays here: How to Use Printables to Create Montessori-Inspired Activities. 

At Living Montessori Now, I have a page with lots and lots of free printables.

Disclosure: This post contains some affiliate links (at no cost to you).

Montessori Shelves with Reindeer-Themed Activities

Montessori Shelves with Reindeer-Themed Activities

You’ll find Montessori-inspired reindeer-themed numbers, letters, and more (part of my subscriber freebie pack, so just sign up for my email to get the link and password … or check the bottom of your latest newsletter if you’re already a subscriber) 
 
Go to my Free Reindeer Printables and Montessori-Inspired Reindeer Activities at Living Montessori Now for the free printables and activity ideas you see on the shelf and collage above!

Free Montessori-Inspired Reindeer Pack


Montessori-Inspired Reindeer Pack for DIY Cards and Counters, Number or Letter Matching, Number or Letter Basket, Bead Bar Work, Hands-on Math Operations, Number or Letter Salt/Sand Writing Tray, Letter Tracing, DIY Movable Alphabet, and Creative Writing (subscriber freebie, so just sign up for my email to get the link and password – or check your inbox if you’re already a subscriber).

More Advent and Christmas Resources

You can find many reindeer books here: Reindeer Books for Kids (including books as they’re published) Advent

Christmas If you'd like ideas for calendar-based themes throughout November and December, see my November Themed Activities for Kids. and my December Themed Activities for Kids.

Be sure to go to my Free Reindeer Printables and Montessori-Inspired Reindeer Activities for lots of free printables and activity ideas.
 
I hope you have a wonderful holiday season!
  Deb - Signature
Deb ChitwoodDeb Chitwood is a certified Montessori teacher with a master’s degree in Early Childhood Studies from Sheffield Hallam University in Sheffield, England. Deb taught in Montessori schools in Iowa and Arizona before becoming owner/director/teacher of her own Montessori school in South Dakota. Later, she homeschooled her two children through high school. Deb is now a Montessori writer who lives in San Diego with her husband of 50 years (and lives in the city where her kids, kids-in-law, and grandkids live).
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Monday, November 3, 2025

Teaching Gratitude at Christmas: A Gift that Lasts Beyond the Season

The book Christmas Gratitude Journal for Kids

Because I once taught parenting classes in Montessori classrooms in New England, I know you strive to teach children to explore with their hands, hearts, and minds, to notice, reflect, and find joy in meaningful moments. Christmas offers the perfect opportunity to extend that philosophy beyond the classroom and into the realm of gratitude.

Why Gratitude Matters

Gratitude helps children recognize abundance, not in things, but in relationships, experiences, and acts of kindness. When children pause to reflect on what they’re thankful for, a warm home, a caring friend, a teacher’s encouragement, they begin to see life through a lens of appreciation rather than expectation.

This mindset builds emotional resilience, empathy, and self-awareness, qualities that Montessori educators strive to nurture daily. Gratitude teaches children that joy isn’t something we wait to receive; it’s something we practice.

Christmas as a Season of Reflection

Amid the excitement of lights, presents, and parties, children benefit from gentle, daily moments of reflection. A short gratitude practice before lunch, circle time, or at the end of the day helps them slow down and connect with the deeper meaning of the season, love, kindness, and community.

One simple practice you can try in the classroom:

Have each child share one thing that made them smile today, one thing that made them think, and one act of kindness they noticed. This not only builds verbal expression but also cultivates emotional vocabulary and awareness.

A Simple Tool to Guide the Journey

To help families and classrooms bring this practice to life, I created the Christmas Gratitude Journal for Kids, a 25-day guided journey of reflection, creativity, and kindness. What it is NOT is an empty journal with the same thing on every two pages like many other low-content journals. In this journal is a 2-page section each day which includes writing prompts, coloring activities, and small “kindness missions” that help children celebrate what truly matters during the holidays. You will also find four pages in the beginning with clear instructions, along with a parent/teacher guide at the end and a certificate of completion.

It’s designed for ages 7–12 and works beautifully in Montessori environments that value reflection, independence, and emotional intelligence.

You can find it now on Amazon by CLICKING HERE.

But I want to give away 5 copies FREE of charge and I will pay the shipping. Everyone who leaves a reply to this post that you want to be considered will go into a drawing for one of 5 copies of my new journal.

Let’s make this Christmas not just merry, but mindful. When we teach children to give thanks, we give them a skill that lasts a lifetime.

Read more »
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