Posted on December 13, 2022December 13, 2022 by homeschoolmastery

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How To Make Unit Studies From Your Favorite Holiday Movies

Nothing gets families into the spirit of the holiday season like watching Christmas movies together. While watching movies together may feel like a time to lounge, it can actually be a time that is both relaxing and educational.

Look at these 6 tips on creating homeschool unit studies around your favorite holiday movies. These tips can help you enjoy the movie further and continue to use it as a learning tool long after the show is over!

6 Tips for Creating Unit Studies Around Your Favorite Holiday Movies

1. Create a movie based recipe.
This is a fun way to experience the movie hands on! Look for a recipe or food featured in the film. Perhaps it is a certain dessert, a certain kind of bread, cookies, even soup. Create this recipe together and enjoy it as the characters in the movie did.

2. Create a craft based on the film.
Get those creative juices flowing when you create a craft based on the film. Some ideas include an ornament, Christmas card, or bookmark that is designed with the theme or the characters of the movie in mind. Kids love getting crafty, and this is an easy way for them to develop an understanding of the movie further. If you have multiple ideas, go for it! You can always create 2-3 crafts based around the film characters or theme of the film.

Check out this post for craft ideas based on your favorite children’s books too!

3. Make a movie themed word list.
Look for colorful, creative, or even confusing words in the movie. Keep a running list as you watch it. This can be any assortment of words you wish to write down, in anticipation of discussing their meanings after the movie is over. This helps kids really pay attention to dialogue in the movie, which is always a plus – and learning new vocabulary.

4. Read the book the movie was based on.
Many holiday films are based on books. See if you can find the book version of the film you are watching. If it is above the child’s reading level, you could always read a chapter a night together instead of having them read independently. When done, compare and contrast the film and the book and see what you come up with.

5. Do a geography study of where the movie takes place.
Pay attention to the city/state where the movie takes place. When you finish the film, do a mini study on the location. See what facts you can find out such as the population, mayor, year established, weather, and more. This is a great way to help children understand the setting of the movie in a more in-depth way.

6. Look for and identify themes in the movie.
Most holiday movies tend to have a theme, whether it be one of love, friendship, forgiveness, community, or hope. See if you can find the theme or themes the movie is trying to portray. Take the time to identify and talk about examples of these themes in the film. You can even have children predict the theme of the film before or while watching it and see how spot on they are.

As you can see, there are all sorts of ways to take holiday films to the next level. Consider these 6 tips for creating unit studies around holiday movies, and see how they can help you dive in deeper and reach a better understanding of the film.

If you aren’t sure where to begin, here are some holiday film ideas to get you started! Grab our unit study builder to walk you through the process!