Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree – Fun Learning Activities for a Christmas Countdown

Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree – Fun Learning Activities for a Christmas Countdown

Hi friends!

Welcome back to our Christmas countdown series here on Printables by Janille – Teaching Fun for Kids! If you joined us last week, we explored Silent Night with crafts, reading, and math activities for every grade. Today, we’re moving to a fun, lively carol that’s sure to get everyone moving: Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree. This song is perfect for celebrating the joy and excitement of the holiday season while sneaking in some learning along the way.

The History of Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree

“Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree” was written by Johnny Marks in 1958, a songwriter known for several Christmas hits. He wrote the song specifically for Brenda Lee, who recorded it when she was only thirteen years old. Although the song did not gain immediate popularity, it grew steadily and became a major hit in the 1960s.

The song’s upbeat rhythm and cheerful lyrics set it apart from many traditional carols. Over time, it became a staple of holiday radio and television, especially after being included in several Christmas movies. Brenda Lee’s original recording remains one of the most recognized versions and continues to chart on music lists decades after its release.

Its lively style and nostalgic sound have helped make it one of the most enduring modern Christmas songs.

Craft: Christmas Dance Party Garland

Materials Needed:

Construction paper (red, green, yellow)

Scissors

Glue stick or tape

String or yarn

Markers or crayons

Instructions:

1. Cut out music notes, dancing tree shapes, or mini ornaments from construction paper.

2. Decorate each shape with crayons or markers.

3. Write one line from the song on each cutout.

4. Tape or glue shapes onto string to make a festive garland.

5. Hang the garland in your classroom or home and dance along to the song!

Worksheet/Visual Idea:

Provide a template of dancing trees and music notes that kids can cut out and color.

Include dotted lines to help with tracing and cutting.

Reading & Literacy Lessons

Preschool:

Trace the words “Rockin’ Around” on a worksheet with dotted letters.

Clap or move to the beat while saying the words aloud.

Kindergarten:

Sight words: “around,” “tree,” “rockin’.” Highlight them on a lyric sheet.

Practice reading aloud “Rockin’ around the Christmas tree.”

1st Grade:

Phonics focus: Identify “r” in Rockin’ and “t” in tree.

Write the first line on lined paper, focusing on letter formation.

2nd Grade:

Vocabulary: Define “party” and “tree.” Use each in a sentence.

Draw a picture showing your favorite part of a Christmas dance.

3rd Grade:

Sequencing: Cut out lyric lines and put the first verse in order.

Writing prompt: “Describe your favorite holiday tradition in 3–4 sentences.”

4th Grade:

Poetry study: Identify rhymes and rhythm in the first verse.

Rewrite one line in your own words while keeping the rhythm.

5th Grade:

Analyze tone: How does the music make you feel? Write a paragraph.

Compare Brenda Lee’s 1958 version to a modern version in 2–3 sentences.

6th Grade:

Discuss historical context: Why would this fun, upbeat song have appealed to families in 1958?

Journal prompt: Write a paragraph imagining a Christmas party from the 1950s.

Visual/Worksheet Ideas:

Tracing sheets for Preschool/1st grade

Lyric sheet with highlighted sight words for Kindergarten

Sequencing cards and writing prompts for 2nd–6th grades

Math Lessons – Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree

Preschool (Counting and One-to-One Correspondence)

1. Count 1–5 dancing trees.

2. Count 6–10 music notes.

3. How many trees are on the left side?

4. How many notes are on the right side?

5. Point to 3 trees and count them.

6. Clap for each music note you see (1–5).

7. Touch each tree and count aloud.

8. Count 5 trees in a row.

9. Place 2 trees on the garland, count how many now.

10. Draw 4 music notes and count them.

Kindergarten (Sorting and Tallying)

1. Sort 10 trees into green and red. How many of each?

2. Tally the number of stars on the garland.

3. Tally the number of music notes.

4. Draw 3 groups of shapes and count each group.

5. Count how many stars are at the top.

6. Count how many stars are at the bottom.

7. Add the two groups together.

8. Circle all red trees and count them.

9. Draw 5 more stars and count the total.

10. Color 7 stars and leave the rest blank.

1st Grade (Addition & Subtraction)

1. 4 + 5 = ___

2. 3 + 6 = ___

3. 7 + 2 = ___

4. 5 + 5 = ___

5. 9 + 1 = ___

6. 10 – 3 = ___

7. 8 – 4 = ___

8. 6 – 2 = ___

9. 7 – 5 = ___

10. 9 – 6 = ___

2nd Grade (Addition, Subtraction, Word Problems)

1. 12 + 5 = ___

2. 15 – 7 = ___

3. There are 10 music notes, 3 fall off. How many left?

4. 8 + 6 = ___

5. 14 – 9 = ___

6. 7 + 7 = ___

7. 13 – 4 = ___

8. There are 16 trees and 5 are red. How many are green?

9. 9 + 8 = ___

10. 20 – 6 = ___

3rd Grade (Multiplication & Introduction to Division)

1. 3 × 6 = ___

2. 4 × 5 = ___

3. 6 × 2 = ___

4. 7 × 3 = ___

5. 8 × 2 = ___

6. 12 ÷ 4 = ___

7. 15 ÷ 3 = ___

8. 18 ÷ 6 = ___

9. 9 × 2 = ___

10. 5 × 5 = ___

4th Grade (Division, Multi-Step Word Problems)

1. 24 ÷ 4 = ___

2. 36 ÷ 6 = ___

3. 18 ÷ 3 = ___

4. 48 ÷ 8 = ___

5. 30 ÷ 5 = ___

6. There are 32 shapes for 4 garlands. How many per garland?

7. If 5 stars fall from 25, how many remain?

8. 60 ÷ 10 = ___

9. A garland has 24 stars, divided into 3 rows. How many per row?

10. 72 ÷ 8 = ___

5th Grade (Word Problems & Multiplication)

1. Each tree twinkles 3 times per minute. 8 trees = ___ twinkles

2. 5 trees × 4 twinkles each = ___

3. 7 trees × 6 twinkles each = ___

4. 9 trees × 2 twinkles each = ___

5. If 12 stars twinkle 5 times each, total twinkles = ___

6. 3 groups of 7 trees = ___

7. 4 groups of 6 stars = ___

8. There are 10 trees × 3 twinkles each = ___

9. 8 stars × 7 twinkles each = ___

10. 15 stars × 2 twinkles each = ___

6th Grade (Fractions, Ratios, Multi-Step Problems)

1. 12 stars: 3 red, 9 green. Fraction red = ___

2. Ratio red:green = ___

3. 18 stars: 6 green, 12 red. Fraction green = ___

4. 24 stars: 8 green, rest red. Ratio green:red = ___

5. If 3/12 stars are red, how many are green?

6. 1/4 of 16 stars = ___

7. 2/3 of 18 stars = ___

8. If 5 red stars are added to 10 green, new ratio = ___

9. 12 ÷ 3 = ___ (fraction interpretation)

10. There are 15 stars, 5 green, 10 red. What fraction are red?

Wrapping Up

I hope your kids have a blast dancing, crafting, reading, and counting along with Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree! This is another step in our fun countdown to Christmas series. Be sure to follow along each week for more holiday carols, creative crafts, reading activities, and math challenges for all grade levels.