Christmas Art Lesson Christmas Holly Art Project Holiday Art Activity Craft

This Christmas Holly Art Lesson is a holiday art project for Grades 2 to 5 that combines a guided drawing tutorial with reading, writing and reflection. Students follow a step-by-step holly drawing to create a vibrant mixed media artwork, then extend it with literacy and elements of art activities.

Students learn the history and symbolism of holly in the informational passage "Holly as a Christmas Tradition" and read the winter story "The Holly That Glowed at Midnight." It is low prep and gives you a complete December lesson for classrooms and homeschool, even without an art background.

WHAT'S INCLUDED (NON-EDITABLE)

• Art Lesson: full lesson plan with hooks, participation strategies, instructions and standards alignment, step-by-step directed drawing for Christmas holly, a 16-step photo demonstration tutorial, example artwork, art rubric, and a "Holly Christmas Artworks" bulletin board sign
• KWL Chart and Draw and Design art challenge
• Reading: informational text "Holly as a Christmas Tradition", fiction story "The Holly That Glowed at Midnight", comprehension questions with answer key, sight word tracking list and tricky word bank
• Writing: opinion writing "Is Holly the Best Decoration?" and creative writing "Winter Magic: A Holly Plant That Helps Someone"
• Reflections: Message and Meaning, Top 3 Things I Love About My Art, Compare and Contrast (holly vs. poinsettia), Emotions, Medium, Process and Learning pages, 3 Stars and a Wish, and artist statement pages
• Elements and Principles of Art: radial symmetry mandala, Shapes and Forms page, Line Exploration activity and a Christmas holly coloring page

HOW TO USE IT

Use it as a December art lesson, holiday week activity, winter literacy integration, sub plan or homeschool art unit. The art usually takes 2 to 3 class periods, and the literacy activities can be done the same day or spread across the week.

Students need oil pastels or crayons, green colored paper or cardstock, thick white paper, paint (any kind), and a black permanent marker, colored pencil or wax crayon.

FAQ

Who can use this resource?

Classroom teachers, art educators, homeschool families and substitute teachers, including multi-age homeschool settings.

How long does the lesson take?

The art project typically takes 2 to 3 class periods, depending on class behavior, teaching style and available time.

Do I need an art background?

No. The step-by-step visuals and detailed lesson plan make it easy to teach.

Is it editable?

No. All pages are non-editable.

Get free, classroom-ready art lessons and printables in my Free Art Lesson Library.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Kathleen McGiveron (Ms Artastic) is an artist and educator whose work has been featured on NBC LX News and in OCO Magazine, as the featured educator on the cover of the October 2025 edition. She designs art lessons for kids and educational resources for teachers, and hosts the Ms Artastic YouTube Channel and Podcast.

TERMS OF USE

Images and lessons are copyright products.

YOU MAY: use this resource for classroom, homeschool or personal educational use, and print and project it for student learning.

YOU MAY NOT: share it with other teachers or post it online. Each educator must purchase their own license.

Sincerely,

Ms Artastic