Christmas Day is just around the corner!  Here’s a simple song for your little ones!!

You’ll find everything you need to teach this song–a handout, lyrics, movement suggestions, and a video. You can find this song on Apple Music, Spotify, or iTunes. 

My dear friend and Oxford co-author, Setsuko Toyama from Niigata, Japan, created this wonderful activity sheet and picture cards. Just click below and print them!

It’s Christmas Time-Song by K. Kampa, Handout by S. Toyama

It’s Christmas Time

Words by Kathleen Kampa, copyright © 2013 by Kathleen Kampa

(music adapted from The Muffin Man)

1. Do you hear the jingle bells,

the jingle bells, the jingle bells?

Do you hear the jingle bells?

It’s Christmas time!

 Chorus:

Christmas! Christmas! Time to celebrate.

Christmas! Christmas! We can hardly wait. 

 2. Do you see the Christmas tree,

the Christmas tree, the Christmas tree?

Do you see the Christmas tree?

It’s Christmas time!

 Chorus:

Christmas! Christmas! Time to celebrate.

Christmas! Christmas! We can hardly wait. 

Do you smell the gingerbread,

The gingerbread, the gingerbread?

Do you smell the gingerbread?

It’s Christmas time!

 Chorus:

Christmas! Christmas! Time to celebrate.

Christmas! Christmas! We can hardly wait. 

 4. We feel joy and happiness,

happiness, happiness,

We feel joy and happiness,

It’s Christmas time!

The steps to the activity are as follows:

1.  Teach the six new words using the picture cards.

It’s Christmas Time-Song by K. Kampa, Handout by S. Toyama

Create a gesture for each word.

2.  As a critical thinking activity, place the pictures for hear, smell, and see in a column on the left side of the board. Place the images for gingerbread, jingle bells, and Christmas tree in a column on the right side. Point to the “hear” card as you ask students, “What can you hear?” When students answer, “jingle bells,” draw a line from hear to jingle bells. Continue in the same way with the other words. In addition, you may ask questions such as, “Can you smell a Christmas tree? Can you see jingle bells?” and so on.

3.  Hand out a copy of the activity sheet to each student. Play the song. As students listen, they point to the lyrics with illustrations (known as a rebus).

4.  Play the song again, with students standing in a circle or at their desks. On each verse, pantomime the movement with your students. For a performance, you could have different groups perform each of the verses.

5. There are so many possibilities for movements. For example, on the chorus, on Christmas, Christmas, students can a) make a big circle with their arms, b) wave their arms side to side, or c)  choose their own idea. 

On time to celebrate, students clap their hands five times, once for each syllable.

On We can hardly wait, students hug themselves, then reach their hands up on the word wait!

For the interlude music, pretend to make it snow by moving your fingers gently from up high to the ground!

We hope you enjoy this wonderful Christmas song and activity.

Here’s a video that I made with some amazing kids! They jumped right into the song and we recorded this video at a park. 

For the studio version of my song, go to iTunes and click on Track #13 of Kathy Kampa’s Special Days and Holidays. (Just click on iTunes above or the album cover below.)

This music is also available on streaming services.

I have collected numerous Christmas craft activities here on Pinterest.

Happy Teaching, and have a very Merry Christmas!

Kathy Kampa

Kathy Kampa is a passionate educator of young learners. She seeks to nurture children’s imaginations and spark creativity through fun and engaging activities. Kathy believes that music and movement should be a part of every young child’s learning.

Kathy is the co-author of Magic Time, Everybody Up, Oxford Discover, Beehive and Buzz , and Blue Dot(all published by Oxford University Press). She has taught young learners in Tokyo, Japan for over 30 years. Kathy is also active as a teacher trainer, inspiring teachers around the world. She has currently returned to her home state of Minnesota in the US.

“Christmas Gingerbreads” image courtesy of nuchylee / FreeDigitalPhotos.net