7 Activities To Learn About Swedish Christmas Traditions

Teaching about winter and holiday traditions around the world is a wonderful way for our students to learn about different cultures and the unique holiday customs in other countries. Swedish Christmas traditions are unique and fun to share with your students! In this post, I’ll share fun facts and crafts, activities, teaching ideas and even lesson plans for your students to learn about:

St. Lucia Day
The Swedish Santa
Christmas Eve Julbord
The Swedish Yule Goat

Swedish Christmas Traditions

The Swedish Santa Claus

In Sweden, Jultomten, or the Tomten, is the holiday give-giver. He is a mischievous gnome who lives in the forest and protects farmers and their animals. His sleigh is pulled by the Christmas goat as he delivers gifts to all the children.

The Swedish Yule Goat

The Yule Bakken, or Yule goat is a favorite holiday symbol in Sweden. Children love him because he represents the goat that pulls Tomten’s sleigh, much like Rudolph in America.

Christmas in Sweden PowerPoint

Take your students on a virtual field to learn about some of the special events and holiday traditions in Sweden. This ready-to-use Christmas in Sweden teaching PowerPoint is the one I use to teach about holiday foods, the Swedish Santa Clause, special celebrations, and many more Swedish Christmas traditions.

Filled with captivating photos showing Swedish holiday foods, special events, and celebrations, your students will love learning all about Sweden at Christmastime.

Christmas traditions in Sweden PowerPoint

PowerPoint source here and on TPT

St. Lucia’s Day

Christmas in Sweden begins December 13 with ST. Lucia Day. Lucia is said to be the bearer of light during the long Swedish winters. To honor her, the oldest daughter dresses up in a long white dress and wears a crown of lingonberry leaves and candles.

💡Try this classroom idea: Learn more about lingonberries! Watch this video to see lingonberries being harvested. You might even bring in some lingonberry jelly for your students to taste!

Swedish Christmas Markets

Christmas in Sweden: Gammelstad Christmas Market

Make A Tomten Craft

If your students are “traveling” around the world, have them write a postcard to their families! This Tomten postcard craft is part of the holiday traditions in Sweden lessons we do during our holidays around the world unit.

Our students travel to different classrooms to learn about the unique customs and holiday traditions in countries around the world.

Holidays around the world postcard crafts from different countries.

They make postcard crafts for each country before stamping their passport and departing! See more of how we do it in my classroom and all the magical ways to teach holidays around the world.

💡Try this classroom idea: Make a Tomten ornament! Make the Tomten craft above and instead of gluing it to a postcard template, make an ornament by punching a hole at the top and tying yarn through.

Christmas in Sweden Lesson Plans

Learn much more about Christmas in Sweden with an entire week of activities, teaching slides, a fun suitcase folder, and passport with these Holidays Around the World lesson plans!

Christmas traditions in Sweden lesson plans

I’ve created a complete unit for teaching winter and Christmas holiday traditions in Sweden and 13 other countries. Each country has detailed, scripted lesson plans with related books and videos, boarding passes, a teaching PowerPoint with actual photos of the countries, and even a short quiz as an exit ticket before students depart! (they make it super easy to take a quick grade!)

Holidays around the world folder suitcase with all the crafts, reading passages and passport that go with the unit.

Holidays Around the World unit (source)

This unique holidays around the world unit is available here in the Around The Kampfire Shop and also in my TPT shop.

Christmas in Sweden Reading Comprehension

Add comprehension practice with leveled passages about holiday traditions in Sweden! These passages also include a digital version that you can project on your whiteboard and use during a lesson or make it a partner activity during your literacy center time.

Holidays Around the World Math Games

💡Try this classroom idea: Set up holiday-themed math centers around the room so students can “travel” to different countries and practice math skills!

With these holiday math centers, (available in three grade levels) students carry a “math passport” and stamp it when they finish the game at each country’s table. Pictured is the 2nd grade Sweden game to practice subtraction.

For a fun and festive day with your students, use the games for a math-around-the-world holiday party! This post has holiday math party ideas that you can do in your own classroom!