Simple and Sweet Ways to Teach About St. Nicholas Day
I didn’t celebrate St. Nick’s Day until I taught 5th grade at a Catholic school, and they celebrated everything. Hardly a day went by without some special tradition or ceremony. For St. Nicholas Day, the kids would leave cut-outs of shoes in the hallway and come to school the next day to find gifts of candy.
I’m celebrating with my daughter today, but so far, I haven’t told her much about St. Nicholas—just that he’s going to bring her candy and that he was a Bishop. I did try to make the connection for her that she saw a Bishop at her aunt’s confirmation last month, but I haven’t had a chance to dig out pictures so she really knows what I’m talking about.
Either way, late last night, I (oh, I mean, St. Nick) gave the kids candy canes to represent a Bishop’s crozier (shepherd’s crook—I just used the big word since it looks cool), chocolate coins because the Bishop gave money, and a chocolate St. Nicholas. My daughter helped me make the chocolate St. Nicks last week. It was her first glittery craft. Surprisingly, she wasn’t that excited. She was more concerned about the glitter sticking to her hands—and was way more excited when she got to use the vacuum to clean up the floor. Goofy kid.
Happy St. Nicholas Day!
If you’re looking for fun ways to celebrate and teach about St. Nicholas Day, here’s a link for some ideas—reading comprehension, coloring pages, word searches, and more!
Do you want more ideas for Advent Activities?
Dropping by from Catholic Mothers Online to say hi 🙂 Adorable pictures!