If you are teaching second grade or having a holiday party for your own second-grader, you will need to come up with several easy activities. You do not have to spend a lot of money to help kids celebrate the holiday season. You can make traditional games more festive by adding a holiday twist.

Turn a traditional game into a holiday game by changing a few things. For instance, instead of Simon Says, play Santa Says. Choose one child to be Santa. Let him wear a Santa hat for a little added fun. Have that child stand in the front of the class. When he says, "Santa says shake your arms," all of the kids should shake their arms. They have to keep doing it until Santa gives another command. If he does not say, "Santa says," the kids should ignore the command. The ones who do the command are out. The last kid standing is the winner. Give her a small prize and let her be Santa next.

Place a big picture of Santa on the wall. Make several Santa hats out of red construction paper. Instead of using pins, as that could be dangerous for second-graders, use double-sided tape. Blindfold the kids and see who can pin the hat on Santa. If someone pins the hat in the correct spot, give him a small candy or sticker prize.

Fill a jar with green and red M&M's. Count the candies as you put them in jar. Have each child write how many M&M's he thinks are in the jar. The child with the closest guess wins the jar of candy. Before playing this game, make sure that none of the second-graders is allergic to chocolate. If someone is, use lollipops or jelly beans instead.

Hang a large wreath from somewhere in the room such as a doorway or ceiling. Make several snowballs out of batting and white tissue paper. Give each child three snowballs. Have one child at a time stand about 7 or 8 feet from the wreath. They will try to throw their snowballs through the wreath. If they throw all three snowballs through, give them a prize.