Christmas is a time for giving, and there are lots of opportunities to help people less fortunate this year. At the moment, the rising cost of many items means even more people than usual will struggle to afford things. In fact, 1.4 million children across the UK don’t have essentials like cooked food, winter clothes and a warm home. This resources pack includes an article from The Week Junior magazine, along with a sheet of activities designed to get children thinking, talking and writing about what the story means to them.
Oracy
This charitable Secret Santa campaign is a great idea. But what about Secret Santas within our schools, clubs and work places – are they getting out of hand? Are we in danger of putting others under too much pressure to buy presents at a time when money is short? In any case, shouldn’t a gift be something you choose to give, rather than feeling forced to? Or is it actually a really good way to share the joy of giving without feeling awkward about who to buy for and who not? What do you think?
Writing skills
What does Santa do for the rest of the year? Perhaps he walks amongst us, secretly doing good without people noticing. Write a first-person account of being somewhere public, like on a bus, and you see someone who you suspect is Santa in disguise, secretly performing acts of kindness without anyone noticing.
OR
We’ve all heard of letters to Santa. But what would Santa ask you for? Write a letter to you from Santa – not one replying to a letter you might have written to him, but one that shows what he would really like this year.
Investigate
The charities mentioned in this article are all worthy causes, but they are not the only ones. Find out about three other charities that have special fund-raising drives this Christmas and briefly describe what they are doing.
Find the entire series of Topical Tuesday resources to download in our Topical Tuesdays collection.
What is The Week Junior?
The Week Junior magazine looks at current affairs and helps children make sense of the world, provides context and clarity to complex issues, improves general knowledge and encourages discussion and debate.
To find out more about The Week Junior and to download its free resources, please go to The Week Junior website.