Polar Express Day

For years, our first-grade classroom has celebrated Polar Express Day in December. This was always a special day that goes beyond just watching a movie in our pajamas. It’s a day packed with learning activities, creativity, and a bit of magic. Here are The Polar Express activities that we included in this fun-filled day plus I’m sharing a Polar Express freebie with you to use in your classroom!

Polar Express Reading Comprehension

The excitement starts with everyone coming to school in their pajamas. We kick off the day by reading The Polar Express by Chris Van Allsburg, followed by engaging reading comprehension activities. Together, we discuss and answer questions, work in groups to sequence the story, and dive into inferencing exercises.

Polar Express Craft

Next, we bring the holiday spirit to life with a fun train craft for the hallway. Each student creates their own “wish train” cart to add to the class engine. It’s a wonderful way to share our hopes for the new year, and the finished display looks amazing stretched along the hallway wall.

Polar Express Centers

Afterward, we dive into our Polar Express-themed centers. These centers include a mix of low-prep and no-prep activities. Each station is clearly marked with a center card, and students are given a checklist to track their progress as they explore each one at their own pace.

The word work centers include:

Syllable sorting (two options)
Unscrambling “-ell” words
Alphabetizing (two levels)
Word-making activities
Category sorting
Punctuation practice (two options)
Working with contractions

The math centers include:

Time to the hour matching
Ten Frame Top It
Draw 3 & Add
Roll & Add Cover All
Roll & Subtract
Double the Fun Cover All
A Roll & Move board game

We also have creative centers, like holiday wish writing, letters to Santa, making a pajama-themed craft, and even a Polar Express Bingo game. Students spend the morning rotating through the centers, working independently or in groups, and enjoying a variety of activities.

Polar Express Ticket

After lunch, we wrap up any unfinished centers before moving into the most exciting part of the day: the movie! Each child receives a special ticket to “board” the train for the film. While they enjoy the movie, I serve popcorn and hot chocolate. For the hot chocolate, I use the simplest method: warm chocolate milk in a crockpot, ready to go by the afternoon.

Polar Express Day is always a memorable experience that the kids talk about long after it’s over. It combines learning, creativity, and fun in a way that captures the magic of the season. You can click the images or links to purchase these Polar Express Day activities for your classroom.