Inclusive Winter Art in the Classroom

Celebrating The Winter Holidays Through Art — Inclusively 🎨❄️

As art educators, we teach in beautifully diverse classrooms. In the US, students come from many cultural and religious backgrounds — Christian, Jewish, Muslim, Buddhist, Jehovah’s Witness, and more. During the winter season, it’s essential to design art lessons that include everyone, rather than centering on one holiday or tradition. As teachers, we never want a child to feel left out or isolated, form the classroom community simply because of what their family does—or doesn’t—celebrate.  

Some students celebrate Christmas, while others observe Hanukkah or Kwanzaa. Some may mark nothing religious at all. When we focus too heavily on a single holiday, we risk excluding or alienating those who don’t share it. In fact, inclusive school guidelines recommend avoiding favoring one religion over another and instead focusing on unifying, secular themes. Teachers have a powerful role to create a welcoming, respectful classroom environment where all students feel seen.

Why an Inclusive Approach Matters in Art Class

• Respecting diversity: When we acknowledge our students’ different cultures and traditions, we foster a sense of belonging. We want to raise a generation of students that not only tolerate each other but respect each other. 

• Avoiding exclusion: The law supports secular or educational displays of winter symbols, but using overt religious imagery as decoration can make some students feel marginalized. 

• Centering shared themes: Experts suggest focusing on universal winter themes — like nature, snow, light, and community — rather than specific religious holidays. 

A Winter Art Lesson for Everyone

Here’s a lesson I love teaching because it’s completely inclusive, yet still captures the magic of the season.

Lesson: Winter Landscape Card with a Stamp

1. Concept: Students create a winter landscape stamp (think snowy trees, hills, maybe a moon or twinkling stars, or northern lights).

2. Process:

   • Trace and press a simple winter scene into the surface.

   • Use a foam block or dense eraser as a “stamp surface.”

   • Ink the stamp and press it onto cardstock or drawing paper to create a repeating pattern or a single stamp.

   • Fold the paper to turn it into a greeting card.

3. Flexibility: Because the card features a neutral winter landscape, students can use it for any occasion — it could say “Happy Holidays,” “Thinking of You,” “Winter Wishes,” or simply be blank on the inside.

4. Extension: Ask students to write a short message inside — whatever feels meaningful to them. They can button up the card with their own words for their own audience.

This lesson centers on nature and design — not religious symbols — making it accessible to students of all backgrounds.

Other Winter Landscape Options to Explore

Beyond the stamp card, here are some additional inclusive winter art projects you can offer:

• Watercolor Snowflakes

• Warm & Cool Color Snow Scenes in Pen and Watercolor

• Landscape in Scratch Art

• Warm & Cool Color Fireplace Scenes in 1 Point Perspective

Each of these options emphasizes seasonal beauty rather than religious imagery, allowing every student to feel included and free to share their own meaning.

By centering winter in a secular, artistic way, we can embrace the beauty of the season without excluding anyone. Art becomes a bridge — not just between students and materials, but between students’ different traditions, beliefs, and experiences. When we teach this way, we’re not just making art; we’re building community.