The holiday season is here! The “most wonderful time of the year” can be busy: spending time with friends and family, shopping, wrapping gifts, and holiday baking and cooking are all fun activities, but sometimes it’s good to have a little downtime amid the flurry of activities (and snowflakes!). How do you keep your elementary school aged kids engaged while relaxing by the fire with some hot cocoa? Try these favorite winter/holiday stories, recommended by the Lower School teachers and staff at Sandy Spring Friends School, to keep your young reader entertained during the winter season:

1. 'Twas The Night Before Christmas by Clement C. Moore - Recommended by Brenda Crawley (Lower School Head)
2. The Polar Express by Chris Van Allsburg - Recommended by Pam Gilmer (Lower School Admin Assistant)
3. Counting to Christmas by Nancy Tafuri - Recommended by Julia McCready (PK3 teacher)
4. You Can Do It, Sam by Amy Hest - Recommended by Chanelle Broughton (PK4 teacher)
5. Little House on the Prairie Christmas by Laura Ingalls Wilder - Recommended by Erin Scott (Kindergarten teacher)
6. Auntie Claus by Elise Primavera - Recommended by Salli Innes (1st Grade teacher)
7. An Orange for Frankie by Patricia Polacco - Recommended by Amy Curtis (2nd Grade teacher)
8. The Christmas Miracle of Jonathan Toomey by Susan Wojciechowski & P.J. Lynch - Recommended by Jeff Smith (3rd Grade teacher)
9. The Nutter by Jan Brett - Recommended by Linda Garrettson (4th Grade teacher)
10. The Gift of Nothing by Patrick McDonnell - Recommended by Kiki Vargas (5th Grade teacher)
11. Cuento de Navidad by Calfonso Bonilla Naar - Recommended by Mariella Lucero (Spanish teacher)

This list is full of fun and adventure that will delight your kids and hold their attention while you sneak presents from your car, through the bedroom window, all the way to the Christmas tree. They are also fun to read together as a family. So, after you’ve hidden the presents, pour that cup of hot cocoa and enjoy some great Christmas stories with your kids this holiday season.