‘A Christmas Carol’ Mini Unit

Charles Dickens ‘A Christmas Carol’- Mini Unit Study

If you’ve never tried a unit study before, this busy time of year might be the perfect time to give it a try!
A Christmas-themed unit study easily can weave together reading, writing, history, and even math!
AND this makes it a piece of cake to teach all ages of your children together!

This relaxed mini unit on Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol is designed to help your family slow down, connect, and enjoy learning together through one of the most loved Christmas stories ever!
No pressure, no long lists of supplies or stressful preparation—it’s all ready to go!

So curl up on the couch with cocoa and read this story aloud by the Christmas tree, or listen to an audio version while baking cookies or driving to look at lights.
Then, explore Dickens’ world together—
What life was like in Victorian England?
Why Dickens write this story?
How did A Christmas Carol help shape many of the traditions we still enjoy today?

Homeschooling during the holidays doesn’t have to be stressful or complicated!
Grab the PDF Version or the Printables and add in a bit of math to keep the routine rolling, and you’re good to go!

Printable PDF Version

Printable POWER Pack

*Required disclaimer-  
This post may contain some links that go directly to Amazon, of which I am an affiliate.  I will get a small commission on any sales made by clicking through one of these links, at no additional cost to you of course!   Thank you for supporting me in this way !

*If you want to stretch this unit to last for the month of December, there are some great books you could just toss in and extend the fun!
There’s a bunch listed at the bottom of this post– including a really fun Christmas STEM one!
Here are just a few of the top recommendations:

*Victorian Days  (Learning History with Projects, Games, Activities, & Recipes)
*The Victorian Christmas   (Traditions, Recipes, and lots of other fun ideas)
*STEAM Kids Christmas Science
*Merry Christmas Math 
*Rags & Riches:  Kids in the Times of Dickens  (Magic Treehouse Companion)
*A Ghost Tale for Christmas Time   (Magic Treehouse)

Have you ever heard the song, “It’s The Most Wonderful Time Of The Year“?
Did you notice that there is a line in the song tucked between Christmas caroling and playing in the snow that is a bit…. WEIRD!?
If not, read it and see if you spot it!

“There’ll be parties for hosting,
Marshmallows for toasting,
And caroling out in the snow!

There’ll be scary ghost stories,
And tales of the glories of
Christmases long, long ago.”

Scary ghost stories… about Christmas?!
Yep!
Welcome to Victorian England, and one of the most famous Christmas GHOST stories ever told, Charles Dickens’ ‘A Christmas Carol’ !
But this isn’t a scary story—it’s a story of second chances, kindness, and the power of a changed heart.

In this unit, you’ll step back in time to explore how Charles Dickens used his unforgettable characters—Ebenezer Scrooge, the Cratchit family, and the three spirits—to remind us what truly matters in life.
You’ll learn about Dickens’ life, the time period he lived in, and some of the Christmas traditions we still have because of this story!

A Christmas Carol has remained a holiday favorite for over 175 years now— let’s dig in and find out WHY!

*Notes:

#1-  A note on scary ghost stories… for Christmas
Parents or older students might enjoy reading this article about the Victorian Tradition of telling Christmas Ghost Stories

#2-  Reading Plan
There are many ways to enjoy the reading for this unit! You can read the selections listed here online for free, borrow them from your library, or print the short stories below to create a special Christmas literature binder to use year after year.
I still have our Christmas binder that is OVERFLOWING with wonderful short stories I’ve found over the years and printed to add to this.
You’ll also find links at the bottom of this page if you’d like to purchase your own copies in book form.

This very relaxed Christmas unit is designed to make learning feel festive and fun!
Use these ideas however you want to fit your family!  Rearrange the order any of the suggestions, do all of the hands-on ideas, or none at all, and definitely add in your own finds!
Here’s an example-  Week 1 begins with the story, ‘A Christmas Carol’, but you may want to start on Week 2 first, and focus on Charles Dickens and the history of the time in which he lived BEFORE you get to the story!

Depending on the ages of your children, you may want to start by watching one of the movie versions first—it’s a great way to bring the story’s somewhat difficult vocabulary to life so that when they read the story, they have a foundational understanding of it!
OR read the story together first and compare the original to one of the suggested movie versions and take a family vote on which one you liked best!
So pretty much the same as my point in note #2… read, listen, watch or do all of the above!  Use this unit however is best for your family!

This story is divided into 5 staves or parts, so it is perfect for one week’s daily reading!

*Week 1:  ‘A Christmas Carol’*

+Read one of these versions of ‘A Christmas Carol’-

– “A Christmas Carol”    (Gutenburg Version)
– “A Christmas Carol”    (Easy to Read Version…Larger Print)
-Print this adapted ‘A Christmas Carol’ version for your younger children.
You could also read it online here.

* ‘A Christmas Carol’ Reading Comprehension Questions
*A List of Characters from ‘A Christmas Carol’  with a brief description of each

+Listen –

– Old Fashioned Radio Broadcast of ‘A Christmas Carol’    (Intro by Orson Welles and narrated by Lionel Barrymore)

– Listen to the BBC Bite Size ‘A Christmas Carol’  and Read Along !
–Full audio version of  ‘A Christmas Carol’  on YouTube

– StoryNory- Audio Drama Play-  ‘A Christmas Carol’
*Part 1       *Part 2      *Part 3

– ‘A Christmas Carol’-  iTunes Podcast

+Watch

*The Story of ‘A Christmas Carol’     (about 4 minutes)
*What Is ‘A Christmas Carol’    (about 4 minutes-  good intro and overview of the story)

Some of the versions of this movie are quite intense in parts, but there are LOTS of different versions to watch for all ages!
Here are a few suggestions-
–Charles Dickens ‘A Christmas Carol’     (animated version from 1971-  about 25 minutes)
–Mickey’s ‘A Christmas Carol’    (about 25 minutes)
-George C. Scott full version  A Christmas Carol    (YouTube)
–‘A Christmas Carol’     (Animated version- 1997.  About 1 hour)

*Streaming Versions-
–Disney’s ‘A Christmas Carol’    (Amazon)
–Mickey’s Christmas Carol     (animated- Amazon)
–The Muppet Christmas Carol   (Amazon)

*Explore It More-

* A Christmas Carol  Script–   Try gathering some friends and acting out this play version !

*Word Wall Online Game for ‘A Christmas Carol’
*Interactive Maze Game    (Reviews Setting, Plot, Characters, etc for ‘A Christmas Carol’)
*WordWall Jeopardy Style Game-  ‘A Christmas Carol’
*Scrooge Review!  Online Game
*Online Crossword Puzzle- ‘A Christmas Carol’
*How Well Do You Know ‘A Christmas Carol’?  Online Game
*A Christmas Carol Unscramble Anagram Game

+Other Dicken’s short stories-
* “A Christmas Tree” , a short story by Dickens
(Also, you can listen to a well done  audio version on the same page!  This might be helpful, as some of the victorian language is likely unfamiliar and a bit difficult. )
* Collection of Short Stories by Dickens to enjoy reading online
* ‘The Ivy Green‘ a poem by Dickens
*10 Boys From Dickens-  Tiny Tim

*Week 2:  Meet the Author-  Charles Dickens*

This week we will get to know the man behind the story—Charles Dickens.
In this part of the unit, you’ll learn about Dickens’ early life in Victorian England, how he became one of the most popular authors of his time, and why ‘A Christmas Carol’ made such a big difference in how people celebrated Christmas. You might be surprised to see how much of Dickens’ real life made its way into his fictional tales too!  Dickens’ childhood was filled with both hardship and hope, and those experiences really shaped the way he wrote, and what he wrote about.  As you read this week, see if you can spot some of his life in his stories!

We will learn more about what Victorian England was like in the History section!

–> ‘The Man Who Invented Christmas’     (Amazon link)
You may like to watch this full length movie about Charles Dickens’ life and how ‘A Christmas Carol’ came to be!

+Read-

*Short Introduction- Who was Charles Dickens?
*The Life of Charles Dickens
(Interactive- there is a pop up to sign in, but you can choose “not now” and the page should load fine!)
*Biography of Charles Dickens

*Meet Charles Dickens at Bleak House   (BBC Interactive !)
* “Christmas With Charles Dickens“, a short memoir by Dickens’ daughter, Mamie Dickens

+Watch-

*Who Was Charles Dickens?   (about 3 minutes)
*The Life Of Charles Dickens- In a Nutshell    (about 4 minutes)
*Charles Dickens Biography      (about 6 minutes)
*Charles Dickens Life
(Told from the perspective of his quill pen.  About 4 minutes.  This is an AI generated video I’m quite sure, it’s a little odd because of that, but still good especially for younger children)

*Charles Dickens Song-  Horrible Histories   (about 3 minutes)

*Little People, Big Dreams-  Charles Dickens
*Charles Dickens Turkey- Time Travel Tots

*Why Should You Read Charles Dickens?    (about 6 minutes.  Good for older students!)

*Take a Tour of Charles Dickens’ Home   (about 18 minutes)

+Explore It More!

*Interactive Timeline- The Life Of Charles Dickens
*Timeline of Charles Dickens Life & Works

*The Stapelhurst Train Accident
*What Can We Learn From Dickens Life ?

*  Samantha:  An American Girl Holiday
(Just for fun-  though this movie is not set in England, the time period and the themes of the industrial revolution and child labor are the same)

*Vocabulary, Creative Writing, Handwriting, & Other Grammar Activities*

+ ‘A Christmas Carol’ Grammar-

* A Humbug’s Grammar
(Simple grammar lessons based on ‘A Christmas Carol’.  Plenty of grammar work for this entire unit !)
* ‘A Christmas Carol’ Themed Grammar Game

+ ‘A Christmas Carol’ Vocabulary Ideas-

If you played one game a day to mastery, you’d learn so many new words by the end of the 2 weeks!

*‘A Christmas Carol’ Vocabulary Lists   (By staves for older students)

*Online Interactive ‘A Christmas Carol’ Vocabulary Matching Game
*‘A Christmas Carol’ Memory Matching Vocabulary Game
*A Christmas Carol Vocabulary
*WordWall ‘A Christmas Carol’ Vocabulary Game
*Vocabulary Review-  Online Vocab Game
* ‘A Christmas Carol’ Vocab Match Up Game
*Drag & Drop Vocabulary Game
*Christmas Carol Close Passage Game

* ‘A Christmas Carol’ Crossword Puzzle
* ‘A Christmas Carol’ Crossword Puzzle

*Online Wordsearch- ‘A Christmas Carol’

+Creative Writing Ideas for ‘A Christmas Carol’-

*Idea #1- Write a Letter to Scrooge
Pretend you could send a letter to Ebenezer Scrooge before he meets the ghosts.
What advice would you give him about kindness, generosity, or the meaning of Christmas?

*Idea #2- New Ending Challenge
What if Scrooge didn’t change after meeting the ghosts—or what if he changed in a totally different way?
Write an alternate ending that still teaches an important lesson.

*Idea #3-  The True Meaning of Christmas (Essay or Paragraph)
After reading the story, write a short reflection on what you think Dickens wanted people to remember about Christmas.

*Idea #4-  A Dickens-Style Description
Charles Dickens was famous for his detailed descriptions!
Pick a Christmas scene—like your living room, a snow day, or a family dinner—and describe it using as many sensory details as you can.

*Idea #5-  From Humbug to Hallelujah!
Write a short poem or song that tells the story of Scrooge’s transformation—from “Bah, humbug!” to joyful generosity.
Make it funny, heartfelt, or dramatic—your choice!

+Handwriting, Narration, & Copy Work for ‘A Christmas Carol’-

*’A Christmas Carol’  Themed Handwriting Practice    (for the Littles)

*‘A Christmas Carol’  Quotes for Narration or Copy Work

* Charles Dickens Notebooking Page
* Author Notebooking Page
* Scientist Notebooking Page

* Free printable coloring pages from A Christmas Carol

*This unit is especially good to notebook or make Christmas Binders.
Here are a few heading ideas for note booking/binder pages that go along with each area of study:
– Cover
– Biography of Charles Dickens
– Works by Charles Dickens
– Favorite Quotes by Charles Dickens
– ‘A Christmas Carol’ page
+ Characters
+ Favorite Scene from each Stave
+ Symbolism
+ Copy Work from favorite excerpts
+Vocabulary  (see week 1)
– Victorian Era
– Industrial Revolution Inventions
– A Victorian Christmas
– My Favorite Christmas Traditions

+Other Odds and Ends-

* Discussion Questions, Fun Activities, and more

*A Christmas Carol Unit    (Includes nice notebooking pages!)
* A Christmas Carol Lesson

*Ideas for ‘A Christmas Carol’ Projects

*Note:
Read through the suggestions below and choose what fits your family best for those much-needed quiet moments together.
Use the family devotions and hymn studies for both Week 1 and Week 2—many of them are designed to last all month long!

+Family Quiet Times Focused On Generosity-

*A Kid’s Devotional All About Generosity
–>You may also like to pair this with
+The Advent Kindness Calendar
+Christmas Kindness Calendar

*Bible Stories With Generosity Theme to read together

*Berenstain Bears-  A Neighbor In Need

+Other “Keeping Christmas” Family Devotionals

*‘The Name of Jesus’ Family Christmas

*5 Beautiful Books for a Simple Advent

* Good Christian Men Rejoice
(This is meant as a unit study, but is easily made into a lovely family devotional )

* Christmas Carols & Hymns Unit  from DIY Homeschooler

* Weekly Advent Family Devotions
(Good for all ages, including the littles )

* Victorian Carols & Hymns to enjoy !

*Victorian England and the Industrial Revolution

*Week 1:  Victorian England*

*Be sure to scroll down to the Hands-On History section for all kinds of projects to try yourself!

+Reading-

+Victorian England-

*Who Were The Victorians?
(You do not need to make an account.  Just click “maybe later” if you don’t want one!)
*Life In Victorian England- Kids Rule Magazine!
*Victorian England-  Kids Rule Magazine
*Who Was Queen Victoria?
* Queen Victoria and the Victorians
* BBC’s Victorian England   (Lots of reading and even a few games)

*Victorian Children Daily Life
*Victorian England for Children–   (Lots of links to free games & activities)
*Victorian Life   (Games to play and learn!)
*What’s For Dinner In Victorian England?

+Christmas In Victorian England-

*How Did The Victorians Celebrate Christmas?
*Victorian Christmas Traditions
*Queen Victoria and Christmas
* The Victorians and Christmas As We Know It
*What’s On The Christmas Table In Victorian England?
*History Of The Christmas Pudding

+Watch This!

+The Victorian Period-

*English History For Kids-  Meet The Victorians   (about 36 minutes- great overview of this era!)
*Meet Queen Victoria       (about 7 minutes)
*Listen to The Story of Queen Victoria
*What Was It Like ? Life In Victorian England      (about 7 minutes- with some activity ideas)
*A Day In The Life- Victorians    (short video about 2 minutes)
*The Victorians-  The Workhouse   (about 1 minute)
*Schools In Victorian Days        (about 7 minutes)

+Victorian Christmas-

*What Christmas Traditions Did The Victorians Start?      (about 2 minutes)
*Victorian Christmas Food Traditions      (about 2 minutes)
*Laying The Christmas Table        (about 9 minutes)
*Christmas Food From The Victorians   (about 2 minutes)
*Deck The Halls of History- Victorian Christmas    (about 3 minutes)
*A Christmas Song- Victorian Style

+Explore It More!

*Color Life In Victorian England!     (This would be fun to color while listening to ‘A Christmas Carol’ !)
*Could You Make It As A Victorian Gardener?      (fun quiz)
*Could You Pass As A Fine Diner?   (fun quiz)
*Draw Queen Victoria & Albert!    (step by step instructions!)

*Week 2: The Industrial Revolution*

* The Industrial Revolution Begins
* The Industrial Revolution and the Victorians
* Victoria England Child Factory Workers   (lots of links)
*The Industrial Revolution-  Kids Rule Magazine!
*The History of The Industrial Revolution    (read or listen)

*The American Industrial Revolution

+Watch This!

*What Was The Industrial Revolution?  In A Nutshell        (about 5 minutes)
*The Industrial Revolution In The Victorian Era       (about 7 minutes)
*Daily Life For Poor Victorian Kids       (about 7 minutes)

* ‘Oliver Twist ‘
(while this isn’t the Dicken’s classic for sure, it is a good representation for younger children)

– There are also many good  full length versions of the classic ‘Oliver Twist‘ on YouTube
This is pretty intense material for younger children.  Please use discretion !

*Inventions of the Industrial Revolution

*Weeks 1 & 2: Science Victorian Style*

*Horrible Histories-  Victorian Inventions SONG    (for a fun introduction!)
*Victorian Era Inventions       (FUN video about 8 minutes)
*Victorian Science and Innovation!
*Amazing Inventions of The Industrial Revolution
*Victorian Inventions & Discoveries
*Inventions of the Victorians
* Inventions !!!      (Overview of the many, many inventions !)

*List of Victorian Inventions
* Stephenson’s Rocket
* The Railways    (George Stephenson)
* The Blast Furnace
* The Spinning Mill
* The Beam Engine
* The Winding Gear
* The Paddle Steamship

*Victorian-Inspired STEM Project Ideas for Kids

+Learn about Morse Code & The Telegraph !
(Try one of the many hands-on STEM activities included in this unit!)

+Create a Spinning Zoetrope
The Victorians loved optical toys! Make your own early “animation” by cutting slits into a paper cylinder, drawing simple images inside, and spinning it to make your drawings move.

+Make a Victorian Telephone (String Phone Experiment)
Alexander Graham Bell patented the telephone in 1876—try your own version! Use paper cups and string to see how sound travels through vibrations.

+Make Victorian Ice Cream—No Freezer Needed!
Victorians made ice cream by hand using ice, salt, and elbow grease! Try shaking cream, sugar, and vanilla in a bag to freeze it the old-fashioned way.

+Make a Simple Pinhole Camera 
Learn how light creates images the old-fashioned way! Use a cardboard box and wax paper to make a camera obscura and project real images upside down.

* A Victorian Christmas-  More Hands-On Learning Fun!

*Victorian Christmas Crafts To Make
*Make Your Own Victorian Christmas Puppet Theatre
* Create Your Own Victorian Scrapbook    (Make it a Christmas Past Memory Book to share with family this year!)
*Make some Victorian Christmas Cards

* Make your own Victorian Christmas Ornaments
*Victorian Paper Chains Christmas Decorations
*Make Your Own Victorian Christmas Pomanders
*Decorate your own small Victorian Christmas Tree with some of the ornaments you’ve made!
Before shiny glass ornaments, trees were trimmed with paper chains, ribbon, nuts, fruit, and candles. Make your own vintage-style decorations using paper, string, and foil.

* Plan a Party!
(Plan your own Victorian Christmas party…or luncheon, or dinner 🙂  )
*Victorian Parlor Games To Play

*Victorian Gingerbread Recipe    (from The Dickens Museum)
*A Victorian Christmas Pudding Recipe    (from The Dickens Museum)
*Gingerbread Cake-  The Victorian Way
*21 Victorian Recipes To Try
*Christmas Sugar Plums Recipe
*More Victorian Recipes To Try

*Color A Victorian Christmas Page

*Check out my Pinterest Page —>  HERE for TONS of hands-on learning activity ideas all
in one place !

*Great Extras for  ‘A Christmas Carol’ Unit Study !
(Be sure to check out the Christmas themed MATH & SCIENCE !!)

*While none of these resources are required, they would definitely add to the fun!  It is likely that you can find many of them at your local library, or even on your own bookshelf.  If not, the following titles are linked directly to Amazon.  If you are going to purchase anything, I’d love you to do it through these links  (at NO extra cost to you!!).  As an Amazon affiliate, I get a small commission on sales made through my site.  Thanks for supporting me 🙂

*’A Christmas Carol’

*Charles Dickens:  A Christmas Carol  (for young readers)
*A Christmas Carol   (Classic version)
*A Christmas Carol Special Edition  (Discussion ?’s and Christian Insights)
*Dicken’s A Christmas Carol   (Family Radio Theater CD)
*A Christmas Carol Coloring Book
*Disney’s A Christmas Carol  (DVD)
*A Christmas Carol    (Prime Video/DVD – George C. Scott version …kinda scary !)

* Charles Dickens

*Who Was Charles Dickens ?
*A Boy Called Dickens
*Rags & Riches:  Kids in the Times of Dickens  (Magic Treehouse Companion)
*A Ghost Tale for Christmas Time   (Magic Treehouse)
*Charles Dickens: England’s Most Captivating Storyteller  (Historical Notebooks)
( I love these hands-on books !  Perfect for middle school ages !)

*Christmas Math and Science 

*STEAM Kids Christmas Science
*Merry Christmas Math 

*Victorian Days 

*Press-Out Victorian Christmas Book

*Victorian Days  (Learning History with Projects, Games, Activities, & Recipes)
*The Victorian Christmas   (Traditions, Recipes, and lots of other fun ideas)
*The Industrial Revolution for Kids   (21 Activities Series)

*Christmas Devotionals 

*Christmas Carols for a Kid’s Heart   (Book, CD, printed music for piano/guitar !)

*Christ in Christmas   (A Family Activity Book)

“I will honour Christmas in my heart, and try to keep it all the year.
I will live in the Past, the Present, and the Future.
The Spirits of all Three shall strive within me.
I will not shut out the lessons that they teach!”

― Charles Dickens, A Christmas Carol

*If you enjoyed this Christmas Unit Study, try another !
Just click on the photos below and ENJOY homeschooling through the holidays !