I teach kindergarten in a Catholic school and every year on December 6 all of the classrooms in my school prepare for Saint Nicholas to visit. Students decorate a shoe or stocking of some type that will hold a special S. Nicholas Day treat on the morning of December 7. Last year, my students colored this simple Waiting for St. Nicholas sneaker and taped the shoe to their locker. When students arrived at school the next morning, a candy cane treat from St. Nicholas was waiting for them!
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This coloring page is very versatile. It can be left on each student's desk, in their cubbies or attached to student lockers. It also prints two per page to save you valuable time and conserve paper. I printed my shoes on white cardstock to offer more support for the candy canes. I also cut a slit along the top of the shoe to create a little pocket for each candy cane.
You can download this Waiting or St. Nicholas shoe coloring page for FREE from my TpT store. If you can use it in your classroom, I would greatly appreciate it if you could quickly leave some feedback after downloading the page.
Saint Nicholas Toys
You can also purchase this adorable St. Nicholas action figure from Playmobile on Amazon. What a fantastic and inexpensive “treat” for St. Nicholas to leave in someone's shoe this year. Thank you to my friend Julie for the great suggestion!
Playbill also sells a cute St. Nicholas Parade toy. I love that it comes with a horse and these cute kids.
I plan to order this cute vinyl St. Nicholas figurine for my classroom. I love how sweet it is. I also love that St. Nicholas doesn't look like a typical toy. I plan to put him on my classroom prayer table and while I do allow my kids to touch the items on the table and have some exploratory play, I still want them to view this figurine as something special.
And just in case you were wondering, YES this company makes little plastic statues of many saints! I want to own every single one of these. You can check out the complete collection on Amazon.
Books that Teach About Saint Nicholas
If you need some pictures books for your classroom that tell the story of St. Nicholas, here are a few selections from Amazon.
Click any of the titles below to shop on Amazon:
A Special St. Nicholas Day
The Legend of St. Nicholas
Saint Nicholas: The Real Story of the Christmas Legend
The Miracle of Saint Nicholas
Celebrate the Holidays With Kindercraze
If you are looking for more great ideas and projects for the holidays, you will love these posts. They feature festive projects ideas and fun moments from my own classroom. Click any image for more.
I also celebrate St. Nicholas Day at my school (Lutheran school) and I use this video: Nicholas: The Boy Who Would be Santa by CCC of America. Have you ever used it? I think it’s great and easy for the kids to understand. They also make one about St. Patrick. I have my kids leave their shoes outside the door during our nap time while we watch the video and our 6th graders sneak up and hide treats in the shoes – so fun!
Hi Mrs. Armstrong! Yes, I have seen both of those videos and they are wonderful. The first grade teachers at my school show them in their classrooms and I don’t want to steal their thunder. I’m a tiny bit jealous that you show them in your classroom. I love that your student’s treats get delivered during the video. That is precious!
I am also a Catholic school teacher and with St. Nicks day falling on the weekend this year are you still planning on celebrating?
Hi Ashley! My school ALWAYS celebrates. I suspect that St. Nicholas will arrive over the weekend and we will celebrate on the following Monday!
Hi Maria. 🙂
We have celebrated St. Nicholas night since I was in first grade at St. Joan of Arc. I know you like using the Fisher Price Nativity in your room. We LOVE the Playmobil Christmas sets at home too. I ordered this one for Nora’s shoe this year to add to her other characters.
http://www.amazon.com/PLAYMOBIL-Saint-Nicholas-and-Angel/dp/B003AQBWPI/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1416661821&sr=8-1&keywords=playmobil+st.+nicholas
Oh and we have always left our shoes out one December 5th (St. Nicholas Day Eve) to be filled over night.
http://www.stnicholascenter.org/pages/around-the-world/
When I went to Regina we actually left our saddle shoes tied to our lockers to be filled over night on the 5th after school.
It is fun to hear how different schools/families celebrate this sweet tradition.
I’m so glad you shared this. I have wanted to celebrate St. Nicholas Day forever and always forget. Now it is on my calendar. Thank you for all the great shares! Our celebration will be special, thanks to you!
Jenny
Hi Maria,
I have just published a book that also teaches about Saint Nicholas. After children learn about his history, they hear a story about told by Santa Claus with the same generous spirit and faithful heart. You can check it out at my website ahcreations.com (Also filled with free printables to support the lesson in the book) Hoping to provide another way to celebrate his feast day!