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12 Days of Christmas: Learning Gifts Shared with Gratitude and Generosity

gamification instructional design learning and development Dec 19, 2025

At Sententia, we believe learning should feel human.

That belief shows up in how we design experiences, how we teach gamification, and how we show up for our community. Our guiding values are simple and intentional: be gracious, be grateful, and be generous.

This season, we’re putting those values into action with our 12 Days of Christmas Giveaways.

For twelve days, we’re sharing learning gifts created by our Level 3 Certified Gamification Master Craftsmen. These are not polished marketing downloads or generic templates. They are thoughtful resources designed by practitioners who have spent years refining their craft and who care deeply about improving how adults learn at work.

Our Level 3 Master Craftsmen represent the highest level of certification at Sententia. They’ve done the hard work of testing ideas, iterating designs, and building learning experiences that actually change behavior. When they share something, it comes from experience, not theory.

Each day of this series features a unique gift. Some days you’ll find a game or interactive activity. Other days might include a short guide, a visual framework, or a creative prompt you can adapt to your own learning programs. Every gift is designed to be practical, usable, and immediately relevant for instructional designers, corporate trainers, adult educators, and learning professionals.

This series is intentionally structured so you can jump in at any time. If you’re reading this on Day 1, check back tomorrow for the next gift. If you’re discovering it later, you’ll still be able to access the full collection of resources. Each day has its own dedicated page, making it easy to explore, download, and share.

We’re grateful for this community and for the Master Craftsmen who continue to model what generosity looks like in professional learning. Their willingness to share their thinking, tools, and creativity is what makes Sententia more than a training company. It makes it a learning community.

We invite you to check back daily, explore the gifts, and share them with others on your team. Learning grows when generosity leads the design.

Welcome to the 12 Days of Christmas at Sententia.


Day 1: The Gift at the Center of the Tree
Learner-First Design Check

Today’s gift is a simple, powerful self-check designed to help you see whether the learner is truly at the center of your learning experience. Read the full Day 1 article: The Gift at the Center of the Tree.

Use this one-page reflection with your team to spark honest conversation, surface blind spots, and identify one small change that could make your learning more human and effective.

This works best when you don’t answer it alone. Invite at least one other person into the discussion and compare perspectives.

Access the Day 1 gift here:
https://www.sententiagamification.com/12-days/gift-at-the-center-of-the-tree


Day 2: Two Turtle Doves
Game Mechanics Cards

Today’s gift is a practical set of game mechanics cards designed to help teams align learning goals with the learner experience. Read the full Day 2 article: Two Turtle Doves.

Use these cards to create a shared design language, explore how mechanics work together, and make intentional choices when designing gamified learning experiences.

This works best when used together. Spread the cards out with your team, compare interpretations, and notice where alignment strengthens your design.

Access the Day 2 gift here:
https://www.sententiagamification.com/two-turtle-doves-game-mechanics   


Day 3: Three French Hens
Faith, Hope & Charity in Conversation

Today’s gift is Teetotum—with a twist, a short reflective game by Carriann Lane designed to help players approach conversations with greater faith, hope, and charity.

Play this 10-minute experience and unlock a Conversation Planner you’ll use long after the holidays.

Read the full Day 3 article: Three French Hens Conversation Game.

Access the Day 3 gift here: https://www.sententiagamification.com/faith-hope-charity-conversation-game 


Day 4: Four Calling Birds
Listening for the Signals That Matter

Today’s gift is Be AI-gile: Four Calling Birds, a short, story-based micro-experience by Joshua “Doc” Yavelberg. Explore four tenets that help you notice patterns, act with intention, and keep people at the center when working with AI.

Read the full Day 4 article: Four Calling Birds.

Access the Day 4 experience herehttps://www.sententiagamification.com/four-calling-birds-be-ai-gile


Day 5: Five Golden Rings
Searching for What Matters

Today’s gift is a visually engaging game by Dr. Julia Allen where players explore multiple rooms searching for five golden rings. A simple experience that highlights focus, intention, and discernment in learning design.

Read the full Day 5 article: Five Golden Rings.

Play the Day 5 Search Experience here: https://www.sententiagamification.com/five-golden-rings-interactive-game 


Day 6: Six Geese a-Laying
Bloom’s Barnyard

Today’s gift is Bloom’s Barnyard, an interactive escape room by Shawna Stushnoff that teaches Bloom’s Taxonomy through aligned objectives and assessments.

Players move through six cognitive levels, collecting golden eggs by demonstrating true learning alignment.

Read the full Day 6 article: Six Geese a-Laying 

Play the Day 6 Bloom's Barnyard experience here: https://www.sententiagamification.com/blooms-barnyard-blooms-taxonomy-escape-room 


Day 7: Seven Swans a-Swimming
Interactive Video Design

Today’s gift is an interactive video experience by Jeffrey Riley, paired with a practical PDF guide that shows how to build engaging, question-based video in Articulate Storyline.

Read the full Day 7 article: Seven Swans a-Swimming

Access the Day 7 gift here: https://www.sententiagamification.com/seven-swans-interactive-video-design 


Day 8: Eight Maids a-Milking
Wisdom in Practice

Today’s gift is a short reflective experience by Rihan Mustapha that invites calm focus, honest reflection, and thoughtful next steps.

A quiet pause in a busy season, this piece reminds us that wisdom develops through care and consistency.

Read the full Day 8 article: Wisdom in Practice

Access the Day 8 Learning Gift: https://www.sententiagamification.com/wisdom-in-practice-reflection 


Day 9: Nine Ladies Dancing
Learning Needs Choreography

Today’s gift from Sherry Prindle explores how learning experiences, like dance, need rhythm and structure to truly flow. Using the PLAYSTATE framework, this piece reframes learning as choreography, not content delivery.

Read the full Day 9 article here: Learning Needs Choreography

Access the Day 9 Learning Gift: https://www.sententiagamification.com/12-days-of-gifts-day-9-learning-needs-choreography 


Day 10: Ten Lords a-Leaping
Cybility Savvy Lords – Cyber Awareness Through Play

Today’s gift is a card-based cyber awareness game by Michala Liavaag of Cybility. Inspired by Ten Lords a-Leaping, this experience helps learners practice real-world security decisions through discussion, play, and shared reflection.

Play using the printable deck or digitally via Tabletopia.

Read the full Day 10 article here: Day 10 - Ten Lords a-Leaping 

Access the Day 10 gift here: https://www.sententiagamification.com/ten-lords-a-leaping-cyber-awareness-game 


Day 11: Eleven Pipers Piping
11 Functions of Music in Gamification

This visual guide by Renee Boisvert explores how music leads learning experiences by shaping emotion, focus, memory, and action. A powerful reminder that sound is instructional, not ornamental.

Read the full Day 11 article here: Day 11 - Eleven Pipers Piping

Access the Day 11 gift here: https://www.sententiagamification.com/12-days-of-gifts-day-11-functions-of-music-gamification 


Day 12: Twelve Drummers Drumming
Learning in Rhythm

Today’s final gift is an interactive Storyline experience by Sharon Goza that explores how rhythm, pacing, and repetition shape effective learning.

Inspired by Twelve Drummers Drumming, this experience highlights how learning gains momentum when timing, structure, and progression work together.

Read the full Day 12 article: Twelve Drummers Drumming Learning in Rhythm

Access the Day 12 Learning Gift:
https://www.sententiagamification.com/day-12-twelve-drummers-drumming-learning-gift

 

 

 

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