Holiday Classroom Traditions

   My first year teaching, I came to the conclusion that if I got ONE cool thing accomplished for the kids in relation to the winter holidays, that would suffice. Of course I saw the other more seasoned teachers around me practically busting at the seams with cute ideas, crafts and fun activities. But I gave myself permission to be low-key because it was my first year.

    My second year (now), I have so much more ideas, but I need to keep expectations realistic. There are some tried-and-true holiday classroom traditions that I’ve done both this year and last year, and I am here to share them with you! Every teacher and every class is different, so don’t worry about doing it ALL. Find the things you are most passionate about or that you think your group would enjoy the most.

1.      
                  1. Holidays around the world. This is a common social studies extension done in elementary grades. My first-grade team is also taking part in this. We will be doing a day of switching classes, and each class will go to a different teacher to learn about a different holiday. I’m excited about this!

    2. A countdown to winter break. This is necessary for both the students and yourself! I do it at the beginning of each day, starting with the day after Thanksgiving break. That usually has left me with 15 countdown days. I cut up squares of fancy holiday-colored scrapbooking paper and covered each piece with a number (they mailbox numbers that I believe you can get at Walmart or any craft or hardware store). On the back of each piece is a fun direction, such as “Give each person at your table a high-five” or “Tell the class a joke.” A different student reads a card each day. They really love and look forward to it!

                        Materials needed:

1.      String

2.      Clothespins

3.      Large number stickers

4.      Scrapbooking paper

5.      Marker

         3. A book exchange. I have the students draw names three weeks prior, and I send home instructions for the families. They get each other a book no more than $6. The kids seem to really enjoy it, and it’s a special time to teach the students about saying “thank you” for a gift and giving to each other.

   4. The Gingerbread Man. I read the students “The Gingerbread Man: Loose in the School” by Laura Murray (it’s currently sold for $1 on Scholastic). The story is fun and unique because of the illustrations and comicy-feel. Then each student made their own Gingerbread person out of paper. The next day, the Gingerbread people went missing! We made Missing posters for the Gingerbread people and asked around. The next day, we found those sneaky Gingerbread people hiding out on the playground! The students had a lot of fun with it. I have the Gingerbread Man template that I made below.

                                                              Click on the photo for the template!

     No matter what you do with your students for the holidays, remember that it’s okay not to do everything the other teachers are doing. Don’t feel guilty for not doing every cute craft. I personally don’t do Elf on the Shelf, and a ton of other teachers at my school have him/her “visit” their classrooms. I have my reasons, and my students have fun anyway! You will have to pick and choose, new teachers!