Five Tips For Keeping Students Calm during the Holidays

Christmas Holly with text Five Tips For Keeping Your Students Calm This Holiday Season
It’s that time of year again.  Everyone is excited and looking forward to Christmas vacation.  You’re busy each evening when you leave work – shopping, baking, preparing for family that will be visiting soon.  You have less time to plan, yet each day the students come in more and more excited.  How do you keep your students calm so that they can keep learning? How do you keep the last weeks leading up to Christmas enjoyable for everyone?  Here are five tips to help you keep your students calm this holiday season.
 
Christmas Holly with text Five Tips For Keeping Your Students Calm This Holiday Season
 

1.     Maintain your routine as much as possible

This time of year there will be assemblies, holiday parties, and things outside of your control that will break your routines.  When it comes to time inside of the class, however, try and follow the routine that students are familiar with.  This will give your students a sense of continuity and help keep them relaxed.

2.     Turn the lights off

When you feel your students becoming a bit too hyper, keep the lights off and use natural light from your windows.  This is a simple trick, that works every time.  There is something about cutting out the fluorescent light that calms students down quickly.  Students still have enough light to work with, and it suddenly is a peaceful room.  I even find myself speaking more calmly with the lights off.

3.     Engage students with calming activities

There is something about coloring that is calming at any age.  Word searches are great too.  One activity I’m engaging my students with this year is my Polar Express lesson and Pop Up book.  It allows students lots of independent time to color and cut out their favorite scenes from a favorite book.  I sometimes stream classical music during cathartic activities.  My students relax with the music, and so do I.

Polar Express Lesson
 

4.     Plan ahead

This is always the case, but this time of year it’s even more important.  As teachers, our lives outside of school are more busy than usual this time of year too.  By having my lessons planned, copied and ready to go, I am more relaxed during the day and better able to handle students who are overstimulated.  I usually have a few “just in case” activities ready to go if a prep is cancelled at the last minute too.

5.     You are the role model

Remember, ultimately students will model your mood.  If you can remain calm and focused during this season, your students will at least try to do the same.  For more tips on how to enjoy holiday teaching, click here.

Do you have any other great strategies for keeping your students calm this time of year?  I’d love to hear them.  Please add them as comments below.

Bonus Tip – Play Calming Music

My students and I enjoy listening to calming music.  Here is a video full of calming music and images for your students to enjoy.

Have fun with your students over the next few weeks, and Happy Holidays!

 

Five Tips For Keeping Students Calm during the Holidays
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2 Comments

  • Reply
    Dani Harte
    December 13, 2015 at 2:42 am

    I like to put a fireplace video on SmartBoard! The kids love it.

    • Reply
      Michelle
      December 14, 2015 at 12:12 am

      I love that idea! I'm going to try it this week. Thank you for sharing!

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