Preparing your classroom for the Holidays

The holidays can be an exciting time for students as they look forward to the days they may spend with their families and friends outside of school. What happens when that excitement begins to create a distraction in the classroom? Sitting still and paying attention to assignments can become difficult as time inches closer to that long-awaited holiday break. Finding ways to keep students engaged during this holiday time is important for academic success and classroom structure. Check out these suggestions for maintaining classroom engagement throughout the holiday season:

• Address the elephant in the room: When your students are distracted, it may seem like the simple solution is to ignore it to regain focus. However, addressing the excitement around the holiday season is a great way to maintain and form connections with your classroom. Discussing holiday plans with your students will allow them to see that you understand their excitement, and this can also serve as a gateway to learn about students’ lives and families.

• Maintain routines: While students would love to have a holiday movie party every day, educators know that this is not reasonable. Maintaining routines is an important tool in getting your class through this exciting time. Openly discussing the reasoning behind the importance of routines and structure can help students feel more at ease and encourage a welcoming environment.

• Take time to review: Like the calendar year, the semester is also ending, and this is a great time to incorporate more review and re-teaching opportunities. Learning new material at a time when engagement is naturally low can be challenging for students, so help them feel successful by going over the concepts they have already learned and need to practice anyway. Review games are crucial for internalizing skills and concepts, and they can be extremely fun, as well.

• Break it down to bitesize: When planning lessons, consider implementing more short activities to accommodate students’ waning attention spans this time of year. If normally your typical class period consists of 2-3 complex tasks, it might be a good idea to switch to incorporate 4-5 smaller, more bitesize exercises. Mini-lessons, brain breaks, turn-and-talks, and reflection minutes are all great ways to break up the tedium.

By implementing some of the tips above you can keep distracted students engaged and your class on track. Acknowledging the holiday season can encourage discussion, connection and curiosity among students (and teachers). What other ways do you or your colleagues keep students engaged throughout the holiday season?

Classroom tip of the month: 

Movement can be a great way to encourage engagement in the classroom. Do you see students getting sleepy throughout the day? Incorporating light movement can encourage their mind and bodies to wake up and move. Movement helps awaken the entire nervous system, it can enhance muscle memory, making students’ retention increase. Something as simple as stretching or having small dance breaks can help information be processed more effectively. So next time you see a student losing interest, or you find yourself reaching for that second cup of coffee, try incorporating light movement into your day and see if you can spot a difference.

Resource Corner: 

Using Dance Moves in Class to Boost Student Engagement | Edutopia
3 Ways to Boost Students’ Engagement in Lessons When Their Interest Is Waning | Edutopia
Engage and Motivate Your Students Before the Holiday Break | Edutopia