Hey hey friends! It’s time to talk all things HOLIDAY TRADITIONS!! Grab a cup of hot cocoa and I’m going to tell you about THREE quick traditions that I LOVE using in my classroom each year!
I just LOVE celebrating the magic of the holiday season with my kiddos this time of year, and you’ll see in this post 3 quick ways and 3 easy traditions that I use in my classroom each year to LOVE every minute of the holiday season with my kiddos!!
Tradition #1: ELF SHENANIGANS!
On the first day of December, our elf arrives – from the North Pole of course. He’s wrapped and FREEZING cold (he’s from the North Pole, I said!) and the kids SQUEAL when he arrives!! We read the story, vote on his name, talk about the magic, and then eagerly wait to see what he’s going to do or bring us each day!! The SIMPLER the better! . . .
Some days he’s hanging out in the sticker basket, some days he writes us messages, some days, he’s just perched up high. Our elf keeps it simple. 🙂 🙂 Make sure you’re following me on Instagram and Facebook to see what our elf is up to this year!
It’s SO fun and an AWESOME way to “keep an eye on you” when the kiddos are at music or gym. Last year, our elf, Snowflake caught wind of the fact that my kiddos were being all kinds of silly during music class. Guess where he showed up!! Yep – MUSIC class!! My kids didn’t see him in the morning, and they thought he was gone – gone to the North Pole to never again return. NOPE, he was waiting for them in music. SO fun, I tell ya. 🙂
Tradition #2: SNOWMAN SOUP!
For the last several years, SNOWMAN SOUP has been a DARLING and DELICIOUS treat that our elf has left for us on the last day before break. There was a pack of hot cocoa, a candy cane, mini marshmallows, and chocolate chips tucked away in the baggie for each kiddo and it was labeled with this fun poem!
“You’ve been so good this year,
so here is the scoop.
I’ve made you a little something,
it’s called snowman soup.
It’s yummy, it’s sweet,
it’ll warm you up quick!
You can stir it all together with
your peppermint stick!”
LOVE and SO SO simple!! If you’d like to snag a copy for your kiddos you can check it out {HERE!}
Tradition #3: POLAR EXPRESS PALOOZA
I mean – is there a better excuse to wear your PJS to school?! I think not…
All morning long, we read the book, answer comprehension questions and activities, retell the book, etc….
You can check out my mini Polar Express pack in my store below!:
After we work all morning, we relax with the movie, cookies, and hot cocoa all afternoon! It’s the BEST!
For the hot cocoa, I just bring my crock pot to heat up the water, spoon it into small styrofoam cups filled with hot cocoa mix, top with some mini marshmallows, and it’s HEAVEN! It’s it Polar Express Palooza day yet??!?!?
Then… MY FAVORITE PART. Knock, knock, knock. WHO is knocking on our door at the end of the day, you ask?!? Well a delivery from the North Pole of course!!
I mean – the first gift of Christmas is delivered to our classroom – GIANT sleigh bells {it’s loud and I don’t even care} – in a bag that says FROM SANTA!!! Magic. I LOVE CHRISTMAS TIME!!
Feel free to pin the image below to save these ideas for later!
What are YOUR favorite holiday traditions? I’d love to hear about them!! Comment below!
Happy Holidays and Merry Christmas, y’all! <3
Hey, Ashley! I am so sorry if I double posted on your linky! It looks like I did from your blog, but my inlinkz history only shows I posted once! Feel free to delete the first one if you need to…I couldn't delete it from inlinkz because it doesn't show the other one. So sorry and Merry Christmas!!
Whitney
The First Grade Roundup
Love all of your traditions! Where did you get the giant bells?
This brings back so many magical memories! I hope you have a wonderful December with your very special second graders this year <33
Em
I was wondering where you got the bells from too! I would love to know 🙂
Looks like a magical time in your class!
SO many great traditions and fun times! Looks like the magic is working-love!
Oh how I wish that I could host a Polar Express Party for my second graders! Our 4th grade team does an author study on Chris Van Allsburg though, and we have to defer to them! I still read the story to my class though! I may look for silver bells to share with my students this year though…..so they always remember to BELIEVE in the magic of the season! Thanks for sharing such a wonderful idea!
~Jennifer