traditions
-
Practical Easter Baskets for Kids
As a mom, my goal for this year is to incorporate more gifts that are practical or that meet multiple needs. For Easter, that means the bunny is bringing things that can be used this spring and summer. I’m really trying to stay away from the little trinkets that get played with one time and then lay around the house, but I still want my girl to be excited about what she finds in her Easter basket. Here’s what I’ve picked out for her this year (all affiliate links) We usually keep our Easter baskets pretty small, which means they fill up fast (smart parenting hack right there). If you’re…
-
Preschool Easter Luncheon
One of my favorite classroom memories is the year that the children begged to have a fancy Easter lunch at school. At the time we’d been exploring holidays, and as Easter got nearer we began to talk about the things that came to mind when they thought of the Easter holiday. One of them mentioned wearing fancy outfits and it took off from there. They helped us decide on “the right kind” of decorations for a fancy Easter lunch and we enlisted parents in helping us provide potluck items that were traditional for their families during this particular holiday celebration. Most importantly, the children planned their outfits meticulously. On the…
-
Leprechaun Mischief in the Classroom
St. Patrick’s day is one of those holidays that seems to sneak up on me. After the crazy that is all of February’s holidays, I tend to find myself a little unprepared for this one – have you ever tried to find rainbow colored snacks at 10pm the night before St. Patrick’s day, or is that just me? This usually means that some traditions related to this particular day get pushed aside. For me, that’s typically the mischief and shenanigans that the Leprechauns cause. This can be so much fun for the kids, though so finding ways to incorporate it can make the day even more magical. I try to…
-
Celebrate Valentine’s Day with me!
Happy Valentine’s Day! I thought I’d try something a little different today and give you a full picture of what my day looks like. Here’s how I’m celebrating the holiday all day long: We started the morning early because my girl was EXCITED. She’s old enough to remember past Valentine’s day celebrations and she knows that I always have some special gifts for her, and once she woke up there was no holding her back! We use these felt heart envelopes for Valentine gifts – ours are a few years old from the Target Dollar spot, but these are similar and available on Amazon (affiliate link). I love having this…
-
Thanksgiving Day Photo Challenge
I am so ready for Thanksgiving! This year my goal is to take as many pictures as possible, so I created a little photo challenge for myself. I thought I would share it because it would be so fun to print and send home with all of your families – wouldn’t you love to see pictures from their celebrations?! Download a printable version here – and have a wonderful holiday!
-
Activities for Thanksgiving Day
Whether you’ve got little ones to entertain at your own Thanksgiving celebration or your looking for fun ideas for your last day of school before the holiday, I’ve got you covered. Here are some fun ways to celebrate the holiday while enjoying each other’s company: Get everyone coloring – try these cute coloring pages If you want to hear everyone laugh, you can’t beat Thanksgiving Mad Libs! Remember cootie catchers?! Here’s a printable Thanksgiving version Family members of all ages will love taking photos with these Thanksgiving photo booth props There’s nothing better than a scavenger hunt to keep everyone busy This printable Bingo game will keep everyone awake after…
-
Easter Traditions for Preschool
There are certain activities that I always looked forward to doing with my students when certain holidays rolled around. Easter is no exception, and there are three activities that I made sure to include on my lesson plans every single year: Dying Easter Eggs – even when I taught toddlers I loved to share this with my students. I know that it can be a colossal mess, but my classroom has always been the safe place to make messes. At home it’s hard to fully experience this messy activity so I love to give my students this opportunity. Dying eggs the traditional way – vinegar and little dye tablets –…
-
Talking about traditions
One of our social studies standards for preschoolers is to develop an awareness and appreciation of family and cultural stories and traditions. The holidays lend themselves perfectly to this standard so I make a special effort to encourage families to share their traditions with our class. Over the years I have had families bring in cookies to decorate with the class, I’ve had families make gingerbread houses with us, decorate ornaments with the children, share favorite holiday stories, and make traditional foods with the class. Each of these experiences has given the children the opportunity to compare and contrast their own family traditions, to see which traditions they…
-
Winter Traditions
Around the holidays I love to encourage my families to share their favorite traditions with the class. Here is my winter tradition bucket list: All of these traditions would be fun to do with your students or with your own families!
