Winter
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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!
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Friday Freebie – Holidays around the world
Happy Friday! As these weeks get closer to winter break I swear they get longer and longer! If you are still planning for holiday exploration (or evaluating how you want to teach this unit next year) today’s freebie is for you! This Holidays around the World Poster Pack from Sunny and Bright in First Grade is a great way to help your students visually organize the symbols and images that go with all of the different holidays. There are 8 holidays included in the set, and even if you don’t use all of the posters they give you a great starting point for your research. Download your copy and have…
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Books to help you celebrate Hanukkah
In my opinion, the best way to introduce new concepts to young children is through books. Whether Hanukkah is a new holiday or a near and dear one, these books will be favorites in your classroom celebration. All links are Amazon affiliates. Latke, The Lucky Dog is told from the dog’s point of view – what preschooler can resist that? The illustrations and text work together to introduce new vocabulary words in a way that feels natural and flows with the story. Dear Santa, Love Rachel Rosenstein is not exactly a Hanukkah book. It’s a book about a little girl who’s family is Jewish and celebrates Hanukkah even though she…
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Cultural Sensitivity and Winter Holidays
Some teachers live for the holiday season and cannot wait to introduce holiday themed activities, others are more apprehensive about planning activities that meet the needs and beliefs of all of their students, and still others work in schools where policies prevent them from using any holiday-related materials whatsoever. I’ve met and worked with teachers who fall into all three groups, and I myself tend to end up in that middle category. Whichever of the three groups you find yourself belonging to, here are a couple of my tried and true resources for handling the holidays while still be culturally sensitive. First thing’s first, this little parent letter has saved…
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Countdown to Christmas!
It’s December 1st so we can officially begin that countdown! Whether you countdown to Christmas, or winter break, it’s always fun to watch those days go by as you anticipate the holiday – or a little bit of time off! I was overwhelmed by the cute ideas that are out there so I had to share some of my favorites with you. I still can’t decide which one I like best, but I love that they are all simple to use and involve the children in the process. This cute freebie is from Erin Wing, and it includes little positive notes and compliments for each day. This Santa Countdown is adorable,…
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32 Winter Themes for Preschool
If you’ve begun to plan your winter lesson plans, I’m here to help! Here are 32 different winter themes and topics that you can choose from when you’re looking for new ideas! Ice Snow Snowmen Christmas Hanukkah Kwanzaa Winter Clothing Christmas Lights Pine Trees Jingle Bells Cookies Gift Wrap Bows Sledding Skiing Ice Skating Winter Animals Peppermint Candy Canes Pine cones Cranberries Cinnamon Quilts and blankets Boots New Year Ground Hog Day President’s Day Martin Luther King Jr. Day Valentine’s Day Conversation Hearts Hot Chocolate Igloos Here’s a graphic if you prefer!
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Friday Freebie – Parent Letter about Holiday Celebrations
It's a little early for this particular freebie, but it fits really well with this week's parent communication theme, so you can download it and file it away for later in the year. This is the letter that I send out every year before winter holidays (usually the beginning of November so I have plenty of time to get it out, get it back, and start planning). It lets parents know why I like to include holiday activities on my lesson plans and gives them the opportunity to share what their preferences are when it comes to discussing holidays in the classroom.This is a great way to make sure that…
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Friday Freebie – Winter Snap Cubes
Happy Friday! I love a short week like this one, especially when a nasty bug is going around, I’m in need of a couple of weekend days when I can sleep in! I was so excited to find this freebie, there are certainly more than a few winter blues floating around my classroom (myself included!) so I’m always looking for ways to make winter just a little more fun. These winter snap cube patterns look like just what we need. These are from Klever Kiddos, and I have the Easter set (which my students absolutely loved last year) so the winter set will be the perfect addition to my math…
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Large motor activities that can be done indoors
Winter. The one word that strikes fear into the heart of preschool teachers everywhere. cold winter days seem so much longer because the kids don’t have the opportunity to run around outside. At three, four, or five years old, the opportunity to run wild is a necessity. Kiddos can only sit for so long before they get restless, it’s normal and completely natural, but it makes teaching them so much more difficult! During the winter I make sure to give my students just as much time for active motor games that I do during the rest of the year, but these activities have to be a little more structured because…
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Classroom Decorations for the Holidays
I love to decorate for the holidays, and this includes the classroom, but I definitely don’t have room in my budget to buy extra holiday decorations for the classroom. Thank goodness for printables! The easiest way to add a little holiday pizzazz to the classroom, without braking the bank, is to print some great holiday quotes and pop them into cheap frames. Not only is the a quick solution, but this artwork can be be changed seasonally, making the frames worth the investment. I’ve rounded up some of my favorite images from Pinterest to share with you! Click the links to go to the full size image that you can…
