One teacher and a class of up to thirty young children in the lead up to Christmas is not easy! The excitement is palpable at this stage and it is common for teachers to give in and go with the flow of excitement. Try not to though unless you want these to weeks to feel like ten!
- Keep to your structure and timetable as much as you can. There may be some children in your class who grown anxious with change or holidays- so remember that for some , continuing as normal for as long as possible is the best course of action.
- Don’t let the Christmas concert/play dominate your last few weeks. I always kept practice to ten/fifteen minutes three times a week and the class were always amazing. Children always rise to the challenge. If you over practice it, they will be tired of it and may not enjoy performing at the concert when the time comes!
- While I suggest sticking to your timetable, I would avoid teaching new or complex material at this stage in the year, Rather, I would use it to revise material or teach the less demanding areas of the curriculum.
- Try not to ask the children too much about their Christmas plans. Remember there may be children in your class who Santa may not visit, or who may not have a Christmas tree so always keep that in mind.
- Don’t overwork yourself- you don’t want to be exhausted and sick for Christmas. Cut down on homework and written tasks. Use methods of assessment such as self assessment and teacher observation rather than written tasks which require correcting. Save those for January.
- Offer the children in your class calmness ans stability. Stay on top of your behaviour management – don’t let bad behaviour slide just because Christmas is approaching!