Holiday Celebrations in School

At this time of year, there are lots of holidays celebrated and they vary from family to family. We all celebrate different holidays during the year. This does not mean that the school will be celebrating the same holidays. It is important to be informed about what is going on at school.

Ask What Holidays The School Will Be Doing

My oldest first year in school I sent in pencils that had a holiday theme on them to give out on her birthday. Over half, the pencils came back and I was told the students did not celebrate that holiday. She was upset and I tried to help my daughter understand that it was okay. It was a lesson learned for me.

Because of this, I ask now what holidays they will be doing. And yes this changes every year and from teacher to teacher or principal to principal. Not all schools allow certain holidays in the school. In our area, we have several holidays that are celebrated or talked about. The Holiday program for December in our school includes Christmas, Hanukah, Kwanza, Diwali and New Years.

In first grade last year they did all the holidays that came in December. They learned about them all. It was very fun and they learned different things. But my third grader did not do any of the traditional holidays in her classroom.

This year they did not allow Halloween costumes but last year they did. Asking every year is important! The more informed you are about choices the better it is.

Ask What You Can Do To Help With Celebrations

After you find out what will be celebrated, ask how you can help. Maybe they will be celebrating a holiday you know something about but is not widely know in the classroom.

Last year one of the mothers came into the classroom and talked about Diawii. She made a paper that all the kids could take home about it. We had fun reading and trying some of the ideas at home. It is not a holiday we celebrate, but we got to learn about it.

Teach Your Kids That Not Everyone Celebrates All The Holidays

Just like what happened with my daughter above with the pencils, it is important to know not everyone will celebrate the same holidays. There may be some that don’t do any holidays that you do. It is important for kids to be respectful of those that don’t do things the same as you.

Let them know about holidays that are happening around the world.

This year two kids on my middle daughter’s class did not want anything Halloween to happen because, they did not celebrate it. The teacher was respectful, but my daughter did not understand why they would not want to dress up and get candy. I sat down and explained that everyone can celebrate what holidays they want. Not everyone has the same celebrations. I asked her to find out why they did not. We found out they celebrate the Day of the Dead. This was a great chance for me to get us some books to read about it.

This months theme is holiday celebrations. Be sure to check out everyons posts!

Holidays Celebrations Posts:

• Books and Giggles – How to Host a Holiday Book Exchange
• The Resourceful Mama – Santa Says Game for Christmas Parties
• Creative Family Fun – Classroom Treats for Holiday Parties

Be sure to check out the other months school themed posts:

• Back to School: Free Weekly School Calendar
• Managing Homework Ideas & Free Homework Punch Cards
• Keeping an Open Communication with Teachers – Free Note to Teacher Printable

Cassie – 3Dinosaurs.com