Tips for Managing Excitement during the Holidays

11/30/2023

Tips for Managing Excitement during the Holidays

The holiday season has arrived, and with it comes a burst of twinkling lights, festive music, and, of course, the contagious excitement of our young learners.
As preschool educators, we understand that managing this heightened energy during the holidays can be both joyful and challenging. Fear not! Here are some tried-and-true tips to navigate the jingle bells and keep the holiday spirit alive while maintaining a calm and structured preschool environment.

The holidays are exciting and filled with busy activities inside and outside of the preschool classroom. But with these activities and tips we hope that you find not only joy but join along the excitement with your little learners!

Embrace the Excitement

Embracing the excitement in your preschool classroom is a great way to work with it instead of against it. You can build the excitement through meaningful activities and play.

Set the Stage for Positive Anticipation
Instead of suppressing the holiday excitement, embrace it! Create a festive atmosphere in your classroom with decorations, themed activities, and holiday-inspired crafts.

Channeling that energy into positive and engaging experiences allows children to express their excitement in a structured and constructive manner. Reading holiday themed books is a great way to set-the stage. Take a look at this list of our favorite holiday preschool books to read with your preschoolers.

Establish Clear Routines

Preschoolers are often out of their normal routine during the holiday season between fun events, and evening activities. But, in the classroom maintaining a structured routine and schedule can ensure preschoolers stay regulated and on-task.

Maintain Consistent Daily Schedules
Holidays often bring changes to routines, but maintaining consistency in daily schedules is crucial. Children thrive on predictability, so make sure to communicate any adjustments clearly. Consistent routines provide a sense of security and help manage excitement by giving children a framework they can rely on.
Having a visual schedule for preschoolers is especially helpful during these times.

Preschool Visual Schedule

Lean on First Then Prompts

Along with consistent daily schedules, lean on the phrase "first we will ____ then we ____" as a way to provide preschoolers a sense of what will happen next.

Encourage Expressive Outlets

Between holiday songs, dances, and crafts there are so many different ways to let preschoolers turn holiday excitement into holiday creativity.

Create a Holiday Performance
Harness the holiday excitement by organizing a classroom performance. Whether it's a winter play, a festive dance, or a sing-along, providing a structured outlet for expression allows children to channel their enthusiasm into a collaborative and creative project.

Transform Your Dramatic Play Area

Turn your dramatic play center into a hot chocolate stand with this Hot Chocolate Dramatic Play Set or set-up Santa's Workshop . Using dramatic play is a great for students to re-direct their excitement into pretend play.

Get Creative

The holidays are a great time to pull out more hands-on activities whether it's STEM building or holiday arts and crafts. Creative outlets such as art are great for helping preschoolers channel their excitement. Check out this blog post with preschool Christmas activities and crafts for extra ideas.

Foster a Sense of Giving

The holidays are a season for giving but this can be a hard concept for preschoolers to understand but through meaningful activities and books we can help preschoolers understand the importance and joy behind giving.

Teach the Joy of Giving Back
Incorporate activities that emphasize the spirit of giving. Encourage children to create simple, thoughtful gifts for their peers or engage in a classroom charity project. This not only redirects excitement into positive actions but also instills the values of generosity and empathy.

Provide Calm Down Corners

Holiday excitement can be overwhelming for preschoolers and providing them a space to calm down is extremely beneficial.

Establish Quiet Spaces for Reflection
Recognize that holiday excitement can sometimes be overwhelming for certain children. Create designated calm-down corners with soft pillows, calming activities, or sensory tools. These spaces offer children a quiet retreat when the holiday buzz becomes a bit too much. If you're looking for ideas and activities to add to your corner a Calm Down Binder is a great tool.

Get our Calm Down Binder in our shop!

A snow globe would be a wonderful addition to the calm down space during this time! Try making your own following our preschool sensory bottle tutorial and adding some white glitter.

Communicate with Parents

Communication with parents is essential and even more important during the holiday season when preschoolers are off their routine.

Maintain Open Communication
Keep parents in the loop about classroom activities and any changes to routines during the holiday season. Share strategies that can be implemented at home to manage excitement, fostering consistency between school and home environments.

Invite Parents into the Classroom

Bring parents into the excitement whether it's for a mystery holiday reader or as a guest to help with specific events or activities. Another set of hands is always beneficial especially during the exciting holiday season.

The holiday season is a magical time for our preschoolers, and with a bit of planning and creativity, we can navigate the excitement together. By embracing the festive atmosphere, maintaining routines, and providing purposeful activities, we can create a joyful and enriching holiday experience for our little learners.

What are your favorite strategies for managing holiday excitement in the preschool classroom? Share your tips and experiences with fellow educators in the comments below. Wishing you and your preschoolers a season filled with joy, laughter, and successful management of the holiday buzz!