December Morning Work Ideas
The holidays can be a super fun time in the classroom! I love the parties, events, assemblies, everything! BUT, HOW oh HOW do you save your sanity during this crazy time of year?!?
Excitement is in the air in an elementary classroom, especially around Christmas time!
Curb that excitement! Because, hey, there is still stuff to teach! Still assessments to take, still work to be done. One of my favorite ways to keep students on task and focused around the holidays is to keep them guessing. They never know what type of intrinsic or extrinsic reward they will get. They never know when a brain break will be.
Here are a few tips and tricks that help my students stay on task, work quietly and stay focused in the month of December:
Frequent brain breaks
Positive reinforcement
Stay consistent in your routine
Reinforce relationships
Breathing exercises (curb the crazy!)
Frequent brain breaks are a fun, simple way to help students get their wiggles out! My favorite website to use for this is GoNoodle. They have so many fun movement activities.
Positive Classroom Rewards are another fun way to switch it up in the classroom! If you are looking for a fun whole class management system, check out my December Whole Class Rewards on Teachers Pay Teachers. There are three different scenes your students will get to earn with good behavior. Choose a behavior goal for the class to work on. Choose one of the premade rewards or write your own in the box! Each time the students are working toward their behavior goal, move one of the items from the scene onto the board. Positive reinforcement is a MUST during this time of the year. It is exhausting, I know! But keep them guessing. Break out into song to tell a student what an awesome job they are doing. Whisper in their ear. Doesn't matter, but keep it positive and keep them guessing. It is fun and silly, and students love it!
Stay consistent in your routine INSIDE of the classroom. There are tons of extra things happening outside the classroom or assemblies to attend, but if things stay constant within the four walls of your classroom, many of your behavior students or struggling students will find peace and comfort in that simple routine structure you already have in place. Reinforce relationships during this time of the year! My favorite way to do that is through my morning meeting. Sometimes I'll have an afternoon meeting or an end of the day meeting. When students have a positive relationship with you, mutual respect is born!
If you are looking for an easy morning meeting with character building, check out this resource here! It is digital, easy to follow, DONE FOR YOU and also editable for your own specific classroom needs.
Another great way to help students stay on task, keep the crazy at bay and engage in learning this month is to include a calm down area in your classroom. There are so many awesome calm down kits to help students with behavior needs, but also to help any student regulate their big feelings and emotions. I like using breathing exercises to help students learn to calm their bodies and be aware of their emotions. These breathing exercises can be used in your calm down area or as a quick whole group transition. Check out these printable exercise cards with a coloring sheet for each specific breathing exercise.
What helps you in your classroom during the month of December? Let me know in the comments.
Have a Happy Teacher Life!