I LOVE Christmas and everything about it. I get so antsy waiting for it.
Last Christmas, my son finally realized that on Christmas Day, Santa, along with other people would give him gifts. I can’t tell you how excited he was about that discovery.
There’s more to Christmas than just that though.
This year, I’ve been making a concerted effort to teach him about it, granted that he’s only 3 years old. I also teach my students about it.
I don’t know about the make up of your class but mine has some Christian and some non-Christian students. It’s difficult to cater to everyone, isn’t it?
It doesn’t have to be. We can differentiate for them with ease because everyone deserves to enjoy the festivities and the holidays in their own way. This is especially important for our students.
Actionable Steps:
#1. Quick Discussion
Talk to your students regarding their thoughts about Christmas. Ask them how they celebrate it or how they’ve seen others celebrate it if they don’t participate in it. Perhaps they engage in other winter holiday festivities. If so, they can talk about that instead.
#2. Christmas Story
Read to children about the story of Jesus and his birth. Explain the relevance of it and how it’s related to Christmas.
Whether your children are Christians or not, they can still take part in a discussion about the concept of giving versus receiving, and gratitude for all that we have.
You can take this a step further and vote on a kindness activity to do for others. Perhaps you can write cards to those who need some extra love in your community, or donate items to a local charity.
#3. Differentiated Reflection
Have students reflect on their learning and on their prior knowledge, first as a whole group discussion to help students get started, and then on their own. You can do this with the following resources.
Don’t make a pre-judgement based on religion about which ones to give your students. Keep them all out and let your students choose which ones they want to work on. You’ll get more out of them this way.
Recap:
Let’s recap really quickly. Today, we looked at the following:
- The reasons why it’s important to teach about Christmas.
- How to teach students about the meaning of Christmas: quick discussion, Christmas story, and differentiated reflection.
Free Resources:
If your children are struggling to hand in assignments on time, check out the following video training: 3 Steps to Teach Children How to Overcome Procrastination to Increase Productivity.
In the mean time, if you’re feeling stressed out, overwhelmed and burnout, then I encourage you to check out the following: FREE MASTERCLASS: Systematic Plan to Super Passionate.
Next Steps:
For calm down areas on a budget, for your students who have autism, CLICK HERE.
If you found this video beneficial, would you do me a favor? Share this with your family, your friends, your loved ones, your co-workers or someone who you think could benefit from this. Thank you!
I’ll see you next Friday at 5:30pm PST.
Until I see you next time, remember to create, experience & teach from the heart.
Take care,
Charlotte