The holidays are a hectic time for everyone, and that includes elementary school teachers. If you’re looking for some classroom management strategies to help you get through the holiday season, here are three suggestions:
Strategies for Classroom Management #1
Keep a Consistent Classroom Routine
First, try to keep your routine as normal as possible. That means if you usually have morning work at the beginning of the day, don’t skip it just because there’s a holiday party later in the day. Keeping some sense of normalcy will help your students feel more comfortable and less stressed.
Strategies for Classroom Management #2
Leave Room for Flexibility in Your Lesson Plans
Second, be flexible with your lesson plans. If you had planned to do a certain activity or project but it’s not working out due to the holiday chaos, don’t force it. The most important thing is that your students are learning, so be willing to adjust your plans as needed.
Strategies for Classroom Management #3
Have a Quick Tool for Assessments
Having a low-prep assessment handy that students can finish even with a limited attention span will be a life-saver! Exit tickets are a great option because they’re quick for students to complete and easy for you to grade.
Try them out for yourself with this free set of 3rd-grade math exit tickets for solving 2-step problems.
So there you have it, three strategies for managing your classroom during the holiday season. Just remember to be flexible, keep things as normal as possible, and have a quick assessment tool on hand, and you’ll be sure to make it through the holidays with your sanity intact!
And One More Thing
Finally, make sure you take some time for yourself. The holidays can be overwhelming, and if you’re not taking care of yourself, you won’t be able to effectively take care of your students. Take a few minutes each day to do something that makes you happy, whether it’s reading, taking a walk, or just listening to your favorite holiday music. You can read more about this in the blog about work-life balance.
Do you have any other strategies for managing your classroom during the holidays? Share them in the comments below!