Truth be told, I did not write today’s blog.

Written by past blogger Jen Asimow, this post dates back to December 2014. Although seven years have passed, Jen’s words still ring true and remain relevant.

Her classic post, Top 10 Ways to Keep Calm This Holiday Season, is a welcome and much-needed reminder that we can find and cultivate calm as we weather the storm of COVID variants, holiday parties, family interactions, travel schedules, cooking, housecleaning, holiday-gift shopping and the dreaded supply-chain disruptions that threaten to derail shipments of eagerly awaited holiday gifts.

We are the constants in the lives of young children and—like most things that pertain to early childhood—we need to keep in mind that “less is more.”

Keep it simple and cut the curriculum in half this month if necessary.

As educators, we know that this month is crazier than it needs to be. So be kind to yourself, your staff and your students. Many programs simplify life by celebrating the seasons and removing all of the “themed” expectations that are scheduled around the holidays.

So take a deep breath, resolve to take the road less traveled and read Jen’s post. With COVID adding an extra layer of stress this holiday season, you’ll be glad you did!

Top 10 Ways to Keep Calm This Holiday Season

by Jen Asimow

December 3, 2014

Unless you work in a faith-based program, the holiday season should be almost non-existent in your classroom. Some of the December holidays are rooted firmly in religious teachings and others are celebrated by specific cultures. None of them have a place in diverse and publicly funded programs.

That does not mean that we should ignore them altogether. Children will arrive each day with stories about the comings and goings of extended family members, hopes for expected gifts or reasons for missed school days. They may be exhausted, irritable, bleary-eyed or wrung-out. They may be overly excited or revved up. All of these emotions will require a steady hand and a caring ear.

This is the time of year when hopes are inflated and dashed, when tummies hurt from eating too much and when bedtimes are ignored and exhausted children still have to get up and get to school. So I have come up with my Top 10 List for Keeping it Calm this holiday season.

Our adult understandings of time have developed over years of experience.  We know exactly how long a day, a week, a month, or a year is, and we can plan accordingly. For young children, days are broken into chunks rather than hours and minutes.  The week is divided into school days and home days, but this is a faulty system as they usually need reminding each day upon waking about which kind of day it is.

This ambiguity is supercharged when something exciting is coming as well as when something bad is coming.  Since they do not know for sure when these events will transpire, they need reminders and reassurances.  Just as you remind a two-year old that her parents will return after the afternoon nap each and every day, you must reassure all the children that, “Yes, there will be days off of school, but we will all see each other again.”  Small calendars with visual cues that indicate when upcoming events are happening may also help.  Be sure to count the days until the events using the calendar. Each day, the number will get smaller as the date approaches.

That does not mean we should ignore them altogether.  Children will come each day with stories of the comings and goings of extended family members, hopes for expected gifts, or reasons for missed school days. They may be exhausted, irritable, bleary-eyed, or wrung out.  They may be overly excited, or revved up. All of these emotions will require a steady hand and a caring ear.  This is the time of year when hopes are inflated and dashed, when food is overeaten and tummies hurt, and when bedtimes are ignored and exhausted children still have to get up and get to school.

So, I have come up with my Top 10 List for Keeping it Calm this holiday season.

10.  Stick to your normal schedule.  Avoid the temptation to have special celebrations.  These can wait until the New Year. 

9.  Keep the meals and the snacks the same as usual. Don’t accept special holiday treats. Children are getting plenty of junk at home around the holidays.  

8.  Keep large group time to a minimum.  There are increased expectations for children to sit and behave at this time of the year at Grandma’s house, at Church, at special parties. Don’t expect them to do this MORE at child care. 

7.  Let the children play.  They need this more at this time of the year so let them play for as long as possible. 

6.  No special projects.  Stop insisting that the children engage in developmentally inappropriate art activities that result in some sort of “gift” for the family.  Let them create art if they choose.  Let it be what it is. 

5.  Let the children talk about it.  Some of your kids may want to talk about the exciting happenings at their homes.  Let them and then let them get back to playing.

4.  Find time for gross motor play.  Even though the weather may be less-than-ideal, try to get outside as much as possible.  Children need fresh air and they need to run around, now more than ever.

3.  Create an island of calm in your classroom.  Play soft music.  Lower the lights.  

2.  Don’t allow your own holiday madness to creep into your work.  Let the workday work in your favor.  Your classroom may be the only place where you feel calm and collected.  

1. Manage everyone’s expectations.  Tell the parents in advance, that your program/classroom will be business as usual and they can count on calm consistency for their children.  I guarantee they will thank you. 

Holidays are very personal.  How we celebrate, who we celebrate with, and the meaning behind the celebrations is very specific to each family.  That is why I believe that these are best celebrated at home and not at school/childcare.

I have heard all of the arguments FOR bringing the holidays into school but have you heard all off the arguments AGAINST it?  For me, one of the most important reasons is that we cannot give equal time to everyone’s ideas of what the holidays mean.  Do we give two weeks to making Christmas decorations for trees? Or, do we light candles for each day of Kwanzaa?  How do we incorporate all of the wishes of all of the families in an equal and fair manner?

But the most important reason is that for the most part, young children have a very limited understanding of the holidays other than the notion of getting presents, if that is a part of their tradition.  Nearly everything else associated with this time of the year is meaningful to adults because of their memories of holidays during their childhoods.  The vast majority of those memories are memories from HOME, not school.  School memories come much later  and are usually superficial (the Turkey centerpiece made out of an old milk carton).

Next week, we will look at keeping things simple during this time.  December can be a very hectic time for families so ensuring that school is an island of calm will be a welcome relief to parents.