Seasonal & Holiday Ideas for Preschools

Seasonal Traditions & Rituals 

The winter holidays are a joyful time to celebrate connection and community with young children. Many early childhood settings include a wide variety of cultures, religions, and ways of celebrating. Early childhood educators can support children by inviting home-school connections and helping children learn about the many ways holidays might be celebrated. Programs may have curricula or guidelines about their community’s approach to holidays and celebrations. NAEYC’s blog, Anti-Bias Education and Holidays: Making Thoughtful Decisions by Louise Derman-Sparks and Julie Olsen Edwards, offers some guiding principles for program leaders and teachers as they consider their approach to holidays in their programs.

How can you cultivate seasonal celebrations unique to your own classroom? Here are a few ideas that can be easily individualized to meet the needs and interests of the children and families in your classroom community.

1. Make a Seasons Tree

Collect bare branches and decorate with artwork, photos, or natural treasures. Your tree could feature photos, drawings, or short notes around a specific theme, such as moments of kindness, thankful thoughts, or favorite things about winter!

1. Seasons Share Day

Invite children to bring a photo, story, song or (parent-approved) object that represents their family traditions. This could expand to take place over a longer period of time and include family visits as well.

1. Connect with a Cooking Project

Special foods and recipes are often shared with friends and family as part of holiday celebrations. Cooking and baking are an expansive and empowering way to include children in these hands-on experiences. With appropriate tools, plenty of adults to help and supervise, and a process-focused mindset, the experience can be joyful and successful.

1. Gifts for the Birds

Many winter holidays are connected to traditions of gift giving. Help children connect to nature by reading books and discussing what seasonal differences might mean for animals in nature. Children in cooler climates might observe that snow keeps animals from accessing certain food sources, and that there are fewer growing things to eat. Children in more temperate climates might notice more birds as those that migrate move to their warmer homes for winter. Brainstorm with children what might be a thoughtful gift for the birds in your area -- maybe a birdfeeder full of seed in a spot that can be observed from a classroom window, or perhaps individually crafted birdfeeders to go home and share the experience with families.

1. A Time for Reflection & Celebration

This break in the calendar year is a natural opportunity to reflect on the year so far and set goals for the year ahead. Invite children to share what they’ve noticed that they’re getting better at, or something they can do now that they were still working on at the beginning of the year. Take a moment to celebrate children’s successes, and make sure to add some of your own. It’s powerful for children to see teachers modeling the process of learning and growth! This could be an informal conversation during a meal or group time, or an invitation for children to illustrate their reflections as you capture and transcribe their words.

By thoughtfully incorporating seasonal traditions and rituals, early childhood educators can help create a welcoming and respectful classroom community. Celebrations that honor each child and invite families to share their traditions build a deeper sense of connection. The heart of these activities is the joy of coming together, learning from one another, and creating lasting memories. May this season bring warmth, unity, and discovery to your classroom.

To learn more about building meaningful rituals and traditions throughout the year, check out NAEYC's book, Rituals and Traditions: Fostering a Sense of Community in Preschool, by J. Howell & K. Reinhard or read an excerpt here.

Christine Murray is an Early Childhood Education Specialist with Becker’s Education Team.
As an educator, coach and leader, Christine is inspired by the curiosity, joy and wonder that children so generously model for us. She earned her M.A. in Innovative Early Childhood Education at the University of Colorado Denver and loves collaborating with and supporting others in the field. Grounded in relationships and guided by empathy, Christine is always learning, connecting and creating.