Celebrating the holiday season at your center

The Holiday Season is here and winter programs are happening in preschools. It is an exciting time to come together as a community and celebrate such wonderful time of year. Respecting children and their families’ cultural beliefs in our preschools is of utmost importance. Therefore, this is an excellent opportunity for children and adults alike to learn about how others celebrate this time of the year. Here are some culturally responsive ways of celebrating this special time with our families…

Few themes are common around the winter season. Elements of winter celebrations include music, lights, bells, candles, gifts, literature, food, stars, and night. You can focus on one element or explore all of them. For example, if you choose music, you can play various songs that are popular around the world during this time. Specifically, focusing on your students’ culture or religious beliefs. Light is another common way to celebrate the holidays. Children can share how they use light in their home during this time. For instance, do they use lights to decorate their Christmas trees? How do lights look like in their menorahs? What do lights mean in the celebration of Kwanzaa? How is music use in the celebration of Las Posadas?

Other possible ideas on how to celebrate this season are to bring in real or artificial snow and included it in different activities such as sensory bins or outdoor play. You can also decorate the school and classrooms with lights, stars, and glitter. You can also invite families to come and share how they celebrate the holiday season at home. When families share how they celebrate this time of the year, everyone learns something new about other cultures or religious beliefs and is well accepted by other families.

We hope these ideas are helpful in deciding how to celebrate the holidays while considering and respecting everyone’s beliefs.

Happy Holidays!

-Yeni & Gloria