The holiday season is fast approaching. With Halloween, Thanksgiving, Christmas, and Hanukkah just around the corner, it’s best to be mindful of students who don’t celebrate certain holidays, but still include them in classroom fun. Here are a couple things teachers can do to provide holiday inclusivity:
Holiday Awareness
Learning about students’ cultures, and encouraging them to learn about one another, can help open young minds to holidays and celebrations they might not participate in. Going over how each holiday was created and popular customs around it, letting the students get to know the culture and traditions, can help many classmates navigate the holiday season more effectively and sincerely.
Focus Seasonally
A lot of holidays tie into the season like fall for Halloween, and winter for Christmas and Hanukkah. Including themes like a pumpkin patch or a winter wonderland allows teachers to decorate mindfully, but still put a personal touch in their classroom. Teachers can also utilize these themes to turn them into classroom activities. Have students decorate mini pumpkins or create snowflakes for respective seasons.
Find Commonalities
Traditions from varying cultures, religions, and parts of the world can have many distinctions, but finding similarities may be easier than you think. For example, Christmas, Hanukkah, and Diwali all place a heavy significance on light decorations during their respective holiday season. When decorating your classroom, use these commonalities to connect these holidays to your students. Building off of what each holiday has in common with one another can help teachers and students avoid religious or cultural stereotypes as well.
Encourage Respect to All
There are students who may not celebrate a winter holiday, or any holiday at all. Offering activities and visuals that don’t just emphasize traditional holiday motifs can help these students still feel included in the season. For instance, opting for a craft that has Christmas trees, menorahs, and a neutral winter figure, like gingerbread men, offers a more inclusive option in your classroom for students who might not celebrate anything. Make sure to lead by example and embrace students to.
What do you do in your classroom to strive for holiday inclusivity?
Resources:
https://www.cherokeecountyeducationalfoundation.org/news/holiday-inclusion-classroom
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What role do conversations about inclusivity and diversity play in preparing students for the upcoming holiday season, especially in a multicultural classroom?