The last two weeks before winter break are the most likely to break a classroom routine. Families are off-schedule. Staff are tired. Attendance is patchy. The kids are picking up holiday excitement from every direction. The temptation is to roll with it and improvise. Don’t.
The classrooms that survive holiday weeks well are the ones whose routines hold. Predictability is what regulates kids when the world feels louder.
Keep the structure. Morning meeting, free play, transition to outdoor, snack, project, lunch, nap, project, snack, departure. Same every day. The bones of the day don’t change.
Bend the content gently. Morning meeting can talk about family traditions. Project time can include simple seasonal art or family-portrait drawing. The dramatic play corner can become a ‘family kitchen.’ Routines carry the content; the content rides on top.
Pre-plan the special days. One pajama day. One family-portrait day. One special-treat day. Not eight things. Spread across the two weeks. Communicate them to families a week ahead.
Watch the energy. If the room is consistently overstimulated by 11 a.m., something is too loud. Cut back. Simpler activities. Earlier outdoor time. Longer rest. The holiday lesson plan that survives is the one with white space.
Protect nap. December nap times tend to slip — the morning runs long, lunch is late, there was a special activity. Don’t let nap shrink. The afternoon depends on it. So does your team’s afternoon.
Plan for low attendance days. By December 20, attendance is often 50–60%. Use those days for things you can’t normally do — a long cooking project, a big group game, deep classroom resets, real one-on-one observation. Don’t pretend it’s a normal day.
Don’t add new content. December is not the month for a new curriculum theme, a new behavior intervention, or a new policy. Hold what you already have, with care. January is for the new things.
Communicate calmly to families. A short newsletter line: ‘We’re keeping our routines steady through the holiday weeks. A few special days mixed in. We’ll be closed for our winter break starting [date].’ Calm, clear, no fanfare.
Take care of your team. Cancel optional meetings. Lighten the curriculum prep. Send teachers home a little early on Fridays if you can. The team holding the kids needs to be held by the program.
And take care of yourself. The owner who runs full-speed through the holiday weeks is the owner who can’t recover for January. Build in real rest. Even a single quiet evening.
Routines are the gift you give kids who are stretched. Protect them. December is when they earn their keep.