Hi there friends and colleagues! And happy holiday season!
This time of year can be a blend of endless joy and excitement mixed with over-sugared, over-tired kiddos with BIG feelings. Here are three resources to help you get to the end of this month without feeling like you need a big glass of eggnog and a long winter’s nap to recover.
1 – Here is a Spotify playlist filled with music that is festive, without being overstimulating. Use the music in this playlist for special times of the day, like holiday crafting or any other group activity where the children can listen while they work. You can also choose your favorite piece of music from the playlist and create simple steady beat movements and patterns to do with your students. A personal favorite for this activity is Skating from the Charlie Brown Christmas special.
Educator Tip
This is the perfect time of year to add more music listening into your classroom routine! Just remember to choose music that is appropriate for your young listeners. Music with lots of electronic instruments and annoying, cheesy lyrics is not good enough for your children!
3 – Create space for low-stimulation time periods during the day. This time of year can bring A LOT of new and exciting activities – classroom guests, music, treats, gifts – and sometimes big feelings. You can balance out all of this energy by making sure you build in time each day for the children to simply rest. You can use appropriate music to support this! Our Music for Mindfulness Spotify playlist is a great place to start.
Educator Tip
Happy Holidays
As always, we are so grateful to have you as a member of this community. You are doing such important work and we respect and admire how you continually show up for every child, every day.We wish you a healthy, happy holiday season filled with great music, great food, and great friends and family! Take good care of yourself and maybe make some time for that egg nog and long winter’s nap!