This week is flying by! We’ve covered two traditions so far in this series: reading one holiday book every day leading up to break and organizing a Secret Santa in your classroom. Both blogs lay out a super simple approach for starting these in your class right away! They also both include free resources, so be sure to check them out.

Today I will be discussing the third Holiday tradition:

This may sound like a no brainer and something we should be doing year round, but there is a reason why it’s included here. When we put intention and structure behind a nice idea, really positive things happen! For this tradition, it is just that. Read on to see how to turn this simple idea into a memorable holiday tradition in your own classroom.

Digging into the Details

How does it work?

• Have a class meeting. For some of you, class meetings are built into your DNA and you can’t imagine life without them. For others, it always feels like something extra you are asked to build into your schedule that you simply don’t have time for. Even if you never normally have class meetings, have them during the month of December. It is a great time to check in with each other and even implement some of these traditions. You could use the time to decorate together or do the Secret Santa exchange.

  • At one class meeting, have your students brainstorm acts of kindness they’d like to do during the month of December leading up to break. Give students time to record their own ideas on sticky notes before sharing with the class. Once they are done, have them place the sticky notes on chart paper and begin categorizing them. Any duplicates can become one act of kindness and you can remove or “save for later” any that do not seem feasible. Your final list should be numbered and equal the number of days you have left before break.

• Write the Acts of Kindness on Ornaments. In my free download below, I have included blank ornaments that each have a number. The number on the ornament will correspond to an act of kindness from your numbered list above. Display the Kind Acts Numbered List on a Smart Board, Doc camera, or chart paper so students can see them clearly. Students will record the act of kindness that matches the number on their blank ornament.

  • For example, if #8 on the numbered list was “write a kind note to the principal”, and they had the #8 ornament, they would record that act of kindness onto the ornament.

• Students Decorate the Ornaments. After they have written the act of kindness on their ornament, they are free to decorate them with whatever materials you allow.

TIP: Collect all of the ornaments once they are completed! You will need them!

• Create a Paper Tree. Do not spend a lot of time on this step! Cut out a simple tree out of butcher paper, poster board, or chart paper and hang it up somewhere in the classroom. With a marker, write numbers on the tree that equal the number of acts of kindness you will do.

• Use the Acts of Kindness Ornaments and Tree as a Countdown to Break. Once you are ready to start the countdown, you will grab the ornament that corresponds to the countdown day and give it to the student(s) that created it. They will read it to the class and create a plan on how best to implement the kind act. After the day is done, they will find the number written on the tree that matches the ornament and will stick it to the tree. As break gets closer, the tree will be full of beautiful ornaments and the school will be full of kindness!

Download this FREE Acts of Kindness Winter Break Countdown!

This PDF has blank ornaments (which you could also use for the Secret Santa gift exchange!) and gives a detailed explanation of how to make this work in your classroom!

Don’t underestimate the power of this super simple tradition. It will give you such joy to see students get so excited about serving and helping others. If you really want to challenge your kindness muscles, try doing this on your own as well. Think of the teacher you don’t get along with, the parent you struggle to communicate with and start there. Create acts of kindness that will stretch you. You never know how what small acts of kindness will lead to.

Comment below if you try this!