Christmas Ideas You'll Want to Pin for Next Year!

First off, I hope you all had a blessed Christmas and got to make memories with your loved ones! While I know Christmas is over, I still wanted to share with you some ideas you can pin for next year!!

This was so much fun! In the past our staff has done this with one another, but this is all about elfing a classroom, not a staff member! Just fill a gift bag with goodies (I chose candy canes), set outside a classroom, knock, and run!!! You can get the free printables from "Inspired Owl's Corner" {here}. 

These photo booth calendars turned out fabulous and were sure to be a big hit when the parents opened them! I hate that I forgot to take pics of the finished product, but trust me, they are adorable and such a keepsake! You can purchase the pack from Deanna Jump {here}.

Aren't these the cutest? These were so suitable for my class, considering we live in the Mohave Desert! You can find this pattern and pack from Linda Kamp {here}.

We did our first book exchange this year and the kids loved it! Each child had to bring in a wrapped book, new or gently used. We sat in a circle and played a game similar to "hot potato." Students passed one book at a time around the circle while the music played. Once the music stopped, whoever was holding the book got to go to their seat and unwrap their new book! Will definitely be doing this every year!

Take advantage of Scholastic's dollar book sale each year and give the gift of reading! If budget allows, spruce it up a little with a dollar candy-filled candy cane from Dollar Tree!

Make cute staff gifts you know they can use!! While we as teachers tend to complain about some of the useless, cheezy gifts we get from our students....I don't know about you, but I've gotten some pretty ridiculous things even from my colleagues!

Lastly, entice good behavior and make it fun with my free Christmas clip chart! Challenge students to stay on the "nice list" or even become "santa's top!" This was such a motivator for my kiddos last week! And you can get it free {here}.

Hopefully you can pin some of these ideas for next year! And if you've already started planning for your first week back, be sure to check out my "January Math!"

 Click {here} to download a free worksheet from this pack!