5 Ways to Encourage the Spirit of Giving This Holiday Season

While our students may belong to different religions and cultures, most winter holidays share a common theme of kindness and giving. As winter break approaches, try out these ideas to help encourage a spirit of giving and kindness.

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1.Reflect and write about the gifts students have given and have received.

This could be meaningful literal gifts, as well as metaphorical. What gifts or talents have your students been given? How do they give back their community? You can make up your own writing prompts, or use my Holiday Reflection & Coloring Journal. With 5 pages of reflection and 5 pages of detailed "adult coloring book" style coloring pages, this journal will keep students engaged for hours.

2.Brainstorm ways to give back together.

Create a cute anchor chart with different gifts, and have students come up with ways they can give back to their class, school, community, and world. They can record their thoughts on sticky notes and place them on the respective gifts.

3.Count down with kindness.

If you or your students find yourself counting down the days until break, try counting down with kindness instead! Each day, have a new act of kindness for the students to try out. I love this Classroom Kindness Challenge from Blair Turner!

4.Create a "Season of Giving" display.

Students can each determine a way they will give back and record it on a gift-- this makes the perfect festive, but secular, display for your hallway bulletin board! You can snag the Season of Giving Bulletin Board Kit here.