[00:00:00] Hey friends. Welcome back to the podcast. I’m your host, Molly Schwab, and it’s that time of year again. The days are shorter, the air’s colder, and the stress levels of teachers are soaring. The last couple of weeks before your holiday break are challenging. There’s no doubt about that, but I’m here to help you keep it stress-free, a little bit easier, still productive, and educational.

So here are 11 teacher survival tips to help you make it through December in one piece.

Alright. Tip number one: don’t over plan. We all do it, right? There are so many fun things that you want to squeeze into a few short weeks leading up to your winter break, but you cannot do it all. You really can’t. Trying to do everything is just going to lead to one thing, which is frustration.

And then the next thing you know, you’re going to find yourself yelling at your class—or maybe your own kids when you get home—trying to get your kids to speed up and [00:01:00] get things done so that you can move on to the next fun activity. But here’s the thing: when you try to plan too much, nobody’s enjoying anything, and everybody’s just feeling stressed out and overwhelmed.

One of the best tips for teacher survival in December is to remember not to over plan.

Tip number two is to slow down, and that’s going to lead to more enjoyment for everybody. Let your kids take their time. If they’re really enjoying making their holiday ornament or the Christmas card or whatever it is, just give them time to do it. Sometimes we plan a fun lesson and it includes making gifts with messy stuff like painting or glitter. Yeah, I said it—glitter. Kids love that stuff, so give them time to enjoy it.

Give them an extra ten minutes to finish that project instead of rushing them through it. It’s okay if it goes over into your math lesson because you know what? Math is still going to be here in January, but you know what won’t be here in January? Holiday memories. [00:02:00] They’re going to be over with. So slow down and enjoy those special projects, and when you slow down, it’s going to help you survive December just a little bit better.

Alright. Tip number three is to make a memory. I get it. You’ve got to teach your kids to read at a certain level by the end of the school year. They’ve got to pass that end-of-year math test. But you know what? They should be enjoying the journey along the way. It’s okay to take a break from your hardcore math and literacy standards for a couple of days in December.

So make those Christmas ornaments or the holiday cards. Do something fun that they’re always going to remember. One of my favorite activities in my class was when we adopted gingerbread babies, or another one was when we spent a day in the life of a North Pole elf. They were engaging, magical activities. They were still educational, but the kids really loved them. And at the end, when we finished doing those activities, they would tell me, “This was the best day ever,” or “I love this so much. When can we do it [00:03:00] again?” That’s how you make a memory with your students. So take a few minutes in December to do that.

Alright. Tip number four is to make it easy on yourself. By the last week before break, everybody’s exhausted. You’re dealing with kids that are overly excited. Then you go home and you’ve got more holiday prep. You’re probably trying to fit in gift wrapping, shopping, baking, and decorating. The list is endless, so make it easy on yourself at school so that you can save your sanity a little bit.

Keep your lessons very simple and easy to plan. I like to do some simple writing activities, and we would make a craft to go with it. We would do How to Decorate a Christmas Tree or How to Make Hot Chocolate, and then we would actually make the hot chocolate. We’d make a big pot of hot chocolate in the crockpot, and the kids would drink it while they were doing the writing activity. Or we would do a little Christmas tree craft where they would decorate it, and then we would write How to Decorate a Christmas Tree. So it’s simple activities like that that are going to keep [00:04:00] kids engaged, so they’re less stressful for you and for them, which helps to keep your sanity in December.

I have those activities in my TPT store, and if you want to take a closer look at them, you can head to firstieland.com/winterwriting, or the link will be in the show notes.

Alright. Tip number five is to play some games. When everything else fails, pull out some games and play them with your kids. My kids loved to play Four Corners. But in December, I’d give it a little twist and we’d call it North Pole Corners. We’d name the corners Elves, Reindeer, Snowmen, and Toys. The person who was the caller was Santa. So all the kids would scatter to a corner of the room while Santa went out into the hall. And then when Santa came back in, blindfolded or with his eyes shut, he’d call out one corner, and whichever kids were in that corner had to sit down.

You keep playing like that until only one person is left in a corner, and then they become the new [00:05:00] Santa. Maybe you just need a break, right? So take a few minutes at your desk with maybe a little secret stash of chocolate while your kids entertain themselves with some games.

I had a whole stash of no-prep math and literacy games, and whenever I needed to take a minute to myself, I would give those to the kids. They were really simple little game boards, and the kids would either play with a partner or they would play at their table in groups of four. All you needed was a die and some tokens for the kids to move around the boards. They were holiday-themed games, but they all had a math or literacy skill that the kids were practicing—lots of phonics games and addition or subtraction.

So when I needed a break, I’d pull those games out, let the kids play them by themselves at their table, and I’d take a ten- or fifteen-minute break. Maybe I’d grade a few papers or answer a couple of emails, or maybe I would just drink a cup of tea while the kids played those games for a [00:06:00] few minutes. If anybody walked in, like my principal, and asked what they were doing, they were learning. They were doing math skills and literacy skills, but I could still get a little break. And remember, this podcast today is about how you can keep your sanity in December.

If you want to see the games I used, you can go to firstieland.com/games and see them there. Or I’ll put the link in the show notes.

Alright. Tip number six is to pamper yourself at the end of the day when you go home because December is exhausting. You need to take a hot bubble bath, maybe have a glass of wine, and watch your favorite Hallmark movie. Give yourself a break when you go home in the evenings and don’t take any papers home to grade. Nothing is that important that you have to spend your weeknights or weekends grading papers. Give yourself a break when you go home in December. You deserve it.

Alright. Tip number seven is to try a lights-off day. When your [00:07:00] kids are starting to get really overstimulated and the noise level is sky high, it might be time for a little reset. Switch off the overhead lights. Turn on a lamp or some twinkle lights. Put some quiet music on in the background.

You can find that fireplace with Christmas music on YouTube, or I saw some really cute Bluey instrumental music with Bluey in the background, and also some with Snoopy. Find something like that to put on your board, and while the kids are working at their tables, keep everything quiet with low lighting and soft music. Give everybody a chance to reset, including you.

When you calm your environment like that, it can help the kids settle themselves down and give you a much-needed mental break. Sometimes less stimulation is the secret to keeping everyone regulated during those busy days in December.

Tip number eight is to plan a read-aloud and relax day. You don’t always have to be “on.” Pick a cozy winter-themed picture book, pass out some coloring pages or maybe a journal prompt, and let the kids color or draw as you read. Maybe they can sit on blankets on the floor. Give them stuffed animals. Let them rest and listen. It gives everyone a chance to breathe and enjoy some nice stories together.

Tip number nine is to let the kids lead. One easy way to take some pressure off yourself in December is to let your kids take over for a while. Let them have a guest teacher role or be teacher for the day and share something they know how to do. I actually did this with my class. We would do “Teacher for the Day,” and I would let one or two kids—or sometimes more—be the teacher for a while in the classroom. They would prepare a simple lesson plan of what they were going to teach, and then bring in all the materials they needed. Then they would show the class how to do something.

I remember one kid showed us how to tie our shoes. Somebody else brought in bread, peanut butter, and jelly and showed us how to make a peanut butter and jelly sandwich. One year I had a little boy bring in his boogie board from the beach. He hung up a big beach scene on the board and showed us how to ride the boogie board in the waves. All kinds of cute stuff like that. Then the rest of the class would have a little booklet where they would draw and write about what they learned from each student. It was zero prep for me—other than making the booklets—and the kids loved being the teacher. It was a great way to give myself a break in December.

If you want to look at that resource, it’s in my store at firstieland.com/teacher, and I’ll put the link in the show notes.

Tip number ten is to build in some independent choice time. When your kids are full of holiday energy, giving them a little structure with independent choices can help. They can do quiet things like puzzles, drawing, reading, or word searches—things that are low prep for you but easy for them. You could have a little choice board so they know exactly what they’re allowed to do, and then have them rotate to different activities. Each day they could do something new. It gives you a few peaceful minutes to prep materials, answer emails, or take a sip of your lukewarm coffee that’s probably sitting on the corner of your desk.

Tip number eleven is to make yourself a teacher survival kit to keep at school because you deserve a little comfort in December. Fill it with things like tea bags, your favorite coffee, a bar of chocolate, cozy slippers, hand lotion, a good book, or a magazine. Keep it in your desk drawer or in a cute basket in your classroom, and on those long December days when everything feels chaotic and you’re exhausted, sneak in a few minutes during your planning time to sip tea, eat a little chocolate, or put your feet up. You’ll be amazed at how much better you’ll feel even after a ten- or fifteen-minute recharge.

With a little planning and a lot of grace, you can not only survive December, but you can enjoy it too. Remember to slow down, make a few memories with the kids, and take care of yourself. You deserve a calm and cozy holiday season. If you’re feeling tired and stretched thin this December, you’re not alone. Every teacher knows how exhausting this time of year can be, but it doesn’t have to feel like survival mode. Take a deep breath, slow things down, and find the magic in the little moments with your kids. Give yourself permission to simplify things in December. Laugh with your students and enjoy the season right along with them.

You’ve got this. You’re doing an amazing job. You can handle December, and you’re almost at the finish line and ready for your winter break.

Alright friends. That’s it for this week. Until next week, remember to make learning feel like play. I’ll see you next time.