It is that time of the year…Halloween! Your students
are excited, even hyperactive and the days leading to and just after Halloween
can be challenging. Here are some ways to enjoy the holiday while
remaining sane amid the sugar rush.
Know School Protocol
Does your school
celebrate Halloween or attempt to curtail it? Some schools go all out
with a Halloween parade around the school and classroom parties. In my school,
we have the Storybook Parade. This is
where students come dressed in their favorite story book character and march
around the school with their book for parents and classmates to see. Of course, we have our share of vampires and
witches, but the parents and teachers are great about pairing the costume with
a book.
In some schools,
teachers plan special activities for a portion of the day but follow regular
routines the rest of the day. In some schools, teachers and students dress up
in costumes, in others they do not. Find out the expectations and then plan
accordingly. You don’t want to be the only teacher to show up in a costume in a
school that discourages holiday participation.
Have fun with it.
Students are going to
be thinking about Halloween, you might as well try to enjoy it.
- Play eerie music during transition time.
- Paint ghosts on your windows!
- Put fun drawings on handouts or on the white board.
- Decorate your door with your students. The promise of time to decorate is often a great incentive to get students to focus on doing regular classwork the rest of the day.
- Build fluency by having student practice and perform a Reader’s Theater show with Halloween themed poems.
- Remind students of expectations.
You don’t have to be a
wet blanket, but you will need to remind them and expect them to adhere to
previously established routines and procedures. Sometimes a quick
reminder is all you need.
Be sensitive.
Some families do not
celebrate holidays or allow their children to participate in holiday themed
activities. In most cases, parents will have discussed this with you
ahead of time. If your school does allow Halloween activities, make sure
that activities and costumes are developmentally appropriate. Some
children are easily frightened by scary costumes.
I hope you have a
great Halloween week!
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