December School Counseling Lessons: 3 Ideas To Make Planning Easier
Are you stressed out just thinking about everything that’s on your schedule in December? Buying and wrapping gifts, making food to share with family and friends, and hanging holiday decorations fill our time (and our minds) during this time of year. Plus, that mile-long list doesn’t even include all of the chaos that ensues at school.
If you’re anything like me, thinking about your December counseling lessons might just feel like too much. That’s why I put together a list of 3 ideas that will make your lessons fun and engaging for your students, but will take away the stress of planning for you. Below, you’ll find activities and resources for teaching about kindness, cultural diversity, and coping skills.
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December Lesson Idea #1: Kindness
During December, many children receive gifts as a part of their holiday traditions. Of course this is a special time for kids, but it can easily lead to an increased focus on self - just ask my 6 year old who had the Amazon catalog marked up before it was even November. This makes December a perfect time to help students turn outward and think about how they can show kindness and empathy to the people around them.
Activity Idea: Work with your students to brainstorm a list of ways - big and small - that they can show kindness. Then, challenge each student to choose 3 of the ideas to implement. They can write their challenges down on a piece of paper, or draw pictures of their plan for kindness. When students complete their challenges, invite them to write or draw about it on a piece of a paper and create a paper chain with all of the acts of kindness that your students have performed!
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December Lesson Idea #2: Cultural Diversity
Red and Green and Blue and White is a great story about children of different cultures coming together to show kindness and unity!
December is such a fun and unique time because it is a time of celebration for many cultures, making it a special time to talk about cultural diversity with students. It can be challenging for kids to see past their own experiences and appreciate the different celebrations and traditions that exist. Your December lessons are a perfect time to talk about cultural diversity in general, or to explore some of the different holidays that are acknowledged during this month.
Activity Idea: The book Home For The Holidays from Sesame Street showcases different characters participating in a variety of holiday celebrations like Kwanzaa, Chinese New Year, Thanksgiving and more. Read through the book with your students and as they look at each picture, ask them to share how their holiday celebrations are similar to those of the characters. For example, a student may notice that the characters have candles lit, which is part of their tradition, or maybe that the characters are baking, just like they do.
More Picture Books That Showcase Holiday Diversity:
World Of Cookies For Santa by M.E. Furman
Christmas In Lagos by Sharon Abimbola Salu
Red And Green And Blue And White by Lee Wind
December Lesson Idea #3: Coping Skills
This free Google Slides game is great way to review coping skills with your students.
Typically, I think it’s really important to talk about coping skills at the very beginning of the school year, in your August lessons. BUT, December can be a great time to review these strategies with your students. December is chaotic… that’s all there is to it. Holiday celebrations, the anticipation of an extended break from school, and a packed schedule can make this a tricky time for kids. Reviewing coping skills will not only help them get through the December school weeks, but will also help them have the tools they need to deal with routine changes, excitement, or even challenges when they are at home on break.
Activity Idea: Encourage students to think of situations or challenges that they may experience during winter break. Some examples may include conflict with siblings, having to share new toys/games, a busy schedule, etc. Then, work together to come up with strategies that the students can use to cope with these situation. This is a helpful activity for your December counseling lessons because the transition to winter break may be difficult for some students, and they will also have different coping skills available at home than they do at school.
Pre-Made Resources:
December can be a fun month, full of excitement and celebration. My hope is that these 3 ideas will make your December counseling lessons easier to plan so you can enjoy all of the fun with your students! If you’re looking for more time-saving tips, make sure you sign up below for my weekly e-mails. Each Monday, you’ll get practical ideas and activities delivered directly to your inbox!
