How do you keep your class parties functional, interactive, and goal based? I always loved to “party” with my class… but we can’t always sacrifice a full day of work for fun. Read on to find out how to keep it functional and fun!
Holiday’s are TOUGH for our kiddos. They USUALLY lack the structure our classrooms need to run. But guess what? You CAN have fun and keep it functional.
SCHEDULES
No matter what we do. The first thing you see is the schedule. We use schedules for the week, the day, specials, inclusion, and even class parties. This is an easy way to reduce anxiety and build structure into fun days at school. I also send home generic day of the holiday schedules for families to use at home. They are always so thankful to have these for days that are irregular at home!
SOCIAL STORIES
Social stories are learning opportunities. They target social and emotional development, and you can also use them to target comprehension and writing goals! I pair my social stories with comprehension worksheets. That way we work on a ton of goals at once and we can hit the IEP goals as well as holiday information we need to cover to support parents at home.
TASTE TESTS
Many of my students have food aversions. I am a huge advocate of targeting these alongside the SLP, OT, and with parents on board. Getting kids to try new foods, experience different textures, and take in new smells is not only functional… but a passion of mine. Using taste tests at holiday parties is a good way to keep things light and fun but also functional!
VISUAL RECIPES
No matter what the recipe, food, experiment, or craft… we use the same recipe format. This makes it easy for kids to know what to expect, follow the visual steps, and be more successful with a new activity!
SURVEYS
We LOVE to express our opinions, and we want our students to do the same!!! After you try something new try to incorporate surveys with your students to see what they thought and give them the chance to express that using visuals! (you can grab a self assessment form for FREE here too!)
Using these fun strategies, you can keep things fun and functional through the craziness of holidays!
How will you celebrate Easter with your students?
Download the Easter Visuals seen above by clicking below!
