If December classroom management feels harder than any other month of the school year, you’re definitely not alone. By the time December arrives, routines have become a little relaxed, students are counting down to winter break, holiday excitement is everywhere, and attention spans seem to disappear overnight. Meanwhile, teachers are trying to squeeze in assessments, holiday activities, classroom celebrations, and curriculum before the break.
It’s no wonder behavior starts to change. But the good news? You don’t need an entirely new classroom management plan. Instead, a few intentional adjustments can help your classroom stay calm, productive, and joyful all month long.
So let’s talk about the strategies that have helped me survive, and even enjoy December in my elementary classroom!
Why Student Behavior Changes in December
First, it’s important to remember that students aren’t intentionally trying to make your day harder, even if sometimes it may feel that way.
December brings a lot of excitement and change.
Students may be:
- anticipating holiday celebrations
- traveling soon
- staying up later than usual
- eating more sugary treats
- participating in family traditions
- feeling overwhelmed by changes at home
As a result, even your strongest classroom routines may need a little reinforcement.
That’s completely normal. So what can you do to help get everyone back on track? Here are 8 quick tips you can use today!
1. Re-Teach Expectations
One of the biggest mistakes teachers make in December is assuming students still remember every classroom expectation. More often than not, they don’t! To help relieve this, spend a few minutes reviewing routines just like you did during the first week of school.
Practice:
- lining up
- transitioning
- center expectations
- independent work
- partner work
- voice levels
Although it may feel repetitive, those quick reminders prevent countless interruptions later in the day. Check out my favorite way to teach expectations here!
2. Keep Your Daily Schedule Predictable
During December, students crave consistency. While holiday fun is important, try to keep your daily routine as predictable as possible. Because students know what to expect, they feel calmer throughout the day. Whenever possible, add festive activities to your existing schedule instead of replacing it entirely. This may seem super simple but I promise it’s an absolute must to calm the chaos!
3. Sprinkle in Holiday Fun to Master December Classroom Management
Instead of planning one huge celebration every day, weave small moments of fun throughout your lessons.
For example:
🎄 Holiday math centers like this snowball fight game or adorable snowmen place value activity
🎅 Seasonal read alouds
🦌 STEM challenges
🎁 Partner games
As a result, students stay engaged while you continue teaching important skills.
4. Give Students More Opportunities to Move
By December, students often have extra energy. Rather than fighting it, build movement into your day. It’s a total game changer.
Try:
- brain breaks
- GoNoodle
- holiday movement cards
- classroom scavenger hunts
- partner rotations
Even two minutes of movement can dramatically improve focus afterward. Do them as often as you need to because remember, December is about survival!
5. Celebrate Positive Choices More Often
December is a wonderful time to notice what students are doing well. Increase positive reinforcement by celebrating students helping classmates, following direction, kind acts, responsibility, and perseverance. Sometimes all it takes is a simple compliment to redirect the entire class.
I also really love to incorporate some really fun whole class rewards. They focus on positive choices, working as a team, and getting rewarded with really easy wins like a pajama day or bring your stuffy to school day!
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6. Keep Centers Familiar in December for Classroom Management
One of the biggest reasons centers become chaotic in December is because teachers introduce brand-new activities. My ultimate hack for centers is keeping the activities the same, but changing the skill they are working on. For example, a simple Bingo game can be practice for addition or subtraction facts, place value, sight words, digraphs and so much more.
Students already know how to play. Therefore, they can spend their energy practicing the new skill instead of learning new directions. This simple system saves prep time while helping centers run much more smoothly. In December we use our same activities, but with a winter twist! Check out some of our favorites below!
Editable Place Value Snowman Build Activity
7. Use Read Alouds to Teach Social-Emotional Skills
Holiday books aren’t just fun. They’re also powerful teaching tools. Choose stories that spark conversations about kindness, gratitude, generosity, empathy, friendship, and accepting differences.
These discussions naturally reinforce the classroom community you’ve spent months building. Check out some of our favorite SEL reads HERE.
8. Don’t Abandon Your Expectations
This is probably my biggest piece of advice. Students still need boundaries in December. In fact, they need them even more. So in the holiday spirit, remember to be warm, festive, and flexible when appropriate. However, continue holding students accountable for the expectations you’ve established all year.
Consistency creates security.
One Small Reset Can Change Everything
If your classroom starts feeling extra busy, don’t assume you’ve lost control. Instead, simply pause.
Review one routine. Practice it together. Celebrate the success. Then move forward.
Often, one five-minute reset prevents days of frustration.
December doesn’t have to be the month when classroom management falls apart. Instead, think of it as an opportunity to revisit expectations, build classroom community, and create joyful learning experiences. After all, students may not remember every worksheet you taught in December. However, they’ll remember the classroom that felt calm, fun, and full of holiday magic. And ultimately, that’s one of the greatest gifts we can give them!
I really hope you enjoyed learning some great tips for December classroom management in your elementary classroom! Don’t forget to subscribe to my email list! Not only will you get the most up to date tips, tricks, and classroom projects… and of course more fun FREEBIES including the Whole Class Reward FREEBIE! You will also have exclusive access to tons of digital how-to videos! If you would like to learn about this and other things happening in my classroom follow me @sweetnsauerfirsties on Instagram.
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