Proven Holiday Classroom Management Strategies for Thriving, Not Just Surviving
In Part 1, we looked at how to channel holiday energy into movement and gamified activities. But as any teacher knows, even the most engaging lesson won’t erase the fact that routines get wobbly during this season. Students push boundaries, and teachers are tired. The key is to be proactive. With the right holiday classroom management strategies, you can reset norms, reinforce community, and keep learning on track through the busiest time of year.
Why Norms Slip During the Holidays
The reasons are predictable: excitement for breaks, sugar highs from seasonal treats, shortened attention spans, late nights, loss of routine, and less consistency in school schedules. Teachers, stretched thin, may ease up on routines. Students sense this shift and test limits.
That’s why it’s essential to intentionally revisit classroom culture before behavior unravels. By creating space for students to reflect, discuss, and connect, you bring them back into ownership of the classroom community.
Reestablishing Class Culture With Thinking Tools for Holiday Classroom Management Strategies
One of the most effective ways to reset norms is to make students part of the conversation. Hexagonal Thinking is a tool I love for this. Students connect concepts and values on hexagons to explore how ideas relate. You can use it to ask questions like:
- What does respect look like during group work?
- How does responsibility connect to fun holiday activities?
- Why does teamwork matter even more when we’re excited and distracted?
Instead of lecturing, you’re guiding a collaborative problem-solving process. Students see how the values link together, which makes classroom expectations feel logical and shared rather than imposed. You can also create hexagonal thinking templates that link to curriculum areas. I love them for novel studies and social studies.
👉 Try my Hexagonal Thinking for Classroom Management set if you’d like a ready-to-go version of this tool or check out my post on how to create your own.
Channel Holiday Energy Into Deeper Thinking
Holiday activities don’t have to be fluff. This season is actually a great time to lean into productive struggle by giving students challenges that stretch their thinking.
Novel escape rooms and figurative language scavenger hunts are perfect examples: students are immersed in puzzles and problem-solving while practicing literary skills in a way that feels like play. The rigor is still there—students must use inference, analysis, and collaboration—but the format feels exciting and fresh. These don’t have to involve any cutting shapes or stuffing envelopes either.
👉 You can explore my Novel Escape Rooms or Figurative Language Hunts or around-the-school scavenger hunts if you want holiday-ready resources that keep students learning while they’re buzzing with energy.
A Practical Flow for Holiday Lessons
Think of your holiday-season lessons in three phases:
- Start with Movement – scavenger hunts, team games, or energizers to release excitement.
- Transition with Calm Engagement – activity mats or mini-escapes to keep minds active but energy steady.
- End with Reflection – hexagonal thinking or quick discussions that bring the class back to shared norms and goals.
This rhythm gives students what they crave—fun, collaboration, and novelty—while still protecting your classroom culture.
Final Thoughts
The holiday season doesn’t have to feel like survival mode. With the right balance of holiday classroom management strategies, you can use this time to strengthen your community, reinforce routines, and create meaningful learning experiences. Movement, gamification, reflection, and calm engagement work together to keep students motivated and on track—even when the calendar says otherwise.
👉 Explore the tools mentioned here: Around the School Scavenger Hunts, Activity Mats, Novel Escape Rooms, Figurative Language Hunts, and Hexagonal Thinking for Classroom Management.
Happy teaching!
