James is a Group Manager of a small (but growing) group of nurseries. He has over 20 years’ experience of working in early years and education and falls into the minority category of a ‘male working in childcare’. He is a parent so looks at things though multiple lenses when talking about the issues that currently effect the childcare sector. Here he has opened his diary to let us see his thoughts on all things Early Years and the fun and games that come with growing a small group.
December 2023 – It’s the Most Wonderful Time of the Year!
Halloween and Bonfire night is over, our American friends have enjoyed their Thanksgiving and now the queen of Christmas (Mariah Carey) has defrosted, which can only mean one thing……It’s Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas, (Breaks out into an impromptu version of the best Christmas song ever – All I Want For Christmas Is You!)
It is the most magical time of the year (and my personal favourite) especially when you work with children as their excitement only adds to your own enjoyment. As you Step into Christmas the experiences and learning opportunities that the festive season bestow upon us are endless with the wonder and magic that can be created for children is truly heartwarming.
However, it can be a very challenging time for practitioners and the parents of the children in our care. Does the festive period need to be a stressful and an expensive time (with parents worrying about what’s Underneath the Tree) or are there ways in which we can make it less of a Blue Christmas and enjoyable for everyone, particularly the children and their families? We all feel the pressure to out-do Last Christmas too!
In this month’s diary, I talk about all the exciting things happening in my settings as well as how we support children, including our most vulnerable to ensure they have a magical time this Christmas.
Work Shops
Our Parent Partnership is one of our major strengths across all of our settings and at Christmas time, parents love coming into the setting to attend stay and plays, singing performances and to arts and crafts settings. Having activity workshops and Christmas craft sessions is a very fun and cost-effective way of parents taking their children along to something festive and Christmassy.
Tip: have different rooms on different days and more than once so more parents have opportunities to attend and invite other children that aren’t in on those days. Send home some Christmas activity packs and make your own Christmas template decorations for parents to enjoy doing with their children.
We provide the children with things every month to take home including the resources to complete them as part of our Parent Partnership and Cultural Capital.
Festive Performances
Every nursery has a few budding child musicians, A Little Drummer Boy, actors, and singers that love to sing and dance. At Christmas this is no exception so why not put on a performance of a nativity play, organise a carol concert or parent Jingle Bell Rock to make sure everyone is festive this time of year. Some of my settings visit the local Retirement homes and sing to the past generations this time year which always goes down well.
Christmas Party and Presents
Children love Rocking around the Christmas Tree this time of year and where many children and parents attend Christmas parties, other families aren’t so lucky if they are struggling financially, or they don’t have very big families. Therefore, inviting the parents in for your Christmas party will help many children and their families feel included this time of year!
Visiting Santa and the Grotto Experience
Another huge cost for so many parents is a visit to see Santa. However, parents need not worry! If you are having a Christmas Party, grotto or Santa experiences visit the nursery, then why not invite the parents and families to attend. This would take the stress and financial worry away for many families. This year I am dressing up as Santa 8 times and visiting all my settings bringing joy and a small present for all the children in our care. We have invited all children in, including ones that don’t attend on that day and we have offered this out for their younger siblings too! What a great photograph this experience makes which can also be turned into a cost-effective Christmas present.
Has every child made a……………
Every year around late November/start of December the Christmas craft wheel starts, and towards the end of the month, staff can go into panic mode if all the children in their room haven’t made a Christmas decoration, a calendar, a Christmas card, a letter to Santa etc. Although these are lovely and parents seem to like this, remember there should be learning opportunities around all the things we do and therefore offer the children the choice to make some of them or send some templates home for parents to make with their children. Have fun this time of year rather than feel like you’re a conveyer belt!
Whether you’re Driving Home for Christmas or planning to sit on the sofa and eat cheese (That’s What Christmas Means to Me) for The 12 Days of Christmas, celebrate Christmas in your own unique way. And no matter what, whether it’s One More Sleep left or going to be a White Christmas, please Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas and a Happy New Year to you all.
As a fun way to end this year, you may have noticed some slight references to Christmas Songs, 15 in fact, can you spot them?
