Celebrating holidays in the classroom is fun and exciting, but it can also be very educational and culturally valuable for students. Especially in diverse communities or schools with ELLs, celebrating your students’ cultures and observed holidays can help everyone feel respected and included.

But, it can be tricky to know just what you can and can’t discuss and which holidays you should include in your lessons. Here are our tips on what to cover, how to incorporate the holidays into your educational Lesson plans, and more!

Should You Celebrate Holidays in the Classroom?

In 1971, the Supreme Court case Lemon v. Kurtzman declared that public schools could not receive government funding if they taught religious subject matter. Since the decision does not speak to holidays specifically, most schools have continued to celebrate holidays in the classroom, but some have employed stricter guidelines to ensure the lesson content is appropriate and does not jeopardize their funding.

These days, many public schools use the First Amendment Center’s “Finding Common Ground” as their academic guide. While we suggest reviewing their recommendations in full, here are some general rules:

• Focus on the historical and cultural impacts, not the religious influence.
• Encourage awareness, understanding, and inclusion, not the practice of or devotion toward any religion.
• Celebrate holidays from a variety of cultures, not just one.
• Don’t champion or push celebration of one holiday over another.
• Set an example for students: be inclusive and eager to learn.
• Be open to answering questions from students and put in the time to research the answers as needed.

Why Should Students Learn About Holidays?

Many educators have fought to continue celebrating holidays in the classroom because they see firsthand the value these lessons bring to their students. Holidays can be a fun and exciting way to open doors to talking about different cultures and languages. They can also help teach important lessons about kindness, gratefulness, and selflessness.

Also, since the public school schedule is largely centered around Christian and Jewish holidays, many students may end up attending school on holidays that are important to them and their families. Recognizing these holidays in the classroom can help these students celebrate and share a part of their cultures while they are in school. Celebrating is a great way to be an inclusive and culturally responsible teacher, especially if you have ELLs in your classroom or live in a diverse community.

5 Tips for Incorporating Holidays in Your Lessons

Check out our five tips for celebrating holidays in the classroom in an impactful and appropriate way.

1. Know Your School’s Holiday Policies

Since there is no official ruling on celebrating holidays in the classroom, check with your administration or fellow teachers before planning your lessons. Some schools may place no limit on holiday discussion while others may ask teachers to skip lessons on holidays entirely.

You may also want to take into account your own personal comfort level as well as what your particular class can handle. Some teachers simply read a story aloud about each holiday while others dive in with open discussions and hands-on experiences. There is no right or wrong way to celebrate, as long as you work to foster an inclusive and accepting classroom environment.

2. Do Your Research

Part of honoring diversity in your classroom is teaching about holidays you don’t celebrate. This means you’ll need to do your research carefully to ensure that you represent each holiday accurately.

Check multiple sources for the most comprehensive view of the history, traditions, and meaning behind the special day. And don’t be afraid to look for primary resources within your school. You may be surprised at the number of teachers or administrators who can give you a firsthand account of the holiday in question. Your school librarian may also be able to provide resources for you and your students to use in your research.

3. Focus on a Lesson or Theme

Celebrating your students’ cultures is a great way to embrace diversity, but it’s also a chance to honor the commonalities that bring us together. Focusing on a common theme or value that a holiday represents can help keep your discussions secular and educational. For example, when talking about Christmas, focus on giving and kindness rather than Santa or the religious implications of the special day. When discussing Ramadan, talk with students about mindfulness and reflection.

Your job is to make students aware of the many cultures around them and to help them find commonalities among themselves and those they may view as different from themselves. These overarching themes and lessons will appear in holidays across the board, which can help bring greater meaning to your lessons.

4. Make It Educational and Immersive

You may think that celebrating holidays in the classroom solely comes in the form of reading a story or doing a craft.  But you can create lesson plans in all subjects around the holidays that will make your lessons far more memorable for students. Check out some of these ideas for inspiration:

• Listen to music related to the holiday between lessons.
• Look at historical photos from the holiday and have students make up their own stories about what is taking place.
• Include holiday premises in mathematical word problems.
• Perform a science experiment: test which fruits and vegetables dye Easter eggs best or explore how light and shadow work while celebrating Diwali.
• Play a vocabulary game with holiday words.

Activities like these will help you balance fun and games with educational content to make your lessons both impactful and memorable.

5. Celebrate Year-Round

Many schools only acknowledge the diversity of holidays each December when they sing songs or try foods traditionally associated with Christmas, Hanukkah, and Kwanzaa. But having a culturally-aware, inclusive classroom means recognizing that for many cultures, there are significant holidays year-round.

For example, for many Jewish people, Passover is a more significant holiday than Hanukkah, but Hanukkah is the Jewish holiday that teachers often cover since it occurs near Christmas. Do your research, keep an open mind, and speak with your students. You’ll likely find that there are ways to celebrate diversity all year long.

Looking for more ways to foster an inclusive space at school? Check out our blog on celebrating cultural diversity in your classroom!

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