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At this time of the year, many teachers and parents are getting ready for teaching about holidays. The three most common holidays to teach and do holiday activities with are Christmas, Hanukkah, and Kwanzaa. But teaching Christmas around the world lesson plans and Hanukkah lessons can often cause controversy in the public school classroom because they are so closely connected to religion. Some people don’t even want children to say the pledge of allegiance any more since they have to say, “One Nation, Under God.” So, when it comes to talking about a holiday celebrating when Jesus was born and when the Jewish people had enough oil to light a candle for one day but it stayed lit for eight days, people go crazy.

So, what do you do? You can’t really ignore the season–especially if you teach primary grades. They are excited. They are writing journal entries about seeing Santa Claus on the weekend, playing an angel in the Christmas pageant, or wrapping gifts for the eight days of Hanukkah. You don’t want angry parents knocking down your door. If you are homeschooling, you have an easier time because you control the curriculum, but you may want to expose your child to other traditions and let them know what other people do during this holiday season by teaching about holidays.

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The first thing I suggest if you are a classroom teacher is to write a letter or e-mail and let parents know what your plans are for the holidays. It is important to let them know that you are planning to teach students Christmas around the world lesson plans or Hanukkah practices or Kwanzaa traditions. You are not teaching them which is the right holiday. You are not focusing on the religious beliefs but rather different traditions that Christians, Jews, and African-Americans have during the holiday season. You are teaching about holidays–not about religious beliefs. A letter or e-mail gives parents a chance to ask questions and voice concerns before you start teaching.

Once you have let parents know (and of course, you have checked with your school’s administration to see if there are any policies), then you can ask students a general question such as: “How do you celebrate holidays at your house?” If you have older students, they can write the answer as a journal entry. If you have younger students, you can do this holiday activity as a shared writing lesson. Make the holdiays personal with students before teaching them about Christmas around the world. Let them share their traditions (especially if you have several cultures represented in your classroom) before you share your teaching about holidays.

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Next you’ll want to do Christmas around the world lesson plans or Hanukkah and Kwanzaa activities with students that focus on traditions and family practices such as the history of the Christmas tree or the seven principles of Kwanzaa or a dreidel game. Students can even do their own research on holidays or a particular tradition they are interested in. Then students can present their findings to the class. Here are three books you can also share with your students: