The Gift of Giving

The holiday season is all about spreading joy, and what better way to do that than through presents! As a class, unwrap the joy of gift giving in order to make a special gift all together.

To start, host a show-and-tell in your classroom where every student brings in a toy or gift that brings them joy. While they present, invite each student to share a special memory they have with their toy or gift and embody how it made them feel to receive it with a physical gesture.

Once everyone has shared, reflect on the experience with questions like: How does receiving a gift make us feel? and What makes a gift special?

Afterwards, brainstorm a gift that you can all make together for someone in your community—maybe this is a fellow teacher, a parent volunteer or a crossing guard at your school. Whoever it is, think about something that will be uniquely wonderful to that person.

Then, get to crafting! Some ideas for a gift could be a class drawing, a personalized video or a handwritten card.

Present it altogether as a class and surprise that person with the love from your classroom!

To support this unit, use the Let’s Make Some JOYs! Activity.