The 12 Days of Christmas - A Behavior Incentive

Hey y'all!  Here are some ideas for a Christmas behavior incentive! 

This was my view as I worked after school before Thanksgiving break.  Don't get overwhelmed if you aren't in the Christmas spirit before Thanksgiving, but that's when it's time to start planning! 

December in Kindergarten is one of my favorite months! It's full of crafts, learning, excitement, and fun!  My kinders always get a little rambunctious during this time, so years ago we came up with a behavior incentive called the 12 Days of Christmas!

I send a note home asking parents if they are able to donate a class set of presents.  Parents respond and I send them a confirmation letting them know what present to send in.  We're talking cheap presents here...yo-yos, bubbles, pencils, play-doh, erasers, silly straws, bouncy balls...the list goes on!   The parents shop and then they send in their presents ALREADY WRAPPED!  This shouldn't cause you any extra stress, because let's face it - who has time to wrap 12 class sets of presents?  Then, you place them under your tree.  Usually I have more than 12 parents respond and I say yes to everyone!  If we have more than 12 presents..sometimes we have double present days!

Each day we choose a present to work for.  Remember - they are prewrapped and just alike, so we are all working for the Santa presents today or the Snowman presents today etc.  I have a clip chart in my room..students must end the day on green or better in order to get a present in their bag. You can adjust this to fit any behavior management system, though!

I get the bags from Michael's.  They are $6.99 or $7.99 for 13.  I usually use a coupon on one set and my teacher discount on the other.  Last year they only had plain ones, so I added a die cut Christmas tree with scrapbook paper.

Check out the cutie bags they have this year!

These bags are the sturdiest and will hold their presents and not tear on the day they take them home.

When the 12 days is over, it's time for our party and we sit in a huge circle and open our presents.  It's basically insanity.  The kids get so excited over their presents!  This is also a great reflection time for students.  If they had a day they missed a present, they will see that they are missing something and reflect about that.  Rarely do students miss a present because all it takes is a simple reminder that they are working for something.

Interested in trying this incentive with your class?  I have an editable freebie for you!  Get busy editing and sending home so your parents can get busy shopping and you can get started!   You only need a few presents to start, so if it seems overwhelming to get started now, think of a few dependable parents and see if they can get you a few presents quick to get started.  Pencils, candy canes, and erasers are super easy to get started with.  The kids will have no idea what they are working for anyway!  That will give other parents time to shop and turn things in.

Good luck!  If you have any questions, feel free to ask! :)  I hope this brings some extra good behavior to your classroom during these crazy busy months!