The Preschool 1 class at RisingOaks Early Learning | John Sweeney held their annual Christmas Social. It was an exciting and festive day where children, families, and educators gathered to celebrate the holiday season and welcomed families into the program. The social provided an opportunity for families to connect with one another, engage in holiday-themed activities and explore our classroom.
As our families started to arrive, children were excited to welcome their parents, displaying pride as they showed them round the classroom. The children showed their parents the Christmas cookies (that the children helped make) as well as the decorations the children had been working on in class, which were to be used to decorate the Christmas tree with their families. The excitement was palpable as the room filled with warmth, laughter, and the scent of freshly baked cookies.
The social started off with cookie decorating and eating them with their families. There was a craft table set up with Christmas themed cookie cutters that the families could use to paint on the large paper. Everyone seemed to enjoy this activity. We also held a surprise Christmas concert for the families. The children and Educators had spent a few weeks prior to the social rehearsing. We practiced jingle bells, five Little pumpkins, and “Roily Poly.” For the Concert, the children all gathered at the carpet and to our surprise, 90% of them actually sang! The children were proud of themselves for singing in front of their families as well as strangers.
Throughout the Family Social, there were numerous opportunities for children to interact with their peers and family members. Some children worked together to build small structures using Lego blocks in the sensory bin, while others showed their parents around the classroom to show them what they do throughout the day. It was clear that the children were so happy that they were able to walk their parents around the classroom and show the materials that they engage in on a daily basis. The social interaction we had between parents, educators and children was an amazing experience. The following day, a parent had put their own learning blurb and memory regarding the Christmas Social with their child into their portfolio.
Overall, it was a wonderful moment that we will forever cherish.
