This December marks our very first Christmas season at Royal Academy Langley. As the classrooms fill with excitement, curiosity, and joyful anticipation, we wanted to create something meaningful for the children… Our child-led tree decorating is the perfect choice! It’s something they can build, add to, and celebrate together. We are excited to start this beautiful new tradition: beginning with our playful and inviting classroom Christmas tree displayed on the wall at the top of the stairs, ready to be decorated by the children.
A Tree That Grows With Us
The children in our 3 to 6-year-old program are about to be greeted with open arms. Today it awaits — simple, undecorated, and full of possibility, for the children to find it and voice their excitement with language like,
“Are we going to decorate it?”
“When do we start?”
“What will go on it?”
Celebrating the Magic of Making
To prepare to decorate our Christmas tree, we have created our very own Christmas Tree Decorating Curriculum! It’s filled with the seasonal treasures children love most: pom-poms, bows, snowflakes, and candy canes! As part of our Montessori-and-Reggio-inspired approach, children will first explore these materials in a playful, hands-on way as they:
- Sort and count pom-poms, both big and small, and bright and soft.
- Study the twists of candy canes made of pipe cleaners as they compare colours and lengths.
- Examine bows of every size and shine – we can also attempt to tie our own!
- Learning all about delicate snowflakes, noticing that no two look the same, and why.
As the children explore, they are building fine-motor strength, early math skills, language, and sensory awareness — but to them, it’s likely to feel like pure holiday wonder and fun exploration time which is what we’re striving for.
A Season-Long Decorating Celebration
Once they’ve had time to play with and learn about the materials, children begin creating their own 3-D ornaments — small works of art made with pride and imagination.
Each time an ornament dries, it is hung on the tree.
One by one.
Day by day.
Moment by moment.
This slow, meaningful decorating ritual supports:
- Independence: Children choose where their ornaments belong.
- Confidence: They see their work displayed proudly for all to enjoy.
- Community: Every child’s contribution becomes part of something bigger.
- Joy: They watch the tree transform with each passing day.
Building Traditions Together
Because this is our first Christmas season at Royal Academy, we wanted to start traditions that feel warm, inclusive, and child-centred. Our classroom tree is more than a decoration — it’s an invitation to create, to collaborate, and to celebrate the beginning of this holiday season together.
A Tree Full of Heart
By the end of the month, the children will step back and admire their Christmas tree filled with colour, texture, creativity, and joy. What started as a simple outline on the wall will become a living piece of our first-year holiday story — made entirely by their hands.
