Daft question about christmas cards!

[DearMrDilkington]

Dd has just started reception so this is all new to me! She wants to send some Christmas cards out to her friends as she's received a couple at school.

Question...
Do we send them to every child in the class or just a few, if it's every child, how do you find out all their names?

Dd hasn't got the best speech and she's a bit of a day dreamer so she only knows 5-6 other kids names!

Have they had their Christmas play yet? All the names will be in the programme. Failing that the teacher or office should be able to provide a list.

Teachers always have a load of printed lists of all the names. Ask your DD's teacher for one and be prepared for 25 cards back!

If she doesn't know there names I wouldn't bother. She will know the names of the people she plays with so just send cards to them. Some kids will send cards to the entire class, some will send to their friends only. Similar process to birthday parties, some invite everyone some invite the kids they like.

It''s a great opportunity to practice writing. My ds did whole class in reception and ks1.
For list, we used Christmas play name list.

Ah brilliant idea! Christmas play is tomorrow .

Thanks everyone! Wouldn't have thought of that.

The teacher will usually give out a list of the children's first names. At our school even the Yr 6 children are given a list.

You have to give to all the other children in Reception.
How else will other Mums be able to compare how fantastic their DCs handwriting is compared with everyone else?

DS (5) had a proposal of marriage in one card this year. Fortunately (?) she thinks being married is being very best friends and he's quite happy with that.

It will take FOREVER btw. Suggest you do the envelopes and she does the insides.

My son's school do not give out class lists, they say is it for data protection. They also don't list children's names in a programme for the play, or on the newsletter or anywhere basically!
It's very difficult trying to make sure we don't leave anyone out. I try to keep a list of all the names he can remember, and check it against the cards he receives and we usually manage to remember all the names that way.

Our Xmas shows don't have programmes.

Just send them to her favourite friends.
I'm really not in favour of sending cards to children they don't get on with or even like. There's far too much of this " oh but everyone has to have one"attitude, the same with having parties. Why do you have to entertain an entire class? I'm quite sure that you can have as much fun with ,say , half a dozen good friends.

Our school doesn't give out lists either. You either get to know the names or write the cards and leave the envelopes blank and give one to everybody

We've always just sent them to a few.
If you can't remember someone's name then they probably aren't close enough to send a Christmas card to.
Most 4 (or 5 yr olds) do NOT want to sit and write 29 cards, and it's a completely pointless exercise if you write them, just give them half a dozen cards and let them choose who their friends are.

I give out a list of first names, removing any that shouldn't get a card (JW's). But I do have the rule that the parent/carer must come in and sort out the cards into the individual pigeon holes. I am not having every child running around giving out cards, and I'm certainly not doing it myself.

Ours have a post box in the library, some year 6s sort and deliver them all every day for the last couple of weeks of term.

We've started writing cards to all DD's friends, but just wondering:

Do we send them in the book bag? Isn't it a lot of work for teachers to be distributing all these cards? Or do we try and catch everyone at the school gate?

twee, most schools have a post box arrangement as above. The elder children distribute the cards to each class, and the schools are used to it, otherwise they'll have specific rules like whoknows. Not all parents are able to be at the school gate every day! Some of us have jobs to get to that start at/before 9am .

I didn't say anything about being at the school gate every day?

Yes I'm not at the school gate every day either!! My eldest is in reception so fairly new to this and haven't spotted a post box. I'll ask!

It is pretty normal to have a postbox arrangement with dc emptying and sorting the cards on a rota basis.

No whoknows, you didn't, twee did. I was referring to your rules on distribution of cards as an example of something else that might happen.

Actually I am confusing posters, sorry whoknows! It was midnite with the rules!

Sorry, it's the way it looked on my phone. Confusion all round!

DS's reception class has a postbox and they give out a class list of everyone's names. We are trudging through the list. Everyone seems to be, including kids whose families don't celebrate Christmas at all. In fact, come to think of it, Mary, Joseph and all the dancing angels in the nativity play were Muslim, and four of the five sheep were Sikh.

Just to be clear I didn't say I was at the school gate every day, nor that I expected anyone else to! Very familiar with the 9am start at work here..

Anyway thanks for the post box tip.