Planning Your School's Holiday Shop Timeline
Like any large, school-wide event, a school holiday shop takes planning and time to be successful. While school holiday shop companies like Kids’ Kastle make it easy to dive in with packages and product samples, the more time you give yourself, the better your school holiday shop can be.
Putting together a school holiday shop takes time, teamwork, and a little bit of magic. But don’t worry—it’s totally doable, and the results are worth it!
With our holiday shop timeline guide, get a complete breakdown of when to start planning, what tasks need completed, how to ask volunteers, where to host your holiday school shop, and how to market this holiday shop event.
With the right plan in place, your holiday shop will be a fantastic event full of smiles, surprises, and holiday cheer. Let’s dive in and make it happen, see the best timeline for planning a school holiday shop and what items to check off your to-do list each week.
3-4 Months Before The School Holiday Shop
The best events don’t just happen overnight—they take a little planning! That’s why, even though the holidays may seem far away, the start of the school year is the perfect time to begin preparing for your school’s holiday shop.
Getting these big pieces in place now will make the rest of your holiday shop planning a breeze. Stay ahead of the game, and your school will be ready for a magical and successful event!
- First things first: find a holiday shop provider. Companies like Kid’s Kastle make it super easy to host your own school holiday shop by offering no-count inventory (which means you only pay for what you sell). They also provide a wide selection of gifts that students will love and aren’t just clutter clogging up the house. Plus, the price is right, at most gifts under $10!
- At the start of the school year, you also want to decide where your holiday shop will be set up. Will it be in the library? The gym? A classroom? Picking the perfect location now helps avoid last-minute scrambling. You can appropriately order any tables, banners, or any other accommodations and ensure the space is available for use.
- It’s never too early to start recruiting volunteers. A holiday shop is way more fun (and much easier) with a great team! Parents, teachers, and even older students can help with setting up, running registers, and assisting shoppers. By promoting the need for volunteers ahead of time, parents are more able to free their schedule and be involved.
4-5 Weeks Before the School Holiday Shop
The holiday shop is getting closer and you want to finalize some of the larger details to ensure a smooth experience. Now is the time to start bringing all the pieces together so your event is a big success with as little stress the day of as possible.
Now is the time to get the location set, volunteers lined up, and start promoting the buzz around school.
Step 1: Confirm Your Location & Time – Double-check where your holiday shop will be set up. Will it be in the gym, library, cafeteria, or a classroom? Decide if the shop will be open during school hours, after school, or both! Having this all set now helps everyone plan ahead and you can reserve the space so no other events overlap.
Step 2: Round Up Volunteers – It’s time to reach out to parents, teachers, and even older students to help run the shop. You’ll need people to set up, assist shoppers, handle checkout, and clean up. Send reminders so everyone knows their role! Now is when to gather confirmations from everyone you talked to at the start of the school year.
Step 3: Start Promoting! – Now’s the perfect time to build excitement! With all the details in place, you can begin promotion. Many holiday shop providers, like Kid’s Kastle, provide posters, banners, and flyers to help spread the word. Hang them in hallways, classrooms, and near the front office so every student knows when and where to shop! Make sure to send them home with students so parents are prepared.
2-3 Weeks Before the School Holiday Shop
Your holiday shop is just around the corner, and things are getting exciting! Now it’s time to focus on logistics—making sure everything is set up so the event runs smoothly and every student gets a chance to shop.
With a solid plan in place, the holiday shop will be a magical experience for students, parents, and staff. The countdown is on!
To-Do:
Plan Classroom Visits – Work with teachers to create a schedule for when each class will visit the shop. This helps avoid crowding and gives students plenty of time to pick out the perfect gifts. Decide if students will visit during class time, recess, or another designated period.
Set Up the Shop Layout – Think about how gifts will be displayed. Will there be sections for different price ranges? A checkout station? A gift-wrapping area? Arranging the shop in an organized and easy-to-navigate way will make shopping fun and stress-free for students.
Spread the Word – It’s time for the final round of promotions! Send take-home flyers with students so parents know about the event. Post reminders in school social media groups to get families excited. Make announcements during morning messages or assemblies to build up the hype!
1 Week Before the School Holiday Shop
The holiday shop is almost here—just one more week to go! Now’s the time to double-check everything so the event runs smoothly and everyone is ready to shop. Get ready for a week full of holiday cheer, happy shoppers, and an unforgettable event!
Remember!
Finalize the Classroom Visit Schedule – Make sure every class has a set time to visit the shop. Share the final schedule with teachers so they know when to bring their students. If parents are allowed to shop too, confirm after-school hours so families can plan ahead.
Confirm Volunteer Assignments – Check your volunteer list and make sure each person knows their role. Some helpers will be at the checkout station, others will assist students at the school holiday shop, and some may be in charge of restocking gifts or wrapping presents. Send out reminder emails or texts to keep everyone on track!
Daily Reminder Events — Morning announcements are a fun reminder each day to build anticipation. Social Media Posts can share countdown posts, sneak peeks of gifts, or reminders about pricing. And include emails to families with details on when and where to shop.
Let Kid's Kastle Help Your Next School Holiday Shop Be a Success
With the right planning, a great team of volunteers, and plenty of excitement, your school’s holiday shop is sure to be a huge success! By following this timeline, you’ll create a fun and stress-free shopping experience where students can find the perfect gifts for their loved ones.
To make your holiday shop even easier, choosing the right provider is key! Kid’s Kastle offers everything you need for a smooth and successful event: no count inventory, wide variety of gifts, the right price point, and promotional materials.
By partnering with Kid’s Kastle, you’ll have all the tools and resources to make your holiday shop the best one yet. Now, let’s bring on the holiday cheer and make this event unforgettable!
