Whether you’re the kind of teacher who loves to spend winter break planning for your classroom, or you love to spend it completely disconnecting from your school responsibilities, you can be prepared for an amazing comeback by keeping a few important things in mind.
Two things happen after breaks from school…
First, students and teachers have been out of routine for 2 weeks and WE ALL NEED A RESET!
Second, our student’s brains had the breaks they needed to synthesize so much of what they’ve learned during the first semester, and they come back a little more independent and a little more mature than when they left in December. YAY!
We can leverage both of these things to make sure we get off on the right foot, and set the rest of our year up for success! I’ve got some tried and true resources and tips to help you work smarter, not harder, when it comes to getting on track after a school break.
Refresh and Reset
The first days and weeks back in the classroom are an opportunity for a fresh start. Even the most successful teachers and students were probably running on fumes during those last days of school in December. Look at this as an opportunity to set the tone like you did (or wanted to do) during the important first days at the start of the school year.
Review and practice all of your big routines and expectations. Integrate new ones if students are ready, and don’t be afraid to practice habits and procedures that may have gone to the wayside last semester. You might find your students are ready for things now that they weren’t earlier this year. You may also recognize that it’s time to level up or let go of old practices that don’t work for this crew.
You can revisit this post about setting the stage for a great year. Many of these tips are just as useful for this mini restart during this time of year.
Ease Back into the Routine with Brain Breaks
If it feels like you’re really putting the pedal to the metal this time of year, don’t forget the brain breaks. There is so much going on and it really helps with classroom management and mindset to enable those brain breaks every day.
Here are some of my go-tos for those minutes in between transitions, or when it feels like you’re losing your students’ attention.
Your students have built a lot of stamina up until now, but young children still can only sustain work for so long before the wheels come off. Brain breaks will help you make the most of your classroom time, and will help to make sure they are able to keep that growth mindset rolling and get big things done!
These are great times for brain breaks:
- Morning Meeting, to help students get ready to learn
- After Lunch/Recess, to help kids decelerate and come back to work
- Transition Time, to help their brains shift to the next activity
- End of the Day, to celebrate all the hard work they put in throughout the day
Build Community and Celebrate Success
Before we focus on academics, we need to make sure our classroom is a place where students feel safe and valued. Not all children will have had a fun and relaxing break. Some may have had a difficult time for any number of reasons, and we may never know what a little one is carrying when they come through our doors. But we are in control of the environment in our classrooms, and we can make sure our students are having their buckets filled so that they are ready to learn.
There are so many easy ways to build community. It can be as simple as:
- Giving a shout out to another student
- Sharing something they’re grateful for
- Teachers taking time to focus on the positive and give compliments, especially to our students who could use a boost.
- Set the stage for a connected classroom community with morning meetings
Reignite Excitement with Engaging Activities
Coming back from break is the perfect time to spark joy and curiosity with your students. Use this fresh start as an opportunity to plan hands-on, interactive, or even slightly unexpected activities that remind students how much fun learning can be!
Try incorporating some winter-themed activities!
Winter Sports
Read more about my winter sports unit here.
A focus on winter sports leads perfectly into Classroom Team-Building Games! We Are Teachers has a great article listing team building games that work well in the early elementary grades. Check their article out here.
Whatever your approach is, remember the students will follow your lead.
