Are you headed back to the classroom after a long, luxurious break filled with sleeping in, binge watching your favorite reality tv, and eating a few too many Christmas cookies? 🙋♀️ The first week back after winter break can be challenging! Students and teachers are out of the normal routine and it’s tough to dive back in!
In this post, I’m sharing strategies to refresh your classroom, ease back into routines with a soft start day, review classroom procedures, and engage your little learners with goal setting and sharing about their holiday adventures. I am also sharing a FREE no prep writing craft perfect for returning from winter break!
Returning from Winter Break Tip 1: Give the Classroom Space a Refresh
New year means a fresh start! It is so much better coming back to school in January when you have a clean and organized space. I like to put any Holiday decorations away, clear December clutter, and wipe down surfaces before students return.
I also like to take some time to :
- Switch out our featured books shelf with new January read alouds: I love using a lot of Snow and Penguin nonfiction books during January!
- Change our math center activities so students are ready for our guided math rotations.
- Put fresh crayons and pencils into our community supplies (the kids get so excited for new, sharp crayons!)
- Make all my January copies and organize them in paper drawers so they are ready to go!
- I also like to switch students’ table seats if I have time!
There is definitely more I would love to do to clean and organize, but if I’m short on time, these are the main tasks I try to complete!
Returning from Winter Break Tip 2: Plan a Soft Start Day
Before diving into new curriculum, I like to start our first week back from winter break at a slower pace. I know some schools do not give this option, but I think reserving this time to ease back in to the school routine, give students a chance to catch up with one another, and review procedures is SO valuable.
I like to treat our first day back from winter break as a mini first day of school! After 2 weeks (or more or less) away, our littles need some help readjusting and re-learning routines!
💗 During the first day back I like to:
- Start with SIMPLE morning work. I usually do some coloring or easy review so that students can work independently. I use this time to get organized and chat with students (It’s always so amazing to see them!)
- Morning Meeting with time for students to share with one another about their break to build community
- Review Procedures (More on this below!)
- Work in plenty of opportunities throughout the day for students to collaborate and work together
- Build in some play time! (If it’s not too cold we go outside for some extra recess in the afternoon. If it’s freezing, we stay in and have free choice time!)
Returning from Winter Break Tip 3: Review Procedures
Taking the time to re-teach and review the important procedures in your classroom will set your class up for success for the rest of the year! Here are a few of my classroom procedures that I take the time to review and practice with students after winter break.
- Morning Procedures
Having a calm and productive morning routine is essential for starting off each day on the right foot! After returning from break, I like to review our Morning Procedures Board. Having a visual has made such a big difference for my sweet first graders! They are able to be independent in the morning and I can focus on greeting and connecting with them while also getting my teacher tasks done!
2. Quiet Signal
I have a few different quiet signals I love using with my first graders. I have a set of chimes (similar to these!) given to me by my principal. I love that the chimes are a calming sound while also loud enough to get students’ attention.
I also have a bell that I keep at my teacher table that I only use during center time. This tells students that it is time to clean up and transition to our next center.
3. Carpet Procedures
Sitting on the carpet is another skill that usually needs some review and practice. We discuss how to sit so were both comfortable and respectful to the friends around us. We also practice active listening, doing turn and talks with our neighbor, and participating in class discussions!
4. Center Procedures
Before diving back into our normal reading centers and math centers, I like to take time to really review our center procedures.
We review the procedures for each of our center activities together. I have students model the right way (and the wrong way!) to do an activity, then we practice!
I usually switch up our center groups based on my data from assessments given before break. I like to go over our Center Rotation Slides so that students can find their groups and the centers they will visit.
We practice one rotation at a time and then reflect on how it went! Read more about how I launch my math centers at the beginning of the year here!
5. Clean Up/Transition Procedures
I have found over the years that transitioning from one activity to another is one of the most challenging things for our sweet littles! It’s difficult for the brains to make that switch and to move calmly from one activity to the next. A few things that I have found to help are:
- Give a clear transition signal (I use a bell)
- Use visuals of exactly what students need to do
- Use a timer
- Practice, Practice, Practice (if a transition does not go well, we take the time to stop, go back, and try again!)
6. Dismissal Procedures
Dismissal can be a chaotic time of day! Just like with our morning procedures, it helps so much to have a visual of all the steps students need to complete to be ready to go home! We go over and practice each step together, then students try it!
Dismissal TIP: I love staggering our pack up time by having students enjoy and snack. I call one table at a time to pause their snack and pack up. Having only a few students packing up at a time keeps the chaos to a minimum! I also usually do a read aloud at this time on my document camera which helps keep things quiet and calm.
My favorite tools for teaching and reviewing procedures are my classroom slides! You can find the bundle here!
Returning from Winter Break Tip 4: Do some goal setting
After returning from Winter Break, I love spending time with my kids on goal setting. The New Year is a perfect time for a fresh start, and setting goals is so important for setting our classroom up for success. I love doing this Insta-Goals Writing Activity with my students every year!
We start by discussing what a goal is and why we make them. We talk about how writing our goals down makes them visible and achievable. I always show students an example page I made with my own goals. We notice that goals can be made in many different areas of our life- health, school, family, friends, etc. After sharing my goals, we brainstorm some class goals that we can work on together.
I encourage students to think about different types of goals such as academic, behavior, and social
(being kind and helpful, having a growth mindset, etc.) After deciding on some class goals, I write them on the poster. We also choose one word that will represent our year. Then, students have time to reflect on their own goals and create an #Insta-goals poster. They write and illustrate their goals and decide on a personal word for the year. I hang these up in the classroom with our class goal poster. Students love coming up with their goals and seeing them each day in the classroom is a great reminder.
Returning from Winter Break Tip 5: Free No Prep Writing Craft
Last but not least, I love planning for an SUPER simple craft for students to do in the afternoon! I like giving them something they can do independently so I have a chance to tie up loose ends from the day!
These no prep craft freebies are perfect for students to be able to write about what they did over winter break! It also includes other writing options to use all month long! You can grab these No Prep Writing Crafts for free here!
Grab the FREE January No Prep Writing Crafts!
Returning from Winter Break Tip 6: Do some longterm planning with a curriculum map
After the new year, I like to revisit my curriculum map and do some long-term planning! I change things around, make note of important dates, and get a feel for what’s coming up!
Creating a curriculum map and monthly pacing guide for my first grade team was a game changer. It’s the first thing I look at when I do my weekly lesson plans and saves so much time! Read more about how I curriculum map and grab the editable template here!
I hope these ideas are helpful as you head back to school after Winter Break! You are amazing and you’ve got this! ❤️ Kelsey
