Returning back to school from a long break can be tough for everyone (teachers included). After going to sleep at the wee hours of the night/morning, waking up later in the day, and being out of our routine, getting back into the swing of things can be tough. That’s why starting off the week with a big smile and a gentle lead into the second half of the school year is a nice way to get everyone back on the same page when returning back to school from winter break.
To get us all off to a good start, I always implement these activities our first morning together when we get back from winter break.
1. Give them time to share
Students haven’t seen you or each other in over two weeks, so allowing them some time to catch up with friends is a good idea. This will not only help to continue to build community, but help alleviate unwanted conversations later on in the day.
One of the activities I like to implement with my students to help keep the conversation focused is using a Find Someone Who Activity. This activity looks like a bingo card. Students walk around the classroom looking for classmates who can initial a box on their card. The object can be to get 5 in a row or to complete the entire card.
2. Review Rules & Expectations
3. Discuss problem solving strategies
4. Reflect on the first half of the year
5. Set goals
6. Set up a plan
7. Revisit Kindness
Lastly, we discuss the importance of kindness within our classroom, school, and community. I like to read a picture book about kindness and discuss what kind actions may look like. We then set out a goal to complete acts of kindness throughout the month of January.
In order to have students record their responses and keep them in a place they can actually go back to in order to keep track of their progress, I print out a New Year’s Reflections and Resolutions Print and Fold booklet for each student. It is a double sided, one page resource which folds and gets glued into the back of their journal.
We navigate through it our first morning back from winter break, and then students open them up and reread them every morning for the first week or two back. This helps them refocus on their goals and how they hope to reach them. It really helps them start the second half of the school year right.