Category: Teaching
Coming back to school in January after the winter break can be challenging for students and teachers. Everyone is used to sleeping in, and eating and doing whenever they want to, so the school day routine may be a bit hard to get adjusted to again. The last thing anyone wants to do is get right back to work the first day back.
Teachers should try to avoid diving right into the schoolwork after the break. Instead, make the adjustment a little bit easier by welcoming students back with fun classroom activities that incorporate what they did over their holiday vacations.
Here are a few ideas and classroom activities to get your students back on track and motivated to learn once again.
Teachers should try to avoid diving right into the schoolwork after the break. Instead, make the adjustment a little bit easier by welcoming students back with fun classroom activities that incorporate what they did over their holiday vacations.
Here are a few ideas and classroom activities to get your students back on track and motivated to learn once again.
1. Create a holiday memory book
The students have probably accumulated a lot of great memories of their holidays. Maybe some of them went on trips or visited their relatives. These are stories that can be shared with the class on a holiday memory book. When students came in for the first day in school, ask them to describe their holiday experience and prepare short narratives that can be added to this book. They can also draw or bring in pictures about their favorite holiday memory.
Here are some prompts for the book:
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2. New Year resolutions
Returning from holiday break is the perfect time to teach students how to reflect upon the past year and to make positive changes for the new year. Tell students that the new year means a fresh start and they can make promises to themselves that are positive and realistic. You may brainstorm with the students about the resolutions and help them to make the best ones.
The resolutions generally start with:
Returning from holiday break is the perfect time to teach students how to reflect upon the past year and to make positive changes for the new year. Tell students that the new year means a fresh start and they can make promises to themselves that are positive and realistic. You may brainstorm with the students about the resolutions and help them to make the best ones.
The resolutions generally start with:
- My goals for the new year are…
- In the new year, I want to get better at…
- In 2022 I want to learn…
Here are some resolutions:
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3. Writing prompts
Provide students easy topics for a writing activity to share their holidays experience.
Here are a few ideas or prompts:
Provide students easy topics for a writing activity to share their holidays experience.
Here are a few ideas or prompts:
- During these holidays I have done several things. First, I…
- The best place I visited during this vacation was…
- My favorite holiday food is…
- During these holidays, the person who I spent most time with was…
- The best gift I have ever received is...
4. Family tree
Ask students to bring images of their parents and grandparents to create a family tree.
Ask students to bring images of their parents and grandparents to create a family tree.
5. Find someone who
Students will practice asking and answering questions about Christmas.
Students will practice asking and answering questions about Christmas.
Did you eat turkey at Christmas?
No, I didn't. I ate baked ham. It was delicious. Did you drink Mexican Christmas punch? Yes, I did. I drank too much punch. Did you have a Christmas tree at home? Yes, I did. We spent many hours decorating it. |
Extra activity: Have a party
Bring some cookies and hot chocolate and have a conversation with the students about their holidays. Try having students guess what gift or present they received.
Bring some cookies and hot chocolate and have a conversation with the students about their holidays. Try having students guess what gift or present they received.
Do you have any back-to-school activities that you would like to share? Please share your ideas in the comment section below, I would love to hear your comments.