Meanwhile you (hopefully!) spent the break catching up on family time, relaxing with a good book, or simply enjoying the peace that comes not setting an alarm or hearing the school bell. But now, it’s back to reality—and both you and your students need to shake off the post-holiday haze and dive back into learning.
To say the least, transitioning back after a long break is never easy. It’s a familiar challenge teachers face year after year. While I can’t promise a perfect solution, I can share three tried-and-true tips that have consistently worked for me to re-energize my classroom and get the new semester off to a strong start. Be sure to check out the end of this blog post where I share free ideas and resources.
The first step to a successful semester is to rebuild classroom
culture. After a break, it's essential to re-establish a positive, focused
environment where students feel supported and motivated. This helps them
reconnect with expectations, re-engage with the material, and rebuild trust
with peers and teachers. By setting the tone early, you'll ensure a smoother
transition back into routine and maximize classroom productivity.
💡 Tips to start
with a fresh reset!
- Revisit class norms and expectations: Reinforce the importance of respect, responsibility, and active participation.
- Reflect on wins
from the first semester: Celebrate the progress students
made and discuss areas to improve.
- Try quick icebreakers: Ease students back into the routine with activities that help them feel comfortable and engaged.
To reignite students’ interest and capture their attention, use
engaging activities. I don’t know
about your students, but after a break, my students are chatty! They want to
catch up, share stories about their break and talk about the latest shows
they've binged.
After years of experience, I’ve chosen NOT to fight this! Instead, I
channel that energy into engaging activities that allow them to share while
also easing back into the rhythm of learning.
🎨 Use Reflective
and/or Creative Activities
- Incorporate a New Year theme: Have students set goals for the new year or reflect on their personal growth over the past year.
- Introduce a Reflective Activity: Ask students to reflect on the highlights from the last year.
- Jump into a New Unit with a Fun Activity: If you need to get the ball rolling on a new unit right on the first day, consider using this Winter Quote Quest activity. It’s a fun and engaging way for students to preview upcoming content without even realizing they’re diving into the material!
After a break, easing back into the school rhythm is important—for both
you and your students. The problem? You’re lucky if you can keep student
attention for even a few minutes to give instructions. If you need to keep things structured, the
ideas I’ve shared above are perfect for keeping everyone on track with a shared
activity.
That said, one of the most effective ways to re-engage students is by
offering them autonomy in their learning. When students are allowed to make choices—whether about what they work on or how they
approach a task—they feel more empowered, invested, and motivated to dive back
into learning.
So, let them choose! How? Either create a simple Bingo board or a short list
of activities to choose from OR give them choice in some aspect of an activity
as in the TED Talk pairing or Current Event article below!
· 1. TED Talk Pairing: Start the year with a motivational TED Talk. I’ve got a free TED Talk organizer you can use! Pair the video with a discussion or writing activity about setting goals, overcoming challenges, or building a growth mindset. Check out TED’s "Motivation for the New Year (and every day, really)" playlist for a great selection of talks to inspire your students.
· 2. Student-Selected Articles: Have students find an article of interest on topics like goal-setting, overcoming challenges, or personal growth. Then, use this FREE organizer to structure a class discussion or written reflection.
· 3. Design New Year Goals with Canva: Let students create infographics of their goals using Canva. It’s a fun, interactive way to visualize and showcase their ambitions creatively.
Final Thoughts
My best advice for that first day back - go with the flow. Choose something that works for your individual classes and keep it low-key. Curious about what I do the first day back? While I've done variations of ALL of the above activities (some before break and some after) in the past, here's what I'm doing on Monday:
1. Start with a New Year reflection journal & share. In the discussion of the journal prompt, I review policies and procedures and highlight student wins from the previous semester.
2. New Year Goals Infographic: side note: My students complete a current event assignment every 9 week period (read more about this assignment). Each 9 week assignment has a different presentation component - for the 3rd 9 weeks, it is an infographic. So, I will introduce the guidelines for this assignment and have my students complete a quick new year goals one to familiarize themselves with the creation of an infographic. This will be due on Wednesday so that we can peer review them in class.
3. New Year One-Pager Assignment. This will be given today and be due on Friday.
*I build in the "extra time" on these assignments so that students have autonomy to work on the assignment of his or her choice. I currently teach honors level students, and my students will work in class. You may need to adjust the due date times according to the needs of your classroom.
By resetting routines, sparking curiosity, and allowing automony, you can help students shake off their post-holiday fog and dive into the semester. Wishing you a productive and successful new year!!
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