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Classroom Management After Winter Break: 7 Helpful Tips

The return to school after winter break can be a challenging time for students.  They are processing emotions about experiences they had during their time away from school. Plus, they are excited to see their friends but might be anxious about getting back to their daily work.  On top of that, they are trying to remember all of the rules, routines, and expectations of the classroom.  With so much going on, it can be difficult to get learning back on track! In this post, Iโ€™m sharing some tips for classroom management after winter break that you can use for a smooth transition after the holidays.

7 Tips for Classroom Management After Winter Break

When it comes to getting back into the swing of things after winter break, there were several things that came to my mind.  These are tips that will make the transition more smooth, but they will also help you set the tone for the remainder of the school year.  

1. Take Time for Social Emotional Learning

Long breaks from school can be difficult for students.  Some of the children in your class might have had negative experiences with their family.  Other students might have been worried about where their meals were coming from for the past two weeks.  You will also have students who had a wonderful break and are having big feelings about being back at school.

With such a wide range of emotions as students return from break, itโ€™s important to take time for social emotional learning discussions and activities.  This is especially important during the first few days after winter break.  You might need to review with students how to ask friends to play at recess, give them time to process their emotions through journaling, or even model self-regulation techniques for your class.

2. Maintain and Reinforce Classroom Rules and Expectations

All of your students have just spent two weeks away from school.  Rules and expectations are different outside the walls of a classroom, so itโ€™s not uncommon for students to need an adjustment period when returning to school.  They might be slow to respond to instructions or quick to test the limits.  Be consistent in reinforcing your rules and expectations so your students can more quickly get back on track.

Two scenario cards for rule and procedure practice

3. Review Routines and Procedures

Your students will probably need a refresher on the routines and procedures of the classroom.  Be sure to review them as a class to prevent bad habits from forming!  You can practice routines using fun scenario cards to make it more engaging.  No matter how you decide to review classroom procedures, the important thing is that you do it!  It wonโ€™t take nearly as long as the beginning of the year and it will be time well spent.

4. Take Your Time and Be Patient

Patience truly is the key to classroom management after winter break. Donโ€™t plan to jump right back into your full-speed instructional routine in the first day or two.  That will just open the door to frustration!  Your students will need time to adjust to being back at school and you will need time to review procedures and focus on social emotional learning.

In addition to that, youโ€™ll probably find that simple things like lining up for lunch will take a little bit longer than they took before break.  Give yourself some wiggle room in the schedule to discuss procedures as they come up, just like you did at the beginning of the school year

5. Move Desks Around for a Fresh Start

A fun way to grab studentsโ€™ attention right as they walk in is to have the desks in a new arrangement.  This is a great way to give your students a fresh start after break.  We all know that some students struggle with behavior right before leaving for the holiday.  When their desk is in the exact same spot next to the same peers, it might trigger those negative feelings and memories for your student.  Having their desk in a new spot communicates that youโ€™re both ready to start fresh after the break!

6. Give Behavior Specific Praise

If you have been working on creating a growth mindset community, this is the perfect time to focus on behavior-specific praise!  Your students have just gone two weeks without stretching their brains too much, so coming back to school can be frustrating for them.  Praise your students for their effort and behavior to remind them that they are in control of their achievement.  Remind them that challenges help the brain learn and grow!

7. Focus on Community

Classroom community is something else that you will want to focus on in the first few days after holiday break.  This will set the tone for participation in learning activities as well as social interactions between students. By using some icebreaker activities after returning from break, students will be reminded that the classroom is a safe place for them to share ideas and ask questions. 

A dice rolling getting to know you activity with questions about imaginary creatures

Taking the time to focus on community after winter break will have a positive impact on your students, both academically and socially. This will impact the tone of your classroom for the rest of the school year!

Printable Get to Know You Activities

If youโ€™re looking for some community-building activities to use in your classroom after winter break, I have you covered!  I have created a bundle of printable get-to-know-you activities that are perfect for building classroom community.  This resource is perfect to use when returning to school, whether thatโ€™s in the fall, winter, or spring.

Get to Know You Cootie Catchers printed on colorful paper

If youโ€™d like to take a closer look at all of the icebreaker activities included in this bundle, you can find it in my TPT shop!

Save These Classroom Management Tips

I hope that these classroom management tips will help your students have a smooth transition back to school after the winter break.  If youโ€™d like to find these tips and resources later, be sure to save this post!  Just add the pin below to your favorite board on Pinterest.  Youโ€™ll be able to quickly find this post whenever youโ€™re looking for tips for classroom management after winter break. 

Classroom management tips for after winter break

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Teaching in a primary classroom can be overwhelming! Have you ever wondered… How can I meet all the demands of teaching and still make sure I am teaching my students to be good world citizens? How can …

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