Doesn’t going back to school in January feel a lot like August because you have to go over EVERYTHING again. It can be exhausting, I know. But, unlike in August, after about a week, your students should be back into the routine again.
First, start your day off right by saying hello to all of your students at the door. Be sure to greet them by name and ask them about their winter break. This shows your students that you missed them and that you care about them. It is part of creating a caring classroom community.
I always start by reviewing procedures. I like to have students role play the right and wrong way to do things. They always think it so funny to watch their friends do it the wrong way. We review how to sit on the carpet, how to put away supplies, how to rotate through centers, how to line up, how to walk in the hallway, how to use the bathroom (yes, including flushing and washing hands). I put together an entire list if you want to print it out and check off the boxes as you go. You may want to add to the list as you go to. You may notice other things your class forgot how to do. Get the list here.
Next, take some time to review your classroom expectations. In August, we spent a lot of time talking about what it means to Be Kind, Be Safe, and Be Respectful. We even made a tree map. I am going to make another one again when we return from winter break. It will probably be very similar to the one I made in August, but it will help students to remember our classroom expectations. You can get this poster and anchor chart pieces FREE here.
Finally, I would recommend you do something FUN! While it is important to focus on routines, procedures, and expectations, that be exhausting! You want students to leave feeling excited to come back the next day. Yesterday, I shared that I will be doing this Free New Year Craft on the first day back. It is a fun craft, with a writing component. It will get your classroom looking beautiful. these are a few of my favorite winter activities that I will do this week.
Sneezy the Snowman is one of my favorite books. It has beautiful illustrations and it is the perfect story for sequencing. I also like to talk about Cause and Effect with this story because he keeps melting over and over again. I have several different crafts that you can do with this one too. It is a great way to get your bulletin board ready for winter. You can buy it here.
I also like to do some fun Winter Science activities the first week back. Snow is so much fun. You can read all about my favorite snow activities here. I hope you all have an amazing second half the school year.
