17 things Every Teacher Should Do During Winter Break

A few days off for Christmas and New Years usually means traveling, cooking, present-opening, cleaning, and hopefully a little relaxation gets thrown in, too. But sometimes you have to be intentional about how you want to spend your time. Here are 17 things you should make sure you’re doing before you go back to work in the new year. (You’re probably already doing most of them so you deserve a high five!)

Take pictures. It doesn’t matter if it’s a sleigh ride, your dog, your tree all lit up, your family, or just a selfie in your PJs on Christmas morning – snap some photos of your favorite memories. This time next year, you’ll be so glad you can look back on them!
Stop and reflect. There’s no need to spend your whole break bogged down with lots of work, but it’s extremely beneficial to spend 10-15 minutes hashing out your strengths and weaknesses. Here are a few questions that can point you in the right direction.
Refuse to feel guilty. Sometimes we’re so busy comparing ourselves with someone else that we forget to focus on the things that make each one of us unique. If you feel your mind starting to go down that negative path, stop and say this to yourself: “I’m really good at _________________ and my students benefit from it.”
Start fresh. As teachers, we tend to feel like August is our fresh start as a new school year begins, but challenge yourself to create a mantra for yourself in this new calendar year. Click here to see some of our favorites. Note: you can start new things during the school year 🙂
Get outdoors. In the cold winter months, we tend to hibernate a little bit more so find a reason to be outside. Bundle up and go for a walk, play a game, or find a festival to visit.
Make a list. Maybe you still have gifts to grab or several dishes to bake before visiting family; don’t let it stress you out. Write down the things that need to be accomplished so that you’re less likely to forget, and then check them off as they get done.
Make a new year’s resolution. But not just any resolution, one for your classroom. Vow to incorporate more literacy activities (like this one), play more review games, or incorporate brain breaks into your instruction.
Serve someone. Mark Twain said the best way to cheer yourself is to try to cheer someone else up. Pick a friend or family member and do something for them that they’re typically responsible for. You’ll be amazed at how much it’ll make you smile.
Hobby time. With the busyness of the school year, it can be difficult to find time to do some of your favorite things. Maybe it’s sewing, or reading, hiking, or baking; carve out a few hours and enjoy yourself.
Too busy to experiment? Think again. We often feel like our class time is so precious that we can’t afford to spend time doing experiments. Read this teacher’s experience with incorporating labs and how much better her students remembered the concepts when she was reviewing for the final exam. It’s powerful.
Become a better colleague. Make a plan now for how you’ll finish out the school year. Maybe you need to check in on a new teacher every morning or promote an up-beat attitude at those dreaded staff meetings. Simple changes can make a huge difference.
Belt out the Christmas tunes. Crank up the music and rock out with Mariah Carey or Bruce Springsteen.
Incorporate music in class. Music isn’t just for Christmastime and it can create a positive classroom environment, too. Search for a good station you can stream from your computer.
Plan ahead. One of the most valuable things any teacher can do is to create a system that’s ready to go anytime you’re left with extra class time. It should be something that doesn’t require any preparation in the moment; something you can have on hand that will always be relevant. Two of our favorites are here and here.
Need a laugh? Teacher humor for days on this Pinterest board. It’s good for the soul!
Pack up. Put away your decorations and find a home for all the gifts you received. By starting fresh, you’ll feel like you’re ready to tackle the new year.
Fight the apprehension. It’s easy to get sucked into the mindset that you’re not ready to go back to work after the extended time off. Refuse the mindset and instead, think of only positive things about starting up again. Reward yourself with a special cup of coffee for that morning.

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LearnEd Notebooks provides teachers and students with an innovative notebooking solution. We specialize in providing educators with a unique curriculum that allows you to break free from conventional methods of instruction and spend more time on labs and inquiry-based science. We provide the framework of an interactive notebook with the flexibility of teaching strategies that seamlessly integrate with each teacher’s own methods of instruction. Our complete programs include printed student notebooks, digital presentations, and access to teacher resources — each focusing on diverse learning styles and engaging instructional strategies.

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