The week before winter break seems to last an entire month! Am I right?! Well, don’t worry. I can’t wait to share some quick and easy hacks to help you thrive, instead of just surviving, that last week before winter break. Before you know it, you’ll be sitting on the couch in jammies for days on end if you want! So are you ready? Let’s dive right in!
Get Cozy the Week Before Winter Break
One easy thing to do to calm students down during that hectic last week is to simply put on a peaceful fireplace with some calming music and let students work while they listen. It is SO engaging for students and they love to watch the fire crackle while they work. Add in some finger lights, and have students get cozy while they read in the dark. It’s a simple way to boost engagement while simultaneously bringing down the energy when you need a little peace and quiet. Head over to YouTube to see some of our favorite cozy fireplaces!
Add a Little Extra Behavior Incentive
Who doesn’t love to be rewarded? I know your students do! I love using whole group incentives to keep us all on track, but also treating ourselves for meeting our goals. Motivate students by having them work together to earn pieces to earn a grand prize. The best part about this is that the prize could be simple as a pajama day, stuffy day, or eat popcorn during dismissal day. These are such easy ways to motivate that week before winter break!
Check out these adorable Christmas themed incentive puzzle boards, including Christmas trees and snowmen, where students earn pieces to complete the puzzle to earn a reward. It’s always a good idea to insert in some extra easy fun, while still meeting expectations during those last weeks of the year together! Practice expectations when needed and maintain high expectations for ALL students. Learn some simple tips HERE!
Take a World Tour the Week before Winter Break
The week before winter break is the perfect time to visit the world and learn about different ways to celebrate winter holidays! Have students pack their suitcase and take off around the world. You can immerse yourself in 12 different holidays while reading, crafting, and completing projects. Focus on a holiday a day or even team up with your grade level to have students rotate rooms! There are so many different ways to celebrate. Learn more about Holidays Around the World HERE!
Complete a Craft the Week Before Winter Break
Need to focus their extra energy? Complete a craft! As you know, we’re all about tying in content while working on skills, and these math crafts really add some fun. Check out these fact family gingerbread houses and these sweet snowmen to work on place value. These are differentiated AND they look great on the bulletin board! Another fun way to focus energy is by completing a fun themed directed draw with students! Grab the free one below by subscribing!
Have a Book Exchange
I love to ensure that students always have enough books at home. The week before winter break is the perfect time to hold a book exchange! Send home a simple parent letter at the beginning of December to have families bring a book in the week before the break (they might need a reminder or two, haha). You can set a cost limit to support all families and even bring in a few extras in case someone doesn’t bring one. There are a number of different ways to pass out the books! You can have students each grab one; you can pass them out, or you can even play a game of musical chairs for them! Get creative and have fun. This will keep students engaged and allow them to bring home a new book just in time for the long break from school. You can also pull those finger lights back out and get cozy while they read their new book!
Put on a Movie
When you’ve had so much fun you can’t even do anything else, put on a movie! Don’t feel guilty if the administration walks in, it’s the week before winter break and everyone deserves a break! We always read The Polar Express and do a book study. When our study is finished, we wear pajamas, make some hot cocoa, and we watch the movie. They love it and it’s a great time to clean up before the new year, lesson plan, or just relax. Here’s a list of some more holiday movies!
A Charlie Brown Christmas – G
Frosty the Snowman – G
Olaf’s Frozen Adventure – G
Happy Feet – PG
Frozen – PG
The Santa Clause – PG
How the Grinch Stole Christmas – PG
Making the Week Before Break Calm (and Actually Enjoyable)
The week before winter break doesn’t have to feel chaotic or exhausting. With the right structure and engaging activities, it can be a meaningful time to build classroom community, review important skills, and enjoy the season — without burning yourself out.
That’s exactly why I created my Before Winter Break Kit. It’s designed to take the pressure off during the busiest week of the school year by giving you everything you need in one place. Inside the kit, you’ll find five days of detailed lesson plans, engaging student activities, intentional read-aloud pairings, and simple teacher checklists, all done for you!
The best part? There’s no complicated prep. Just print what you need, prep in minutes, and walk into each day knowing your plans are ready. Your students stay engaged, routines stay calm, and you actually get to enjoy those last days before break.
If you’re looking for a simple, stress-free way to make it through the week before winter break, the Before Break Kit has you covered! So you can focus on your students instead of scrambling to plan.
Have a Snowball Fight
Have you ever had an indoor snowball fight?! Does that sound crazy? It turns out that it’s not only a blast, but educational too! All you need are some snowball papers to crumble with problems, a recording sheet, and engaged students! It’s fun and educational! Learn all about it HERE!
Prep for Your First Week Back
My last tip might be a tad crazy, but hear me out… I know you’re thinking, “Lindsay I am so done. What do you mean, ‘plan ahead’?! Just no.”
I get it. But wait! Visualize with me for a second about returning to your room in January. You’ve planned ahead so EVERYTHING is ready to go. Things are organized, plans are ready, and you can walk in right before the bell, coffee in hand, with NO STRESS. It’s more than making it to winter break, it’s about truly enjoying every moment!
Now again, you’re probably shaking your head at me thinking, no I’m not doing it, BUT what if I told you I did all the hard work for you?
Check out this jam packed Back from Break Kit that contains everything you need when you return from break. We’re talking detailed plans, paired mentor texts, and tons of engaging activities. Grab this kit now, thank your future self and even better… leave for winter break with no stress OR work!!
I really hope you enjoyed learning some quick tips to help you and your students not just survive, but THRIVE through the hectic month of December. Don’t forget to subscribe to my email list! Not only will you get the most up to date tips, tricks, and classroom projects… and of course more fun FREEBIES including the Back From Break Checklist FREEBIE! You will also have exclusive access to tons of digital how to videos! If you would like to learn about this and other things happening in my classroom follow me @sweetnsauerfirsties on Instagram.
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