Activities for January BTS Part Two

 

    If you're like me, you don't want to think about school starting until it begins again in the beginning of January.  Well, I hope I can I can make it a little easier for you to breech that first week of school after a long, relaxing Winter Break.  Here are some things you can do to calm the chaos after your students have been fulling indulged with cookies and grandparent love all break.

    The very first thing that I do when going back to school in January is treat it like the second 1st day of school.  Reteach all of those rules and routines that you spent weeks teaching at the beginning of the school year.  Although not everyone will need to be retaught, it will definitely benefit someone in the classroom.  It only takes a week for me to forget my email password (in other words I forget it every January) so forgetting how to rotate from station to station or what to do in the morning before the bell rings may be what your students have forgotten.  

    Secondly,  find some activities that get your kiddos moving.  Especially for those younger elementary kids.  They have been moving all break (hopefully) and will be falling asleep at their seats that first week.  Using Kagan Strategies™ in each lesson will help get those guys up and moving.  Add a center or two that involve kinesthetic activities, like read the room or using the smart board to sort things (they will have to use big sweeping motions to move items around on the board).  Here are a few activities that will get your students moving.

    If you don't have a reward system or haven't used it with fidelity, NOW is the time! Give the students extrinsic incentive that will motivate the intrinsic need to succeed.  Even if it is as easy as a star chart and every month you let them spend their stars on an activity it will work.  Some ideas for free incentives are:

• extra recess
• pick a brain break
• lunch bunch
• teacher for the day
• line leader
• use a pen for the day
• show and tell
• lunch with the principal 

Finally, get planned ahead of time if possible.  All of these things can be implemented into everyday lessons and activities.  Choose your battles. What is really important that first week back to school?  If your looking for homework that is ready to go (at least for first grade) check out these easy to use homework calendars.  

Here are some other fun Winter based educational activities you may want to use with your kiddos come January.

  

Have a fun and successful  return to school!