Tips for Returning from Spring Break

I hope your Spring Break went well!

If you are anything like me, you went home with a pile of stuff that needed attention. You were so happy that you had a WHOLE week to get it done and get totally organized and READY for the final stretch of school. Fast forward to the Sunday before returning and you are scrambling to just get your lesson plans together…. oops!

Well more than likely, your students didn’t give school a second thought either. So usually the week back can be a little…. hectic? messy? frustrating? You pick the adjective.

So here are some tips for returning from spring break. This will make the first week or two back a little better.

The end of the school year can be a bit chaotic and hectic. But when you implement these tips for returning from spring break, things are sure to go a bit smoother! Click through to get great tips and ideas for the week after spring break to help make sure the rest of your year runs smoothly. These ideas are great for your preschool, Kindergarten, 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 5th, and 6th grade classroom. But even middle school and high school teachers will find helpful tidbits!

REVISIT YOUR TIME MANAGEMENT STRATEGIES

Chances are your kiddos will still be on vacation mode. That means meandering around talking and socializing with the friends they haven’t seen in a week. Of course when they get back go over the schedule. Take advantage of online timers, classroom timers, or even your phone timer! This will keep them on track and, again, if you are like me, keep you on track too.

REVISIT YOUR DISCUSSION ON MANNERS AND RULES

Your students more than likely went on vacation or hung out with family members and had a week of pure fun. That often means structure wasn’t a prominent theme for the week. They might bring that mentality and those actions back to the classroom. Take a quick five minutes to review your manners anchor chart. Remind them of the rules that your classroom and school has. Just a quick refresher might be enough to bring them back to reality.

REVIEW IMPORTANT TOPICS THAT YOU TAUGHT BEFORE BREAK

We all know Spring semester is crunch time. You probably taught some important lessons before break started and sadly, there is a good chance your students forgot the majority of it. Try to schedule in a quick little review. You shouldn’t have to reteach the entire thing but maybe little tidbits will jog their memories.

BRING FUN TO THE CLASSROOM

Like us, I doubt the kiddos were over the moon to get back to school (unless it was to see their friends hehehe). They loved having a week of fun and relaxation so they want to stay in that mode. Uh, yeah, me too kids. Try to make the first week back FUN. That review we talked about? Make it a GAME. Get them up and moving but learning at the same time. You can do a whole game set up and give rewards if you want. This will get your students sooooo fired up and excited about more that is going to come. It will get them into learning mode and have such a positive attitude going forward.

GET YOURSELF A CUP OF COFFEE OR ANYTHING ELSE THAT MAKES YOU SMILE

Let’s be real, going back is tough for us too. Treating yourself a bit definitely helps you ease back into things. AND I will take any excuse for treating myself to my favorite Starbucks drink. Sorry, not sorry.