🎁Surviving the Week Before Winter Break (Without Losing Your Jingle Bells)

The week before winter break hits differently, right?

Kids are buzzing, sugar is everywhere, and the schedule is a mess. You’re trying to finish grading while finding the class gift you thought you ordered. Your classroom feels like a snow globe someone shook and never put down.

This week brings packed holiday parties, behavior spikes, and report card deadlines. You want to keep learning on track, stay calm, and send students off with joy. You also want to leave on Friday with a few jingle bells still attached.

Classroom Survival Strategies That Keep Learning Going (Without Chaos)

You can keep learning moving without turning your room into a carnival.

The goal is simple: fun enough that students buy in, structured enough that you keep your sanity.

Plan “festive but focused” lessons that still teach skills

You do not need new units. You can take what you already teach and wrap it in a winter theme.

Ideas that work well:

• Math: Use word problems about snowmen, hot chocolate, or gift wrapping. Have students solve problems to color parts of a winter picture, then reveal it at the end.

• Writing: Have students write letters to their future selves about the new year. Ask them to set two school goals and one personal hope.

• Reading: Read holiday or winter-type stories and follow up with sequencing or writing.

Keep it low prep. Change the clip art, the names in the word problems, or the topic of the writing prompt. You do not need a "Pinterest-perfect" craft for everything.

Use short, structured activities to match shorter attention spans

During this week, long lessons are your enemy. Short, clear blocks of time work better.

Try things like:

• Reading scoot: Place short passages or task cards around the room. Students rotate every two minutes to read and answer a question.

• Math stations: One station for flash card practice, one for a simple game on whiteboards, one for a quick puzzle or problem of the day.

• Partner quiz quiz trade: Each student has a review question on a card. They quiz a partner, trade cards, then find a new partner.

• **Writing Sprints:** Get ready for a fun three-minute challenge! Invite students to explore their creativity with a prompt like, “The snowman that came to school.”

Use visible timers and simple directions on the board. Keep the same routine for moving and stopping. This structure prevents chaos while giving students the movement they crave.

Set clear boundaries and expectations (and repeat them often)

Students need strong anchors when everything feels different.

At the start of each day, quickly review:

• What will be different today?

• What stays the same in your classroom?

Write a short list of non-negotiables for the week and post it. For example:

1. We walk into the room.

2. We keep our hands and feet to ourselves.

3. We use kind words.

4. We clean up before we leave for any activity.

Use attention signals like claps, echoing responses, or a chime. Practice them before the day gets busy.

Keep consequences simple, fair, and consistent. Routine and structure do not ruin the fun. They help students feel safe while everything around them feels busy and exciting.

End the week with a small ritual that reminds you why you teach.

On the last day before break, close the week with something that feeds your heart a bit.

Ideas for students:

• Write notes to their future selves to open in the spring.

• Share one favorite memory from the school year so far.

• Write thank-you notes to a staff member, such as the custodian or librarian.

Then take a moment for yourself after the students leave. Jot down three wins from the week or the semester. They can be small, like “Mia finally raised her hand today” or “our class meeting felt calm.”

You want to walk out feeling grounded and proud, not just empty.