10 Tips for Reteaching Expectations After Winter Break
Returning to the classroom after winter break can feel like starting from scratch. Students may need a refresher on routines, and teachers may feel like they’ve lost some of their hard-earned classroom management progress. The good news is that with proactive planning, you can quickly reestablish a positive and productive classroom environment. Here are 10 tips to help you reinforce expectations, reteach rules, and get your students back on track.
1. Start Fresh with a Positive Mindset
First and foremost - pack your patience. It’s easy to feel frustrated if students seem to have "forgotten" the rules, but treat the new year as a fresh start. Begin with enthusiasm and positivity, letting your students know you’re excited to dive back into learning together. The safer they feel, the more receptive they will be to your reminders.
These routine and procedure writing prompts are great morning work for the first weeks back!
2. Review Rules and Expectations
Spend time reviewing your classroom rules and expectations as if it’s the beginning of the school year. Use visuals like anchor charts or slides, and have students participate in the discussion by sharing examples of what following the rules looks like.
3. Practice, Practice, Practice
Don’t just talk about the rules—practice them! Walk through routines like lining up, transitioning between activities, and turning in assignments. Let students rehearse these routines until they feel natural again. Don’t be afraid to stop a routine mid-way and start from the beginning if you can see that students are struggling to meet your expectations.
4. Reinforce Positive Behavior
After a long break, students may need extra encouragement to follow expectations. Use positive reinforcement strategies, such as praise or small rewards, to highlight students who are doing their best to follow the rules. If you can use praise for students who are following the rules far more than correction for students who are not, your classroom community will become centered around positive behaviors over time.
5. Set Clear Goals for the New Year
Work with your class to set goals for the upcoming months. These could include academic goals, behavior goals, or teamwork goals. When students feel invested in the classroom’s success, they are more likely to follow expectations. Check out my goal workbook below!
This goal-setting workbook is great for students to use after winter break!
6. Use Visual Reminders
Post rules, routines, and schedules where students can see them. Visuals serve as a constant reminder and can help students who may not remember all the details from before the break. Creating a checklist on your board of all of the steps for a series of directions (like packing up or unpacking), is a great way to prevent chaos!
7. Address Areas of Struggle
Think back to areas where students struggled most before the break. Was it keeping their voices down during transitions? Staying on task during independent work? Focus on reteaching and practicing those specific routines. Be prepared to re-teach these routines first.
8. Incorporate Fun Activities
Make the first few days back engaging with team-building activities or games that reinforce classroom expectations. For example, you could play a classroom scavenger hunt where students "find" good behavior examples.
9. Be Consistent with Consequences
Consistency is key. If you let small infractions slide after the break, students may think the rules don’t matter anymore. Follow through with your established consequences to show that expectations are still important. Keep expectations the same for all students, as its appropriate.
10. Check In with Students
Take time to connect with your students individually or as a class. Ask them how their break was and how they feel about being back. Building relationships helps students feel supported and makes them more likely to follow the rules.
The transition back to school after winter break doesn’t have to be overwhelming. With clear communication, consistent routines, and a positive attitude, you can help your students get back in the swing of things quickly. These strategies will set the tone for a successful and smooth second half of the school year!
If you want more classroom management strategies, as well as a 10 day plan to completely revolutionize your students’ behavior this semester, check out the classroom management playbook!
This book is the COMPLETE resource that can benefit any teacher in any situation. Because classroom management is a lot simpler than we believe that it is. It really comes down to a few easy shifts - mindset shifts, attitude shifts, and boundary shifts. Once those shifts are made, your classroom will be completely changed for the better.
