By Zoe Plotnick, Accountability and School Improvement Representative
Quick question: how many days of school are left until winter break?
If you were able to immediately name a precise number without looking at the calendar or stopping to count, we see you. You have certainly earned your share of joyful gatherings, celebrations, treats, and yes, the blessing of some much-needed sleep. (Out of all the misconceptions I held as a five-year-old, I would put hating on naptime at the very top of my personal list of Things I Was Very Wrong About.)
Of course, students also need time to recharge their batteries. While offering a break from lessons, deadlines and assignments is an absolute imperative, however, putting learning and engagement on pause does not have to be. In fact, winter break is full of opportunities to reinforce connections between school and home. Highlighting these opportunities to families not only encourages them to make memories while nurturing students’ academic and emotional growth, but also strengthens the partnership between families and schools by showing how learning can be seamlessly integrated into daily life at home.
Activities For Sharing
From preparing food (I dare you to find a tastier way to apply math and chemistry than baking cookies) to exploring nature (did a squirrel leave those tracks in the snow, or was it a bunny?), the possibilities are endless. Here are a few favorites:
- Winter Scavenger Hunt: Give students a list of items they can check off as they find – e.g., something shaped like a star, something red, etc. Older students might embark a photo scavenger hunt featuring neighborhood sights such as holiday lights, a snowman, or a festive storefront display. There are many ways to engage students in learning within their family and community, but make sure that the instructions offer enough space for flexibility and choices allowing everyone to participate regardless of family structure, language use, cultural background, and any other social or physical factors affecting their home contexts.
- Family Interview Project: Students can interview an older family member about childhood experiences, holiday celebrations or cherished traditions. They might write a reflection or draw a picture to share when they return to school.
- Story Swap: Families can share and write down their favorite holiday stories or other cultural traditions.
- 2024 in Review: Give a list of prompts or questions or share a scrapbooking template where students can reflect with family members on highlights from the past year, either with photos, drawings, writing or other artifacts they choose.
Resources to Send Home
Give students the gift of something fun to do when it’s cold outside. Parents will appreciate this more than a bag of candy, I promise!
- Games or Challenges: Create a simple bingo card like this one (I made it for free in Canva in less than 30 minutes). Low-stress challenges can involve counting, measuring, estimating, observing, and so on. Alternatively, small acts of kindness such as “Write a thank-you note to someone,” “Help clean up after a meal,” or “Surprise someone with a compliment” can be listed on a game card, calendar, or checklist.
- Take & Make Kits: Provide a set of materials and instructions for activities or crafts in a paper or plastic bag for each student. Activities can be simple, inexpensive, and tailored to different age groups – for example, bags might contain a tiny notebook, a pen or two, and some questions to prompt goal-setting for the new year. For more inspiration, check out projects here, here and here.
- Bookmarks, Game Boards, & Other Printable Activities: Here are some examples of printable creations for students. Feel free to reproduce and share them, or you can use them for inspiration as you search for (or make!) more.
Digital Resources and Activities
I know, I know… a lot can go wrong when students take Chromebooks home over break. However, doing something fun with their devices will decrease the likelihood of them getting lost, and students have options other than playing games or watching weird YouTube challenges.
- Take Advantage of Public Libraries: Ohio has the best ones in the nation, hands down! Your city or county library probably offers free e-books, audiobooks, movies, self-paced courses, video tutorials, and more online. If not, though, Ohio residents can get a card from any public library in the state for free, so try calling other libraries in your region.
- Virtual Field Trips: Some winter/holiday themed experiences include tours of polar research stations and views of the Northern Lights. Plenty are out there, but resources such as Nearpod, Google Arts & Culture, AirPano, and Treks make it relatively easy to build digital experiences that support and extend classroom learning, too.
- Digital Postcards: Students can share photos and descriptions of things they do over break. You can use Padlet for this – students do not need to create accounts!
There are countless fun and creative ways to keep students engaged over the break. No matter what they get up to while on vacation, though, students are more likely to return feeling refreshed and ready to learn when the school-home connection is an intentional part of the magic of the season.