Ideas to Engage Students After Winter Break

Are you looking for some ideas to engage your students after winter break? Getting back into a routine can be hard, but here are a few tips and tricks for getting your students back into school mode after the Holidays!

1. Re-arrange Classroom Seating and or Groups

Working with the same people all the time can get stale and boring. Try changing up the seating arrangement to get students interacting with new people.  

You might also want to change the way you have students grouped.  Maybe they have all been in rows, and now is the time to move into groups.  Or, maybe you want to give flexible seating a try.  Now is a great time of year to make those changes!

2. Coloring Can Be Calming

One problem with a return from the holidays is that students are pumped up with excitement! I love to use color by number worksheets to review skills and get my students back into the groove of school work.  The added bonus is that coloring is calming!

This time of year is perfect for either these New Year's Color by Number worksheets! They are available in addition, multiplication, and number recognition (subitizing).

You might also like these seasonal Winter Color by Number Worksheets.

Bonus Tip: Play soothing music in the background as your students color in their pictures.

3. Introduce Whole Class Rewards

Have students earn points by doing the things that you would like to see reinforced in your classroom.  Some ideas could include:

* Participating in classroom discussions

* Being on task

* Being ready for the next activity in a certain amount of time.

4. Inspire Your Students

My students always love watching Kid President videos. 

This is the perfect time to share his pep talk. 

If your students fall in love with Kid President too, check out this writing lesson I did with my students.

Jessica's Daily Affirmations is also a great video to share.  Have your students write their own affirmations.

5. Reinforce Routines and Classroom Expectations

The return to the classroom after winter break is a great time to reinstate your classroom routines and remind students of the classroom expectations, norms, and routines.

You might want to try this After the Holiday Behavior Expectations Review Freebie to go over some of your expectations.

6. Review Math Concepts With Winter Themed Math Centers

Harness your students' excitement about the winter season with fun winter themed math centers!

These winter themed math centers for third graders can be used after winter break for math centers, independent work, small group activities, or as a free choice activity.

The Winter Math Centers include 5 standards aligned activities and include the following math skills:

* Telling time 

* Elapsed Time

* Addition and Subtraction With Regrouping

* Multiplication Facts

* Word Problems Involving Multiplication and Division

7. Honor Martin Luther King Jr. 

Since Martin Luther King Jr. day is celebrated each year in the United States on the third Monday of January, it is a great unit to introduce when you return to school.

Have students research his accomplishments and messages of justice, peace, freedom, and equality.

Check out this Pinterest board full of activities, resources and ideas for learning more about Martin Luther King Jr.

I also have Martin Luther King Jr. color by number resources.

8. Make Time for Fun

When you're focused on getting back into school gear and the new semester learning objectives, it is easy to forget to spend a little time having fun.

Returning to school can be easier when you remind your students how fun learning can be!

Do you have any tried-and-true tips for engaging your students after Winter Break?  

Share with us in the comments below!

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Winter Themed Math Centers for Third Graders

Are you looking for some winter themed math centers for your third graders?  I use these winter themed math centers as a fun and engaging way of practicing skills that have already been taught to students.

When to Use Math Centers

I start my math block with a spiral math review and a quick math fact practice. We follow this up with a whole group lesson and then split up to work on small group lessons and math centers.

The Purpose of Math Centers

I strongly believe that the purpose of math centers is for students to review those previously taught concepts so that they can have additional practice and gain mastery with those skills. They allow students to work independently while I am working with a small group.

Winter Themed Math Centers for Third Graders

Here are the math centers that I use during the winter months.  The math skills covered in these five math centers activities include:

* Telling time (this includes differentiated cards for telling time to the hour, half hour, quarter hour, five minute intervals, and to the minute).

* Elapsed Time.  Word Problems and Problem Solving With Elapsed Time.

* Addition and Subtraction With Regrouping

* Multiplication Facts

* Word Problems With Multiplication and Division

Math Center Accountability

I have included recorded sheets and answer keys for four of the centers.

If you are looking for ready to go math centers for your third graders this winter check out these Winter Themed Math Centers for Third Graders!

New Year's Subitizing Color By Number Worksheets

Need a fun activity for the New Year for your students or to keep your own kids busy?  They will love these New Year's color by number worksheets with a focus on subitizing, or number recognition!

This post contains affiliate links. I earn a small commission each time someone makes a purchase using one of my links, which helps to support the blog.  All opinions are my own and I only promote brands and products that I have used myself and truly love. 

What is Subitizing?

You have probably used subitizing without even realizing what it is.  It is the skill that you use when you look at a rolled dice and immediately know the amount of dots showing.

Subitizing is the ability to recognize the value of a small group of objects without counting.

Helping your students to quickly recognize groups is an important foundational math skill. These New Year's Subitzing color by number worksheets will help your students to develop this skill while they have fun coloring!

Students will look at the number representations in each coloring space.  They will then look for the corresponding number in the color key to determine what color to use while coloring that spot.

When Can I  Use These New Year's Subitizing Color by Number Worksheets?

These subtizing color by number worksheets could be used as a math center, extra practice with a small group, sent home as extra practice, or even done as a whole group activity.  They also make easy additions to sub plans!

What's Included?

This set includes (8) New Year's themed color by number subitizing worksheets and answer keys.  

Pages Include:

* Baby New Year - 2 skin tone options provided (could be adapted for any skin color the child chooses).

* New Year's Ball Drop

* New Year's Balloons

* New Year's Celebration

* New Year's Clock

* New Year's Fireworks

* New Year's Party Hat

* New Year's Party Hat With Black-Eyed Peas

* New Year's Party Hat With Grapes

* New Year's Toast

Each subitizing worksheet reviews seeing numbers through:

* domino patterns

* finger patterns

* dice dot patterns

* ten frames

* tally marks

The finished New Year's coloring pages make a great wall or bulletin board display!

Where Can I  Buy These New Year's Subitizing Color by Number Worksheets?

You can find these New Year's Subitizing Color by Number Worksheets in my Teachers pay Teachers store.

Save even more (over 50%) by buying them in this growing bundle set.  The completed set will include 18 holidays in total.

Helpful Tools We Love For Color by Number Activities

• Printer I absolutely LOVE my HP Printer that uses Instant Ink! I love it because I can use as much ink as I want for one low cost!  No more running to the store for printer cartridges! Try it out for free here!                                                     
• Crayons While you can use any crayons with these worksheets, my favorites are the twistable crayons!  They color so vibrantly and they last a long time!   

More Color By Number Worksheets

Looking for some more color by code coloring pages?  Check out some of these options:

St. Patrick's Day Math Facts Color by Number

St. Patrick's Day Subitzing

Easter Subitizing

Earth Day Color By Number

Thanksgiving Subitizing

Christmas Subitizing

Hanukkah Subitizing

Teacher Giveaway! Weekly $25 Teachers pay Teachers Gift Card Giveaway December 13, 2021

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This Giveaway is Over!  Please visit our Giveaway page to enter our current giveaway.   Sign up HERE to be alerted about all of our future giveaways!

Every week we give one lucky teacher a $25 Teachers pay Teachers gift card!  Enter our weekly  giveaway for teachers for your chance to win!

GIVEAWAY DETAILS:

Prize: $25 Teachers Pay Teachers Gift Card 

Rules: Use the Rafflecopter to enter.  Giveaway ends 12/20/21 and is open worldwide.  

Are you a Teacher Blogger or Teachers pay Teachers seller who wants to participate in giveaways like these to grow your store and social media?  Click here to find out how you can join our totally awesome group of bloggers! 

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Christmas Figurative Language Color By Number

These Christmas Figurative Language Color by Number Worksheets are the perfect way for your students to practice identifying figurative language!  

This post contains affiliate links. I earn a small commission each time someone makes a purchase using one of my links, which helps to support the blog.  All opinions are my own and I only promote brands and products that I have used myself and truly love.

Help your 4th and 5th graders to identify similes, metaphors, alliteration, onomatopoeia, hyperboles, and personification with these fun Christmas color by number worksheets!

These NO PREP Christmas worksheets are Common Core aligned and can be used for review, homework, morning work, literacy centers, in sub plans, or just for some festive holiday fun!

Types of Figurative Language Covered

In this activity, students will review the terms with Christmas themed sentences featuring similes, metaphors, hyperbole, personification, alliteration, and onomatopoeia.  

Christmas Color By Number Worksheets 

Students will use these answers to color fun Christmas themed pictures including Santa, Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer, and Candy Canes.

Diverse options can be created for Santa Claus.

Answer Keys are included so students can self-check their work if using as a literacy center activity.

These Christmas Figurative Language Color By Number Worksheets can be used as:

          * a literacy station or literacy center

          * for review work

          * for fast finisher work

          * time fillers

          * sub plans

          * Christmas fun

Save even more by purchasing them in this growing bundle!  You save 50% off the resources already included and get the remaining resources to be added for FREE!

Helpful Tools We Love For Color by Number Activities

• Printer I absolutely LOVE my HP Printer that uses Instant Ink! I love it because I can use as much ink as I want for one low cost!  No more running to the store for printer cartridges! Try it out for free here!                                                     
• Crayons While you can use any crayons with these worksheets, my favorites are the twistable crayons!  They color so vibrantly and they last a long time!

St. Lucia's Day Color By Number Worksheets

If you are working on a Holidays Around the World unit or a St. Lucia's Day unit, you will love these St. Lucia's Day Color by Number Worksheets! 

 Your students can practice skills such as addition and multiplication, while coloring fun St. Lucia's Day themed coloring pictures! 

This post contains affiliate links. I earn a small commission each time someone makes a purchase using one of my links, which helps to support the blog.  All opinions are my own and I only promote brands and products that I have used myself and truly love.

St. Lucia's Day is a festival of lights that is celebrated in Sweden, Norway, and Swedish-speaking areas of Finland on December 13th in honor of St. Lucia's (St. Lucy). 

The festival marks the beginning of the Christmas season in Scandinavia, and is meant to bring hope and light during the darkest part of the year.

Families celebrate St. Lucia's Day by having one of their daughters (traditionally the oldest) dress in white and serve the family coffee and baked goods.

These color by number worksheets are a great way to show your students different cultures and traditions while practicing math facts.

I currently have addition and multiplication  math facts versions of these resources. 

If you have a request for additional skills, leave a comment below! 

Each math facts set comes with (6) St. Lucia's Day themed color by number pages and answer keys.

 

And... I would be absolutely remiss if I did not share my favorite crayons ever! They color so vibrantly and no more broken crayons!

These St. Lucia's Day Color by Code pages are also available (with 6 other holidays from around the World) in my money saving Holidays Around the World color by number bundles.

Holidays Around the World Color by Number Addition Facts Growing Bundle

Holidays Around the World Color by Number Multiplication Facts Growing Bundle

Pull out the crayons or markers and help make learning about St. Lucia's Day more fun and more productive with these printables!

Helpful Tools We Love For Color by Number Activities

• Printer I absolutely LOVE my HP Printer that uses Instant Ink! I love it because I can use as much ink as I want for one low cost!  No more running to the store for printer cartridges! Try it out for free here!
• Crayons While you can use any crayons with these worksheets, my favorites are the twistable crayons!  They color so vibrantly and they last a long time!

Other Holiday Color By Number Sets Available

Halloween Color By Number  

Thanksgiving Color By Number  

Christmas Color By Number

New Year's Color By Number
100th Day of School Color By Number

Martin Luther King Jr. Color By Number
Groundhog's Day Color By Number  

Valentine's Day