What To Do Your First Week Back to School After Winter Break

In this episode of The Firstieland Podcast for Elementary Teachers, your host Molly Schwab shares simple, realistic things every K–2 teacher should focus on during the first week back to school after winter break. Instead of jumping straight back into academics and feeling overwhelmed, you’ll learn how to reset your classroom in a calm, intentional way that helps both you and your students ease back into routines.

January is the perfect time for a fresh start, and this episode walks you through exactly what to prioritize so your classroom feels focused and ready for the second half of the school year.

You’ll learn:

✔️ How to rebuild classroom community after a long break

✔️ Why reviewing rules and expectations is essential in January

✔️ Simple ways to reset classroom routines without starting over

✔️ How to set meaningful goals with your students for the new year

✔️ Easy writing reflection ideas to help students transition back smoothly

By the end of this episode, you’ll have a clear plan for your first week back that helps students feel supported and helps you start January feeling confident and prepared.

Resources Mentioned

New Year Classroom Kickoff Toolkit: https://firstieland.com/kickoff

FREE Winter Read Aloud Challenge: Sign up at https://firstieland.com/challenge

Let’s Stay Connected

Visit our website: https://www.firstieland.com

Need resources? Visit my TPT store: https://firstieland.com/TPT-store

Follow me on Instagram: @firstieland

To check out all the resources mentioned in this episode, head over to the show notes:

https://firstieland.com/podcast

Enjoying The Podcast?

Be sure to tap the follow button so you don’t miss an episode. New episodes drop every week, with bonus episodes throughout January.

How To Rate And Review

If you’re enjoying this podcast and it’s helpful to you, I’d love it if you’d leave a review.

🍎 Apple Podcasts: https://firstieland.com/apple

🎧 Spotify: https://firstieland.com/spotify

Have a wonderful day and remember to make learning feel like play. See you next week.

Molly💜

Full disclosure: Amazon links in my descriptions are affiliate links, which means if you purchase through that link, I receive a very small percentage of the sale.