Classroom Teaching Ideas to Beat the January Blues
After a well-deserved break, it can be hard for both teachers and students to get back into the flow of teaching and learning – especially during the dreaded ‘January blues.’ To keep spirits up, we’ve selected a few lesson topics and ideas that will keep you feeling positive after the Christmas break, and help anyone avoid the back to school blues!
Create New Year’s resolutions
New Year’s resolutions are a great way to start the year off, and it will also help your class understand long-term goals, self-reflection and help them get better at planning. Have your students write their personal and academic goals on a sheet of paper. It could be anything from learning to ride a bike to acing their times tables. You may even wait to collect the sheets and dish them back out at the end of the year to see how far they’ve come!
Teach your class about Arctic Animals
There’s no better time to explore the animals of the Arctic than the coldest month of the year. Teach your class all about polar bears, Arctic foxes and snowy owls, from their diet to their habitats, and maybe even begin to teach them about the effects of climate change. Here, you can exercise their science and geography skills, all while admiring adorable critters!
Teach your class about hibernation
With animals such as bears, squirrels and hedgehogs powering down for the Winter, January is the perfect time to teach your class about hibernation in a fun and educational way! Host a pajama day and encourage your class to imagine what it would be like to sleep through Winter. There’s also plenty of books you can and your students can read during January to bring the topic to life. A few include It Was a Cold, Dark Night by Tim Hopwood, The Bear’s Winter House by John Yeoman, and Hibernation Hotel by John Kelly. Don’t forget to encourage your students to log any reading they do on the BoomReader app!
Celebrate Chinese New Year
Encourage your students to learn about other countries and cultures, starting with Chinese New Year, which is celebrated on the 22 January 2023, with this year celebrating the year of the rabbit. Teach your class about Chinese traditions and heritage, try out some traditional Chinese cuisine and even have a go at making your own Chinese lanterns.
Encourage productivity with rewards
We all know January isn’t the best month for student engagement as their minds are still absorbed in Christmas films and chocolate, so why not encourage them through reward schemes and healthy competition? See who can read the most in a week, and offer a prize and certificate for the winner. You’ll soon see their reading habits pick up!
For more teacher tips and tricks, go to boom-tastic.com/blog