New Year's Activities for an Epic and Focused Elementary Classroom

Winter break is over, you are ready to get back into your routines, you walk down the hallway into your classroom, and then the kids come in… And they bring the chaos. 

Teachers get stuck wondering things like, “Is this just my class?” or “How long should I get them to settle down?” or even, “Is all the progress we made going down the drain?”. 

When you’re stuck in that spiral, it’s hard to move forward. 

The good news is, you can easily bring order to the chaos by planning proactive activities to get your class on track and back into routines STAT.

In this post, I’ll define my favorite New Year’s Activities for my elementary students and provide 3 things you can do when you are back in the classroom. I hope that this will give you a roadmap so you can get started kicking off the new year with confidence and ease.

What is the perfect way to set yourself up for an epic and focused Elementary class?

Setting your class up for success starts with two things: clarity in what you are teaching, and tools to help you keep the kids on track while you teach them. The new year may feel a bit distracting when your class comes back, but it truly is a fresh start for you all to get even better as you build off of the first half of the year. 

In other words:

Your clarity and engaging activities will help you cultivate the classroom community you have always wanted as you dive into the second half of the year. It is never too late to lean in - I would argue this is the most pivotal part of the year! So let’s lean in together. 

Step 1 to an Epic and Focused Elementary Class: Clear Expectations for Learning and Behavior

An epic and focused classroom has clear expectations surrounding learning and behavior. It has many built in opportunities throughout the day for students to collaborate and engage with one another in group-related, hands-on tasks. Teachers get so bogged down by curriculum and standards that it is easy to forget what is most important when it comes to creating these experiences for ourselves and our students. 

This is a crucial component because children look to you for guidance, and providing that direction can be exhausting again and again. By being clear and concise from the beginning, everyone can thrive in more clarity. 

Many people who are new to the classroom start out on the right track but then get stuck because leading a class of children through an entire year includes many different seasons, changes and shifts. The constant change is the only true consistency in the classroom year to year.  

Because of that, many teachers wind up wasting a lot of time, burning out and feeling unclear during times of transition like this. It is not just you - we have all felt the chaos of switching semesters, coming back from breaks, and doubling down before testing!  

The key to a focused classroom is to practice expectations consistently, and show your class what you expect from them. 

To get started here, begin by creating or reviewing your set of classroom expectations at the start of each school day. You should also act these out for students and call up volunteers to show what these expectations look like, sound like, and feel like in the classroom. Showing AND telling students is a powerful force of reinforcement!

Step 2 to an Epic and Focused Elementary Class: Building Connection Between Engaging Activities and Curriculum 

COMMUNITY, CONNECTION, COLLABORATION. The magic three!

All of these variables contribute to an epic and focused classroom. As teachers, we can't expect our students to be focused when we haven't set clear expectations and provided them with a voice in what those expectations are. 

You want them to feel they are an important part of the classroom community. 

By engaging them in community, connecting with them by giving them a voice, and engaging their interests, you are able to invite them into a new level of leadership… And they thrive with it!

The 3 C’s help to build their listening skills and ability to focus, so plan engaging activities for an epic and focused classroom.  

With that in your backpocket, there is a little homework for you to reflect on: 

When do your students thrive in the classroom?

Start to break down what it is your classroom is interested in! Where do they thrive most? Is it through hands-on learning, movement-based experiences? Is it in nature/being outdoors? How can we take what our students are interested in and meet their needs while also teaching the standards and curriculum we are required to teach? 

Yes,  it takes some thought and creativity but this in my opinion is the BEST part of our job. Once we can craft experiences that work, we can replicate them as often as possible (without of course burn-out on our ends).    

What are some examples? 

A really useful tool I came up with you can use to engage your students is my Walking into the New Year Writing Activity! Click here to download it now. 

Another way to engage your classroom is with hands-on activities that bring in your curriculum! One of my bestsellers is this Hands-On Learning for CVC Activities Bundle - click here to check it out.

Step 3 to an Epic and Focused Elementary Class: Creating a Toolbox to Lead From 

Lastly, we want to create a toolbox you can pull from at all times to engage your students in creative, engaging ways that cultivates community and collaboration.

A lot of times, I see teachers think they need to go out and buy all the things or spend all this time creating things for their classroom, and I am here to tell you that is NOT true. Creating a toolbox to keep your classroom epic and focused can be as simple as a dry erase board, marker and making your math lesson movement-based. How? Instead of counting dots on a board and writing the number we see- maybe we get up, perform air squats, count, then write the number on our boards!

The formula  you can use to create your toolbox is:

• Find what your class engages with most 
• Then test out different activities that creatively engage your students - bring in the 3 Cs here!
• Then, start to build your go-to list of activities in different subjects that get your class the most productive and engaged. 

Once you’re done,  you’ll be well on your way to getting your classroom more epic and focused than EVER before. Plus, you are going to feel less decision fatigue thanks to your amazing new activities and understanding of your class.  

Putting it All Together for Your Epic and Focused Elementary Classroom 

There you have it! The 3 components of your epic and focused classroom! 

It may sound like a lot, but like most things practice makes perfect. Just focus on each activity at a time! I want you to feel empowered in all you know about best practices for your kids and creating experiences that nurture their students' love of learning.

What’s next? Grab my Alphabet Workout Activity!

If you need help getting started, my Alphabet Workout Activity will help you engage your class with fun and collaborative learning at the forefront! 

>> Click here to grab The Alphabet Workout Activity now

If you are looking for an amazing activity to use when you get back into the classroom after your winter break, Click here to download Walking into the New Year Writing Activity!

Are you ready to uplevel as a teacher? Click here to join the waitlist for my best-selling program, The Heart-Centered Classroom Instructional Toolkits.