Activities to Ease into a New Year & New Semester

 

Activities for the New Year and New Semester

By Tracee Orman


Easing into both the new year and/or a new semester can be like starting all over again. The difference is that in January, students (and teachers) are already a little burned out from the first semester and the holidays. Not to mention the lack of sunlight and colder weather many of us face this time of year. It can get pretty depressing in January.


This is the time of year when I try to reinvigorate my students with activities that will foster their creativity and growth mindset rather than trying to start the year or semester off with a rigorous curriculum. It is more important to continue building relationships with students and give them the time to decompress. Here are a few activities you can incorporate this month (even if you're already into the swing of things):


SETTING NEW GOALS AND REFLECTING ON THE POSITIVES

A new year is about starting fresh, a new beginning. Remind your students that no matter what happened in the past, the future is theirs to mold and create. In one exercise, I use the numbers for the year (in this instance, 2025--but it is updated yearly) for students to create short, simple goals and how they plan to achieve them. 

New Year goals


For example, the "2" stands for two things to accomplish this year. Two is a manageable number of goals for teens. Everyone should be able to come up with two things they can achieve.


The "0" is how they will "zero" in on obtaining these goals: how are they going to do it? What steps do they need to take?


The next two numbers vary based on the year. For the "2" I have students write two things they wish to improve this year/semester. This can be related to what they want to accomplish or can be completely separate.


For the final number, have students write that number of things they are looking forward to this year. I like to end it with this positive outlook for the year. 


I use this handout and have students decorate the numbers then we display them. It's always nice to celebrate when they do accomplish their goals, too. This is an easy activity that doesn't take too much time (it can even be assigned if need be) and another way for you (and their peers) to get to know each other and further build your relationships.


If you wish to go deeper into the goals, my pack of activities includes several different handouts to choose from (it also includes the digital versions in Google Slides for a paperless activity). One of the new activities is a one-pager goal-setting activity. It is an alternative to the year numbers but still incorporates some of the same things. Students can choose to focus on one goal or three in the differentiated handouts. 





ONE-WORD FOCUS

Another activity in my bundle is for students to choose one word as a focus for the new year or new semester. The purpose of the activity is to inspire growth either personally, academically, athletically, etc. (students can choose how they interpret it). Example words could be: Determination, Courage, Gratitude, Growth, Adventure, Teamwork, Focus, Strength, Resilience, and so on. 


New Year One Word


After the students choose their words, they will give the definition, synonyms for the word, a quote using the word, and the reason they chose that particular word. They can use these words to remind them from time to time to hang in there to get through the rest of the year and achieve their goals. I also include a blank template so you can customize it with your own unique prompts for your students.


CURRENTLY STATUS UPDATE

I love doing this activity from time to time throughout the year for several reasons: book recommendations, gauge students' needs and moods, learn more about what they love and what's important to them, etc. You can download this handout FREE here (it also contains a blank page that you can add your own prompts). It's such a simple, quick activity to use throughout the year as a bell-ringer or exit slip. Then you can display them for their peers to also get to know each other (and get book recs!).

Currently Free Download

COLORING PAGES & BOOKMARKS AND PUZZLES

After a long break, sometimes students just need some time to catch up with friends. Instead of just letting them talk and socialize, have them color or work on puzzles while doing so. Some may say this is brainless or busy work, but it does serve a purpose. Coloring has been proven to improve mental health in teens and adults by lowering stress, improving focus and mindfulness, and even improving brain function because it engages both of the brain's hemispheres. Teens need these opportunities in their busy lives. I have a bundle of New Year Coloring and Bookmarks and New Year Word Search Puzzles that are perfect to use this month! 


If you don't have colored pencils or markers for your classroom, Amazon has numerous packs that are relatively cheap. You can also ask your fellow teachers if any have some you can borrow for a day. This is also a great request to ask of parents or a parents club. 


BACK TO SCHOOL ACTIVITIES

Starting a new semester with a new group of students (or even the same ones) is a great time to bust out your back-to-school activities once again. Even if you use the same ones over again, you'll most likely get different responses. It's also interesting to see how students have changed from the beginning of the year. I love having them revisit some of my beginning-of-the-year activities.


It's also a good time to go over your rules and procedures once again. That's never fun, but it often needs repeating this time of year. Use some funny memes or pictures to help. Students always need refreshers, especially if you have new students who have recently joined your class.


I hope these ideas will help you ease into this new year and new semester. Have a great one, friends!


Check out these great resources from my colleagues to help you ease into the new year:

New Year's Figurative Language Worksheets & Activities by The Daring English Teacher

New Year Escape Room by The Classroom Sparrow

New Year's Close Reading Mystery Inference Activity by Presto Plans

Back to School Activities by Addie Williams

Back-to-School Getting to Know You Activities by Room 213


Thanks so much for reading!





New Year & New Semester Activities

Back to Top