Winter Break – the thought that my kiddos might go 2 or 3 FULL weeks without picking up a book breaks my heart. Knowing that many of my kids might revert back to their non-reader habits, I created this Winter Break Challenge for ALL elementary students {primary and intermediate}.
Flexibility is Key
In My Classroom
Out of my 90 friends around 40 participated in at least some of the challenge…which I consider a huge win! The class with the highest participation??? My struggling group of readers! Waahhhoooo! I was one proud teacher and was so glad that
my kids found some time to read during their ‘off’ time. 🙂
Celebrating Participants
{I’ll use my bonus points}, a $5 Orange Leaf gift card, and 3 homework passes for each class! Students received one raffle ticket for each day of the challenge they completed.
Looking at the packets this weekend, it’s been fun to see what words my kids think are cool and how many books they have in their own homes. As a teacher it gives me such insight to see the number of books – ranging from 31 to 879.
Author Letters
Jeff Kiney, it was so neat to see what questions students have about their
favorite books. Here are a few of my favorite letters. 🙂
from parents, my kids enjoyed having small tasks each day, and I loved that my friends stayed involved with words over the break-that-never-ended. 🙂
For other December and Winter activities, check out these….
- December Logic Puzzles
- Holidays Around the World Problems
I loved this and sent it home with my students. I only had 8 complete it out of 40 though…but that's just a testament to the area I teach in. It was cute and I'll use it again.
Jessica
Literacy Spark
I'd say it was totally successful!! I LOVE their letters! They seem so genuine. I'll have to try this next year!!
Kelli
I love this! I will definitely do this next year. We get three weeks off for winter break and this would be the perfect activity. Thanks for sharing!
Chelsea
Fifth Grade Wit and
Whimsy
I am glad so many of your students participated! Those letters to the authors are really great. Sounds like a really great activity!
Amy
Eclectic Educating
I love this idea! Wish I would have seen it before break, but I will definitely be using it next year!
Stephanie
Forever in Fifth Grade
I absolutely LOVE this idea! What an amazing way to motivate those kiddos! Especially love that your lowest readers were the greatest participators. Fantastic! I've never thought of raffling off Scholastic Book certs. or froyo gift cards….I must rethink this. : )
Ali
Teaching Powered by Caffeine
Love this idea! This is such a great way to keep kids motivated during Winter Break 🙂 It turned out to be so successful – congrats! I love those letters! I will definitely be using this next year!
Thanks for sharing your great ideas and an update!
Have a great week,
Amanda
My Shoe String Life
That's such a great idea, and it's awesome how well it turned out! I think I will have to try it next year. Will you do one over Spring Break?
Don't Let the Teacher Stay Up Late
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This is great! I would love to try it over Spring Break too!
Liz
Beach Teach
This is fantastic! What fun! I am super impressed with your blog and ideas. Hats off to you my dear for being a first year teacher and having wonderful successes. I agree with Liz S, I would love to do this during spring break!
Courtney
[email protected]
Winter break is a time when our children can relax, play and enjoy some free time. However, as a parent, I can’t help but think about the fact that it is also a period when they can lose the habit of reading and studying. We all know how easy it is to forget about school duties when there are so many exciting activities around. I’d love to have a vacation too, but my homework needs to be done. I’m in college. I have a lot of assignments in all subjects. I don’t know what to do.
Definitely, homework is compulsory ti complete in time. It is a good way to engage students in their studies. You can see lots of writers on internet which are available to help you in your homework. I think you should do your homework yourself to get good results in exams.
It’s great that you want to stay on top of your assignments during the break. For this purpose, I would advise you getting help from this platform https://ca.essaypro.com/do-my-assignment their skilled experts handle any subject properly. It is especially useful for students who have a busy schedule or struggle with certain subjects.
Hello, Thank you very much for the recommendation, I will definitely refer to the said platform. It is really very helpful for students with busy schedules. By the way, I will write my review after using the service. Thank you, friends!
Yes, winter break is a great time for kids to unwind and have fun. A long break can make it hard for children to get back into study mode. Surely, college life can be demanding, especially with assignments piling up but you can easily complete them by the help of Essay pro.
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This is such a thoughtful idea. Long winter breaks can easily pull kids away from reading, so creating a fun challenge to keep them engaged is a great way to build healthy habits. Balancing reading time with light entertainment can also help keep their routine steady. Some families even use kid-friendly sports content on apps like sportzfy pc as a reward after reading sessions, which keeps kids motivated without taking focus away from books. It’s a smart way to make the break both enjoyable and productive.
This is such a creative way to keep students engaged over the break—especially love the flexibility and fun approach instead of making it feel like homework. The author letters idea is honestly brilliant for building connection with reading.
I’ve also seen families balance reading time with some light entertainment afterward, which keeps kids motivated. Some even use options like the MagisTV APK latest version for controlled screen time once daily reading goals are completed.
This is such a thoughtful way to keep students engaged over the break—especially love how you made it fun and flexible instead of overwhelming. The author letter activity is a great idea for building deeper connections with reading.
I’ve also seen families use small rewards after reading goals, like allowing kids to relax with something they enjoy. Having options like the XuperTV streaming app for Android TV can make that balance between learning and downtime easier.
This is such a great way to keep students engaged over the break—especially love how you made it fun and flexible instead of overwhelming. The author letters idea is a fantastic way to build deeper connections with reading.
I’ve also seen families use small rewards after reading goals, like allowing kids some relaxing screen time afterward. Having structured guides like the Delta iOS executor installation tutorial can help parents manage device setups more smoothly.
This is such a thoughtful and creative way to keep students engaged during the break. Making it fun and flexible really seems to have made a difference—especially with your struggling readers, which is amazing to see.
I’ve also noticed that combining reading goals with small rewards works well. For example, some families let kids relax afterward using the YouCine streaming app for Smart TV, which helps maintain a healthy balance.