Easy Ways to Get a Fresh Start With the New Year
Updating just a few classroom materials can have a big impact on your students.
- Grades: PreK–K, 1–2, 3–5
After December break, it is time to feel fresh and revived!
I always start January by freshening up my classroom a bit. I put fresh new crayons in all the crayon cups at the desks. This may sound silly, but it really changes the mood. I update and clean out glue sticks and liquid glue containers. I even have the students clean their desks.
I also turn over my classroom library. I have so many series books, that I can't fit them all at once in my library. So I put the easier half out in September: Henry and Mudge, Mr. Putter and Tabby, Franklin, Arthur, Little Critter, Poppleton, etc. By January the students have grown so much as readers that I put away the easier books and add more challenging series books: Bailey School Kids, Boxcar Children, Geronimo Stilton, A to Z Mysteries, etc. I still keep in mind the levels of the readers I have in my classroom and adapt to that. Also, I do keep some baskets the same so the students can enjoy some series throughout the year, but this change really excites the students and livens up the class.