Get into the Groove Again – Transitioning Back From Winter Vacation Effectively

By Rachel Marcus, Director of Curriculum and Training

Coming back to school after winter vacation can be tough. Whether your family stayed home and vegged or took the opportunity to travel, your child probably enjoyed time to rest, recharge and engage in preferred activities. Now it’s back to the grind with homework, early wakeups and afterschool activities. So how can we help our kids transition back into the groove effectively?

Start with a Temperature Check

Consider checking in with your child to see how they are feeling coming back from break. Are they overwhelmed, unmotivated, excited to see friends again, etc.? Multiple emotions and experiences may be at work here; Validate that there are no wrong answers and that it’s normal to have a mixed bag of emotions during a transition point. Encourage your child to give themselves a little time- and some grace- in getting back into things. 

Review Schedules and Routines

Some students may benefit from refreshing on schedules and routines coming back to school. For example, if your child follows a certain routine to get out the door in the morning, walk through that routine briefly together to rehearse the steps ahead of time. This may help mitigate any stress “on game day.” Similarly, if your child follows a set routine around getting homework done you may want to review that plan again just to ensure they are fully back into the academic mindset and schedule.

Engage in Goal Setting

January is a great month for new years resolutions! Try to help your child reflect on the fall term, celebrating areas of progress and naming successes. Then move into setting goals for the upcoming term. If your child had a particularly challenging 2025, remind them that the new year is a fresh start and a great chance to wipe the slate clean. Help your child set specific, realistic goals so they are more likely to realize success. For example, instead of focusing on a broad goal like “Getting straight A’s in all classes,” help them hone in on smaller concrete steps they can take to move in that direction, such as “Attend afterschool tutorials 1x a week,” “Use study hall for homework instead of chat time,” or “Do a grade check every Sunday.”

Look ahead 

Returning from winter break provides a great opportunity to look ahead on the calendar front. Take a look at the school website, as well as online portals and teacher syllabi. What fun things are on the horizon? What big assignments, such as projects, tests, etc. are coming up? Are there any major commitments on the extracurricular front that might impact academics and require additional time management? All of these things are great to take stock of. If your child is open to it, consider mapping it all out together on a digital or physical calendar.

Tap into Motivational Strategies

If you notice that motivation is waning upon returning from break, consider tapping into motivational strategies. Talk through different ways to motivate, including:

• Starting with a small, easy task
• Pairing a preferred task with a non-preferred task
• Setting a timer and working for a short, focused burst
• Enlisting the help of a body double and/or accountability partner
• Switching up your workspace location
• Identify extrinsic motivators to work towards

Of course, these are just a few strategies to consider; The whole point is to help your child find their best way of powering through tasks. Grit is a powerful predictor of success so it’s an extremely beneficial skill to cultivate and practice.

It Takes a Village

Finally, lean on your “village” to help your child reacclimate after an extended break. That includes reaching out to school-based professionals, such as guidance counselors, teachers and others, as needed. Help your child self-advocate as well, so that they have an opportunity to practice that important skill set and take full advantage of available resources. Normalize the act of taking advantage of resources to help remove any associated stigma or shame, and can effectively change the narrative around using school-based supports.  

Coming back from winter break isn’t easy, but by teaching students how to tap into a toolbox of strategies and supports, we can empower them to handle the transition successfully.