Oh boy, those first few days after winter break can be really tricky! You know the week I mean. Your students are excited to see their friends, everyone has a story to tell about the holidays, and you’re trying to get your classroom routines back on track. You want to ease back into learning, but you also don’t want to spend hours planning a whole new set of activities. That’s where this New Year’s Lapbook Freebie will save the day!
Instead of another stack of worksheets, give your students a hands-on project that lets them reflect on the past year, share their favorite things, think about their goals, and look ahead to the new year.
Even better, these free activities are already prepared for you! You can spend your time talking with students, helping them develop their ideas, and getting everyone settled back into the classroom routine.
Ready to learn more and grab your copy? Let’s jump in!
Why a New Year’s Lapbook Works So Well After Winter Break
The first few days after a long break can feel unpredictable. Students are excited. Some are ready to jump right back into school, while others need a little more time to settle in. You may also have students who want to tell you every detail about their break!
Rather than fighting that excitement, use it. The new year gives you a natural opportunity to talk about memories, favorite things, goals, and plans. Those conversations can easily become writing, fine motor practice, and classroom community activities.
A lapbook makes these conversations more hands-on. Students get to cut, color, glue, write, and create something they can actually hold onto.
You can also spread the activities throughout your first week back. Complete one activity each day during morning work, writing time, centers, or a short afternoon block instead of trying to finish the entire project at once.
Start With an All About Me Activity
After being away from school, students often need a chance to reconnect with their classmates. The All About Me Flip Book included in the New Year’s freebie gives them an easy way to do that.
Start by giving students a few minutes to talk with a partner. They can share something they enjoyed over winter break or something they’re excited about in the new year. Then have them complete their flip books. Once they are done, add them to the lapbooks.
You can easily adjust the activity for different writing abilities. Beginning writers might draw a picture and add labels, while students who are ready for more can write complete sentences and include additional details.
This is a simple way to get students talking, writing, and working with their hands without asking them to jump straight back into a full day of academic work.
And because the activity is already created for you, there’s no need to spend your break designing another back-to-school writing activity!
Reflect on the Past Year in Your New Year’s Lapbook
New Year’s is a natural time for reflection, even for young learners. One writing prompt asks students to think about the best thing about last year. Before students begin, give them a few minutes to brainstorm.
You might ask:
- What was something special that happened last year?
- What was your favorite memory?
- What made you happy?
Students might choose a birthday, family vacation, holiday celebration, favorite activity, or even a special moment that happened at school.
If a student isn’t ready to write a complete response independently, let them draw their memory first. They can add labels or a simple sentence afterward. More advanced writers can explain what happened and why it was their favorite memory.
This prompt is already ready to go, so you can focus on helping students develop their ideas rather than creating a writing activity from scratch. They will cut, color, write, and add it to their lapbook.
Talk About Favorite Things
Sometimes the easiest way to get kids talking and writing is to start with something they already know really well. . . Themselves!
The My Favorite Things activity gives students another opportunity to share their interests.
The included lift-the-flap activity for this topic focuses on favorite food, TV show, toy, color, and song. I love having the kids talk about these things with a partner before completing the activity.
This can be especially helpful during those first few days back because it gives students a low-pressure way to reconnect with classmates.
You can also use this activity during morning work, as a writing center, or as a quiet activity while you work with a small group.
Set a Simple New Year’s Resolution
Once students have had a chance to look back, you can start looking ahead. The My Resolutions activity gives students a chance to think about something they would like to do, learn, or improve in the new year.
For young children, explain that a resolution is something you decide you want to work on. You might give a few examples:
- “I want to read more books.”
- “I want to practice writing my name.”
- “I want to learn how to tie my shoes.”
- “I want to be a better helper.”
Then give students time to think of their own ideas. A quick turn-and-talk can be helpful here. Students often have an easier time writing their ideas after they’ve had a chance to say them out loud first.
After they come up with a few ideas, they can cut out the stars in the lapbook, write them down, and then glue them to their New Year’s lapbooks.
Write About Goals for the Year
The Goal for This Year writing prompt builds naturally on the resolution activity. For students who need support, brainstorm possible goals together and create a simple word bank. The resource includes two options with sentence starters like “My goal for this year is…”
Students who are ready for more can explain why they chose their goal or describe how they plan to work toward it.
You don’t need to make goal-setting complicated. The goal is simply to help students think about something they would like to accomplish and practice putting that idea into words.
Put Your New Year’s Lapbook Together
After students complete the activities, they can assemble their own New Year’s Lapbook! You don’t need a long list of special supplies. You probably already have most of what you need in your classroom.
You’ll need:
- A file folder, construction paper, or notebook
- Scissors
- Glue
- Markers, crayons, or colored pencils
That’s it! Students can color, cut, glue, write, and assemble their activities in the New Year’s Lapbook as they work.
For a sturdier keepsake, have students create their lapbooks using file folders. Once they’re finished, they can bring them home and share their work with their families. You can also add the activities to an interactive notebook if you’d rather have students keep their New Year’s reflections and goals at school throughout the year.
Grab the New Year’s Lapbook Freebie
The first week after winter break doesn’t have to mean scrambling for activities that will keep your students engaged while you rebuild your classroom routines. Give them a chance to reconnect, reflect on the past year, share their favorite things, and think about what they hope to accomplish in the year ahead with my New Year’s Lapbook Freebie!
Students can reflect, think about the new year, and share their ideas with a ready-to-use activity that requires very little prep. That’s a major win after winter break, if you ask me!
Keep the Hands-On Learning Going All Year
If your students enjoy creating their New Year’s Lapbook, you don’t have to stop with one holiday.
The Holiday Lapbook Bundle gives you interactive lapbook activities for holidays and special days throughout the school year. Instead of starting from scratch every time a holiday rolls around, you’ll have ready-to-use activities that follow the same hands-on format.
The bundle includes flippy flaps for these holidays:
- Thanksgiving
- Veterans Day
- Christmas
- Holidays Around the World
- New Year’s
- Martin Luther King Jr. Day
- Groundhog’s Day
- Valentine’s Day
- Chinese New Year
- St. Patrick’s Day
- Easter
- Earth Day
- Cinco de Mayo
- More holidays as they’re added, at no additional charge
Each holiday includes activities such as holiday facts, vocabulary, labeling, KWL charts, comparisons, and writing prompts. Just like the New Year’s activities, you can use the resources as file-folder lapbooks or add them to interactive notebooks.
Check out the Holiday Lapbook Bundle and have hands-on holiday activities ready to go throughout the school year!
Looking for More Lapbook Fun?
Check out these posts next!
- Engaging Space Lapbook Activities Your Students Will Love
- 3 Fun and Engaging Weather Lapbook Activities
- 10 Winter Lapbook Activities Your Students Will Absolutely Love
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