The first week back doesn't need to be packed with elaborate activities.

By Term 4, your learners know you, they know each other and they know how your classroom works. You don't need a week of getting-to-know-you games. But after a couple of weeks away, it can be helpful to give everyone a little time to reconnect, settle back into familiar routines and get their brains moving again.

Here are ten easy activities you can use during the first few days back. Most need little more than a whiteboard, some paper and whatever you already have in your classroom.

Use one, use a few, or keep some tucked away for those moments when you suddenly realise there are still twenty minutes until lunch.

Skip the traditional “Write about what you did in the holidays” recount and ask learners to capture just one small moment instead.

Give them a few possible starting points:

• Something that made me laugh…

• Something I noticed…

• Something I enjoyed…

• Something I watched or read…

• A quiet moment…

• Something I want to remember…

Learners could draw their snapshot, write a few sentences, create a short recount or combine words and pictures.

For older learners, challenge them to zoom in on the details of one moment rather than trying to describe their entire holiday.

KEEP IT LOW-PREP
Put the prompts on the board and let learners choose one. No worksheet required.

Ask learners to think of:

One thing that changed.
One thing that stayed the same.
One thing they're wondering about.

Their answers could be about themselves, school, their neighbourhood, the weather, nature or something happening in the wider world.

Learners can jot down their three responses before sharing one with a partner.

Bring a few ideas back to the whole class and see what people have noticed.

It's a simple way to get learners observing, talking and writing again, while collecting questions that could be worth returning to later.

A few quick Would You Rather? questions can get everyone talking without needing a complicated icebreaker.

Try:

• Would you rather work outside or inside?

• Would you rather read the book or watch the movie?

• Would you rather create something or solve something?

• Would you rather explore the ocean or space?

• Would you rather work with a partner or independently?

The important part isn't the choice. It's the reasoning.

Ask learners to explain why they chose their answer. They could discuss it with a partner, indicate their choice from where they are, hold up an option, or move to different parts of the room if that works for your class.

You can make the questions as light-hearted or thought-provoking as you like.

EXTEND IT

Ask learners to create their own Would You Rather? question for the class. 

Can you describe part of your school holiday in exactly six words?

That's the whole challenge.

For example:

Rainy days, books, snacks, repeat.

Learners could write about something they did, somewhere they went, something they noticed or simply what the holidays felt like.

Once they've written their six words, they can illustrate them or compare responses with a partner.

The six-word limit makes this particularly useful for reluctant writers. The task is small enough to feel manageable but still requires careful word choice.

TRY IT AGAIN LATER

Six-word writing works for almost anything - a story, a character, a science concept, a historical event or even a maths strategy.

You don't need a printed bingo sheet for this one.

Put five to eight prompts on the board and invite learners to talk with classmates who match them. Depending on your class, they might move around the room, work within a small group or simply talk with people nearby.

Find someone who…

• read something during the holidays

• spent time outdoors

• tried something new

• watched something they would recommend

• made or created something

• learned something unexpected

• helped someone

• discovered something interesting

The aim isn't to race through the list. Give learners time to actually have a short conversation.

You could finish by asking:

What interesting thing did you learn about somebody else?

Let learners know they can always pass on a question they don't want to answer.

Write one open-ended question on the board and give everyone some quiet thinking time.

For example:

What makes something worth learning?

Or, for younger learners:

What makes a good day at school?

Learners can think independently first, discuss their ideas with a partner and then contribute to a class conversation.

Record some of the different answers without trying to settle on one “correct” response.

Other questions you could try include:

• What makes a good teammate?

• When is making a mistake useful?

• What makes something interesting?

• What helps people learn?

• What makes a problem worth solving?

It's a simple way to bring thoughtful classroom discussion back after the break while reinforcing that different people can approach the same question in different ways.

Put ten minutes on the clock and give the class a small challenge.

Use something you already have rather than turning it into another activity you need to prepare.

Try one of these:

Paper challenge: Build the tallest freestanding structure you can using scrap paper.

Maths challenge: Find as many different ways as possible to make 24.

Observation challenge: List 20 things that have changed since the beginning of the year.

Word challenge: Choose a familiar topic and create an A–Z list. How many letters can you fill in within ten minutes?

Design challenge: Invent something that would solve a small problem in your classroom.

Learners can work individually, in pairs or in small groups depending on the challenge.

When the timer finishes, spend another few minutes comparing approaches.

Rather than focusing only on who completed the challenge, compare some of the different strategies learners used.

Instead of beginning the term with another round of formal goal setting, try asking:

What are you curious about right now?

Learners might wonder about animals, space, sport, technology, people, history, words, places, the natural world or something completely unexpected.

Collect their questions on sticky notes, slips of paper or a section of the whiteboard.

You don't have to answer them immediately.

Keep some of the questions visible and return to them when they connect naturally with something you're learning later in the term.

Questions could also become quick research tasks, writing topics or discussion starters.

NO DISPLAY SPACE?

Keep the questions in a container and pull one out occasionally when you have a spare few minutes. 

Choose something interesting and ask learners to respond to three simple prompts:

I notice…
I wonder…
I predict…

Your starting point could be:

• an interesting photograph

• an unusual classroom object

• a short piece of text

• a graph

• a number pattern

• a map

• an artwork

• an image connected with something you'll be learning this term

Give learners time to notice independently before discussing their thinking.

Compare what different people noticed, the questions they asked and how their predictions differed.

This is also worth keeping beyond the first week. The same three prompts can be used across literacy, maths, science and other learning areas throughout the year.

Finish the week by looking forward.

Ask learners to write a short note to the person they'll be at the end of Term 4.

You might offer prompts such as:

• Something I hope happens this term…

• Something I want to learn…

• Something I want to get better at…

• Something I'm looking forward to…

• Something I want future me to remember...

The notes don't need to become elaborate letters. A few sentences are enough.

Store them somewhere safe and bring them back during the final week of the school year.

It's a simple first-week activity now — and you've quietly planned an end-of-year reflection activity at the same time.