When I return to work after winter break I like to do reflection activities with my students to promote positive thinking. I use a couple (free) resources that help students look back on the positive things that happened in the past year and make goals and aspirations for the next.
1. The first resource I use is my New Years Freebie that can be found on Teachers Pay Teachers. This can be used with any aged student. The student will write and draw about his/her favorite things from the past year (favorite color, favorite movie, favorite food, places they visited etc...) and on the second page they get to draw things they hope to do in the new year. This activity is great because students can either write or draw their answers (or both!). It is fun to keep a copy on file to pull out next year to compare!
2. The second freebie is a simple writing prompt. There are two pages in this download too. The first prompt is "2017 was a great year because..." and the second is "2018 is going to be the best year ever because..." These prompts are great because it encourages students to find something positive in the past year (even if they had a bad year) and think positively about the future. I use this prompt with 2nd grade and up. My students also love decorating the years.
I hope you find these resources helpful! Have a great new year!
-Mandi
