An object at rest tends to stay at rest. 

Newton’s first law applies as much to matter as it does to students going back to school after the holidays. Motivation is the key to any forward motion, and this is especially true when the emotions of the holidays have once again given way to the banality of normal routines.

And as much as we’re loathe to admit it, even parents and educators can find themselves a bit sluggish when restarting the scholarly engines in the new year. Going back to school is often filled with anxiety, boredom, and uncertainty. Managing these emotions is necessary for staying on track and getting back into gear for a brand-new semester.

On a positive note, this time of year can be advantageous for educators. It can be a time to try new approaches and review pre-holiday lessons to see what has stuck and what hasn’t. First, though, you and your students must overcome the enthusiasm malaise.

Battling the January Blues

It’s not uncommon to feel a bit down in January. The holidays are gone, homework is back, and the days are still stubbornly short. For some, this melancholia isn’t just a passing slump; it can be part of a condition known as Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD), a persistent depression tied to fall and winter seasonal changes. 

For those living in higher latitudes, less daylight means less vitamin D, which can weaken our patience and muddy our moods and mental health. When the sun sets at 4 p.m., it can be both startling and demotivating, making it feel as though very little has been accomplished during the daylight hours.

Taking vitamin D supplements or eating foods rich in vitamin D, such as salmon and white mushrooms, is one way to manage seasonal depression from a dietary perspective. Simply being aware of how the seasons affect our moods can also make the winter blues easier to bear. Making it a priority for you and your students to go outside regularly for short periods of time (regardless of the weather) can also have a profound effect on motivation. 

Managing Everyone’s Expectations (Including Your Own)

Accelerating from zero to 60 in 10 seconds may be thrilling, but it’s not always smart (or even possible, depending on your vehicle). The same holds true for gaining momentum after a lengthy break.

The first step to managing expectations after going back to school is understanding that expectations do have to be managed. In those first few weeks after vacation, it’ll feel like an uphill battle. But don’t fret too much about the slower pace. Things will gradually pick up, and by the time February rolls around, most people are much more locked in and engaged.   

Use these initial slower periods as an opportunity to experiment with new ideas and adjust schedules and curricula. Remove the pressure of seeing immediate academic results and you’ll be free to explore different pedagogies and time management techniques that can pay off in big ways over the course of the rest of the school year.    

Recap and Review

The first week or two can be the toughest as you return to academics.  Reviewing lessons learned before the break can help students in both motivation and retention.

Students often forget quite a bit during the break. Reviewing key takeaways from the previous semester will help refresh their memories and give them a launching point for the rest of the year.

Doing a review is also easier for both students and educators who are just getting comfortable with going back to school. Comprehension is typically at its lowest when students aren’t motivated, and it can be difficult for concepts to stick when apathy is at its peak. Likewise, it can be frustrating for teachers trying to engage with students on new material.  

If even reviewing previous content is a struggle, consider using the spaced repetition technique. This method of review involves re-examining material at regularly scheduled intervals to bolster long-term retention. 

Deciding how far back you want to review can also impact the success or failure of the process. Starting with concepts students have already mastered can help rebuild their motivation by delivering easy success, but you’ll want to transition as quickly as possible to more difficult concepts to engage them at a higher level. 

Sparking Motivation

After a month in holiday mode, students’ desire to jump back into the tedium of schoolwork is roughly on par with a cat’s desire to take a bath. This is typically not the best time to deliver a long monotone lecture on a difficult topic.

If you’re looking to engage and motivate your students, you’ll want to start by taking them out of their element with physical activity, word games, or even some aspirational discussions. 

Get physical. A few bursts of activity can help get students re-engaged, even if it’s just for periods of 1 to 5 minutes. These activities don’t need to be highly aerobic, like running or jumping rope; they can be as simple as rearranging the classroom, going for a walk, or even playing music with an instrument. 

Play word games. Since students don’t typically enjoy having to answer questions (especially after a holiday), try turning the tables with a game like “Mad Libs.” This is a 15-minute exercise where students offer their best guesses to missing words in a preconstructed narrative on a specific topic before a lesson. After the lesson, review the Mad Libs with your students so you can all laugh at how wrong (or right) they were. 

Daydream together. Another idea is to enlist their help with future planning. Ask them what they want to learn this year or what they liked learning about last year. This may give you some insight into their future aspirations, which can spark an entirely different conversation, and help develop ideas for future lessons. Not only does it give students some agency in their own curriculum, it helps frame the lessons in a way that helps them understand why they’re necessary. 

Play more games. You can also play “hangman,” a guessing game that can help students build vocabulary. Think of a word or phrase and let your students take turns guessing letters to figure it out. If they don’t figure it out before you draw a stick figure, they lose. If they win – consider using external rewards or extra credit for motivation (just be sure not to do this too often, otherwise this fun activity will lose its novelty).  

Finding Support Within Your Homeschooling Community

For homeschooling families, one of the greatest assets for support can be other homeschool families and instructors. Homeschooling has grown exponentially over the last few years, meaning you are far from alone when it comes to common problems like going back to school after a long layoff. Sharing your collective problems, listening to solutions that have worked for others, and offering your anecdotal insights can go a long way toward helping other families as well as your own.

Demme Learning is, of course, a rich resource for support, offering virtual and in-person events as well as insights and webinars on a host of topics. In addition to articles and shows offering tips on improving student motivation (perfect for early January), Demme Learning also offers a variety of tools and resources to help homeschool families achieve success. 

What you can’t find here at Demme Learning, you will almost certainly find in the friendly faces of your homeschooling community. Whether you’re new to homeschooling, have decades of experience, or are just considering making the jump, you’ll find most homeschooling communities willing to share decades’ worth of tips, tricks, and ideas for managing just about any subject or challenge you might face – including post-holiday motivation.

Going Back to School After a Break

To learn more about going back to school after the holiday break, be sure to check out this episode of The Demme Learning Show, where we give actionable tips for getting you and your students back into gear after the holidays.