The 2025-2026 winter break is right around the corner! This comes with relaxation, celebration, and an opportunity to spend time with friends and loved ones. The excitement leading up to this season and the slow return to the regular routine after often represent one of the sleepiest times of the year. For some, this is a well-deserved break. For others, this can be a missed opportunity. Particularly for students needing a little extra help with their academics, this is a pivotal time in the school year. Let’s look at some considerations below.
1. The Winter Break and Learning
Most students get 2 weeks away from school over the winter break. It is also typical that the last week before the holidays and the first week after the holidays are less focused and less productive than other weeks in the school year. This can amount to 4 consecutive weeks with minimal focus on academics.
Many of us don’t remember what we had for breakfast yesterday, let alone earlier a few days ago, so it is common for students to forget much of what they’ve learned when returning to the regular routine in January. As such, it is important to do some review over the holidays and/or resume studying with vigor early in January. Doing both would be ideal. This is especially true for students that find school challenging and that might need additional support.
2. The Winter-Spring Timeline
It can be easy to fall into a lull after the Winter break and all of the festivities and relaxation. What might go overlooked is that it is a short period from the new year to important points in the school year. Many students see standardized testing begin in the Spring, as early as March. Additionally, for high school students the new semester tends to begin in February. In the most extreme cases, there are only 3-4 weeks from the return to school to end-of-semester exams. This time can’t be wasted.
Further delaying a return to an academic routine only serves to reduce this timeline. Therefore, it is important to “hit the ground running” when coming back to school in January. It will take time to review what was last taught in January, continue learning new concepts, study for tests/exams, and keep on schedule for completing assignments and projects.
3. Consistency is King
There is a saying in sports that “the best ability is availability”. The same can be true of learning. School doesn’t often consist of a series of “Eureka!” moments. Is is a steady, methodical, day-by-day process. While a break is important, it is equally important that it represents a time away from the routine, not a new routine altogether. This can often be a pitfall of the winter break. As mentioned earlier, the 2 weeks away from school and additional 1-2 weeks of a lull in learning often mark a break from the routine and good habits that have been built up in the Fall.
Many of us that go to the gym know how tough it can be to get back into a rhythm after being away for a while. It can be the same with learning. A good solution here is to continue with a focus on learning through the winter break, even if with reduced intensity. This achieves 2 things:
- Students return to the regular routine more smoothly.
- It means that less has been forgotten compared to a complete break in learning for 2-4 weeks.
To summarize, the winter break and surrounding weeks acts as a “mini-Summer” where routines are broken and learning is forgotten. It also comes at a time shortly before new semesters, exams, and testing. Therefore, it is important to continue a rhythm of learning leading up to, through, and after the winter break as much as possible. This can be balanced with festivities and relaxation during the holiday season, but should not be ignored.
If you have more questions about learning through the holidays or wish to get the help of a tutor, feel free to contact an Academic Director at +1 (877) 545-7737.
