It’s the most wonderful time of the year: winter break! School is officially out—and students aren’t the only ones who get to have some fun!

Want to make sure you maximize your time away from the classroom? Here are our top picks for holiday break activities for teachers:

Be Productive

Yes, you’re on a break, but that doesn’t mean everything just stops. Why not take advantage of the extra free time to tackle some much-needed tasks? You’ll thank yourself later!

• Prep your upcoming lessons so you’re ready to go as soon as school is back in session. You don’t have to do this on the first day of break, but keep it in mind!
• Clean out a closet, cabinets, drawers, or that space that you put off all year—the idea may seem daunting at first, but the reward is the good feeling you get from an accomplishment.
• Take a class, attend a webinar, or watch online tutorials for your classroom tech. Winter break is a great time to squeeze in some professional development!
• Interview elderly family members and tape their memories. Better yet, transcribe their thoughts and create a written family history book complete with photographs through the years as a special gift to the next generation of family members.
• Volunteer! The holidays have many needs for volunteers—check with your local United Way or place of worship to see how you can help out.
• Handwrite letters on special stationary to everyone you care about—email and texting are too easy!
• Put together some freezer meals. Working ahead now means you can have an easy meal later in the year after a busy school day!
• Take care of all those errands you don’t have time for during the school year, like routine dental appointments, physical exams, and eye exams.
• Get all of your grading done. You definitely won’t want to leave this until the last minute!
• Catch up with fellow educators in online communities, on social media, or by reading blogs.

Have Some Fun

‘Tis the season for fun in the snow, catching up with friends and family, and sneaking in a few fun activities you don’t have time for when school is in session.

• Take a drive to look at holiday lights in other neighborhoods or in the nearest big city. Bring hot chocolate for the car ride or stop somewhere local for a warm drink.
• Go sledding! Be a kid at heart and join the young ones out on the hills.
• Try something new, like a cooking class or glass blowing. Or, go old school and grab some friends for a bowling night.
• Go out for lunch or dinner with the friend you’ve been meaning to catch up with all year. And pick up the bill to put an extra smile on your friend’s face!
• Plan a game night with family or friends. Have everyone choose a game to bring along with their favorite treat and drink.
• If there's snow outside, make snow angels, build a snow fort, or make snow ice cream—but only if the snow is new! No snow where you are? Take a hike instead and enjoy what nature shares at this time of year.
• Pamper yourself. Go for a massage, facial, hair appointment, or even a pedicure and manicure. It feels good to be treated like a king or queen for a day.
• Treat yourself to a movie and dinner at either a favorite or new restaurant.
• Support your local museums and attractions like a zoo, art museum, or theater that's open during the holiday.
• Take a vacation or staycation! Sure, the holidays can be a crazy time for travel, but you don’t have to go far to experience something new.

Realistic Activities

This is your break, so be sure to spend it exactly how you want to. Sure, you’d love to be productive and have as much fun as possible, but sometimes you just need to relax, unwind, and enjoy a little self-care before heading back to your classroom.

• Sleep in! Pretend you’re a teenager, put the pillow over your head, and see if you can stay in bed until noon.
• De-stress by doing something mindless like a puzzle. Be sure to bring a warm coffee or tea and some sweet treats to the table with you!
• Meditate. Not sure where to start? There are plenty of apps to make this easier!
• Pick up a relaxing hobby like knitting, painting, or scrapbooking.
• Have a spa day at home with a nice bath, treat your skin to a face mask, soak your feet, and coat your hair with a deep conditioning treatment. Ahhh…total bliss!
• Read a book just for fun—no grading required! We spend so much time encouraging our students to read and don’t often set aside the time for ourselves to indulge in a good book.
• Bake some tasty treats and immediately indulge. You don’t have to share if you don’t want to!
• Do some yoga to relax both your body and your mind.
• Start thinking about how to spend your summer break. It’ll be here before you know it, so you might as well start daydreaming about all the things you’ll be able to do when it rolls around!
• Do absolutely nothing. You’ve earned it!

What will you be doing over the break? Let us know in the comments below. For more insightful content in the new year, be sure to subscribe to our Educator blog today!