95 Ways Elementary Teachers Relax During Summer
How do teachers keep up with all the latest trends in education? How do they keep themselves motivated and fresh every year?
Here are 95 ways teachers stay fresh for school. These ideas are from elementary teachers just like you, who want to be the best teacher they can be. These are things that teachers do over the summer to stay fresh for school
A word of advice: this is a list of ideas teachers generate. It is a long list. Don’t feel like you have to do it all. You can’t do it all. I wrote an entire blog post about being unable to do everything as a teacher.
Pick a few areas or ideas that resonate with you and try them out. See if they work for you. If not, don’t do them anymore. If they do, continue doing them and add another idea to your routine.
Here are a couple of blog posts that might also help you not stress about teaching or keep from being too overwhelmed by teaching:
- But I Can’t Do It All
- 30 Ways Teachers Can Destress in September
- How to Survive as an Introverted Teacher
- Quick, Low-Stress Meals for Teachers
Here are 95 ideas to help you stay fresh as an elementary teacher over the summer. These ideas are divided into two groups: school-related and non-school-related activities.
Ideally, we teachers would do some of both groups. I hope you find some ideas that you can adopt this summer!
Relax by Not Doing School-Related Activities
Below are some non-school-related activities that teachers do over the summer to stay fresh. These fun and relaxing activities are separate from school and work and focus on spending time with family, reading, exercising, and doing things for yourself.
- Maintain a positive attitude and start every day as a new day
- Keep to a regular exercise routine
- Always try to learn new things
- Read outdoors is refreshing and allows thoughts to flow
- Keep my coffee supply stocked
- Take time just for yourself every weekend
- Practice self-care for nearly the entire summer
- Do water aerobics in my pool
- Take the weekend to just spend time with family
- Try not to take work home
- Give myself me time
- Join a running clinic
- Get 7 hours of sleep
- Go on a short run each day
- Spend time with people I love
- Have at least one last date night a week
- Get a manicure and pedicure to relax
- Go to the beach with family and friends
- Spend time praying and reading God’s Word for wisdom
- Sleep, run and spend time with family
- Read a lot of inspirational texts
- Read my mushy romantic stories
- Get a massage and do my hair and nails
- Go to bed before midnight
- Enough sleep, healthy food, and some peaceful mindfulness
- Take a social media break and limit technology
- Pick out an audiobook to listen to on my commute
- Do fun summer activities right up until August with kids
- Make sure I go to all the necessary doctor appointments
- Have a cup of coffee in silence
- Balance work and play
- Work out and eat a good breakfast
- Swim in my pool and explore different places in my city
- Schedule spa days or weekend trips
- Enjoy sunrise and sunset
- Read a good book, make art, get enough rest
- Travel
- Go to yoga
- Cook great food
- Sit on my front porch
- Spend quality time at home
- Ride a spin bike
- Spend time in the pool
- Read my guilty pleasure: horror books
- Read non-teacher books
- Can all the garden vegetables
- Work in the garden
- Take walks
- Read on the patio
- Visit grandchildren
- Participating in HIIT Hot Pilates 2-3 days a week
- Watch a movie
School-Related Activities that Help Teachers Stay Fresh
This group of ideas for teachers is focused on school-related activities that bring new ideas and can invigorate your teaching throughout the year.
- Do a little bit of prep at a time gradually throughout the summer
- Plan fresh activities for my classroom
- List want-to’s for this year
- Reflect on the previous year and generate new ideas for the next year
- Read blogs to gain new perspectives
- Take professional development every summer
- Figure out how to go digital and use Google classroom
- Follow other educators on Instagram
- Watch free Facebook lives with reading and writing specialists
- Browse Pinterest and Teachers Pay Teachers through the summer to be inspired to learn something new
- Following social media for new tips and tricks and by
- Reread professional development books
- Keep up with current research in the field
- Learn from and collaborate with other teachers and online educators
- Start a new planner
- Host student teachers to see their new ideas
- Look for new ways to keep kids excited
- Plan out my year
- Organize my classroom and materials
- Change things that need to be better
- Pay attention to the latest trends related to students
- Watch vlogs, listen to podcasts, attend webinars
- Laugh with my kids and my co-workers and try to keep a sense of humor whenever possible
- Focus on ADHD-related books to better understand some students
- Never stop working to grow
- Plan to provide more opportunities for hands-on learning in math
- Go back to school and start your master’s degree
- Discover new and fun ways to teach
- Buy the best resources and supplies that can be found
- Promise to leave school on time
- Plan to implement a Daily Classroom Meeting agenda that focuses on skills for success in school and life
- Subscribe to lots of teacher Facebook groups
- Pick a few school projects, crafty or practical, that I don’t get time for during the school year
- Attend a week of training in the Responsive Classroom
- Participating in Twitter chats with other teachers
- Scrub my classroom top to bottom, clean out my supply area, and purge useless items
- Help create a school-wide pacing guide for ELA
- Create fresh binder covers
- Re-read Understanding by Design right before the year starts
- Attend a 2-day literacy conference
- Make the classroom jazzy for incoming student
- Buy a new children’s book to read in September
- Re-read The First Days of School and The Power of Our Words
- Spend a lot of quiet time in my room alone, visualizing the upcoming year
What do you do to keep yourself fresh over the summer? Do you rest, relax and rejuvenate? Do you look forward to next year and search for new ideas for your classroom? Or a little of both? I’d love to hear about it in the comments below.
nice to always to enter contests
Thank you for the opportunity! I stay fresh for school by maintaining a positive attitude and starting everyday as a new day.
I love all of your products. Thank you for sharing your ideas and of course, offering this giveaway! I stay fresh over the summer by keeping to a regular exercise routine. I believe you have to take care of yourself, in order to take care of others. That gives me the energy to explore new strategies to incorporate into my lessons. I love learning about all of the amazing things from fellow educators. So, a great big thank you to all of the teachers out there who are so willing to share.
I stay fresh by doing a little bit of prep at a time gradually throughout the summer so I’m ready for set-up and don’t have to do it all at once. Then, right before we go back my husband and I go up in the mountains somewhere to relax and refresh before the year officially starts.
Thanks for the chance to win! I already get your emails. I keep myself fresh by always trying to learn news things. Still holding out hope for a first year job this year or when it comes, I have to do this by free webinars, reading professional development books, following other great teachers on blogs and Facebook and listening to the great advice from teachers I work with on a regular basis when I am subbing.
I keep my self fresh by trying/changing one lesson per chapter. No laminated lesson plans!
I already get your emails and love them! One thing I do is make sure I spend a couple weeks not doing anything school related so I can recharge. Then I also spend some time looking for fresh activities for my classroom so that I come in just as excited as the students.
Me too! I start fresh by taking a couple of weeks off, then doing some new learning in reading and courses, and then I’m excited to dive into planning a new year!
Pleasure readingin the outdoors is what I do to be ready for a new school year. It refreshes me and allows the thoughts to flow.
After 27 years I still enjoy the fresh startOf a new year with returning smiles and new students. I have my list of want to’s for this school year- & my coffee supply is stocked.
I keep myself fresh by reflecting on the previous year and adding new ideas for next year. This year I am I teosuxin alternative seating.
Thank you so much for a chance to win! I keep myself fresh by implementing at least one/two new strategies/activities each year. I also enjoy reading blogs, Facebook, etc. to help me gain new perspectives. 🙂
I try to educate myself by taking a PD every summer
I’m keen on taking workshops and keep pushing yskefbto go digital and use google classroom as much as possible!
I plan with my grade partner…
I stay fresh by following other educators on instagram, watching free Facebook lives with reading/writing specialists (Jen Jones, Jennifer Serravalo, etc)
Hi!
I keep myself fresh each year by reviewing what went well last year and what didn’t go well then make improvements by looking at ways to make everything better. Browsing Pinterest and TpT through the summer inspires me to learn something new. Through the summer I also like to prep for the year so I’m ready to go with no stress.
Thanks for the emails!
I keep myself fresh by trying to stay up to date on new ideas, following social media for new tips and tricks and by taking time just for myself every weeekend. Thanks for a fun giveaway!!
Every summer I reread Daily 5 and Cafe. This helps me feel ready to take on the new group of kiddos!
Hi! Excited for the giveaway opportunity… thank you bunches! To stay fresh, I have to practice self-care for nearly the entire summer. I’m just now open to the idea of prepping for the next school year, though, and am starting to get excited for the upcoming year and the students who will be our first graders this year. I’m trying to prolong my school year freshness this year (lol) by prepping open house/beginning of the year activities and handouts here and there throughout the rest of the summer. At least that’s my goal–a gift card would sure help! ha! 🙂
Thank you your generosity to help teachers. I stay fresh, first of all by praying that each day I can use the gift that Christ has given me to be a light of knowledge for my students. I want to be able to meet each of my students where they are and help them to grow. I feel that if I continue to learn myself , then I will be a better teacher for my students. Having the resources to do that is important and we learn not only by trial and error but definitely from others.
Fully agree-praying for students and families!
Thanks for doing this giveaway!! I keep myself fresh by keeping up with current research in the field. I also have a PLC on PBL where we all bring different resources to share or share stories of how our latest PBL unit went. Also, when I get to school to start the day I play upbeat music to get me in my best frame of mind.
I am on your mailing list! 🙂 I keep myself fresh by always learning from and collaborating with other teachers, both colleagues and all you amazing online educators who give so generously of our time and talents…thank you! You make a huge and profound difference in the lives of all of us teachers AND the students entrusted to our care!
I stay fresh by starting with a new planner and attending summer professional development training sessions. Many thanks for this opportunity.
To keep myself fresh I read and try new things! This is my 30th year and I have always used the summer to read and make sure I’m current in the classroom. My favorite thing is to host student teachers because I love to see their new ideas too! I still get so excited for a new school year!
Keeping Fresh = doing water aerobics in my pool!
Thanks for this opportunity! I am always looking for new ways to keep kids excited about learning! Therefore I am always trying to learn new things as well!!9 I follow a lot of fellow teachers to get new ideas!
Thank you for the opportunity to possibly win a gift card! I’ve been teaching for over 30 years, and I still get excited starting a new year. I keep myself fresh by always looking for new
Interesting ideas to use in my classroom. I continue to take part in workshops and learning new ideas online (such as your blog). I love that there are so many talented teachers willing to share their awesome ideas with us. So thank you for your amazing ideas.
To keep myself fresh, I take the weekend to just spend time with my husband. I try not to take work home, or finish work on fridays so I have the weekend free!
This year I have decided to plan out my year. I usually don’t do this because things are always constantly changing st my school but I think it’ll be great to have a reference.
In order to keep myself fresh, I am always willing to give new ideas, techniques, and programs. I will be starting year 39 in 2 weeks and I’m always open to new ways that I can help my students.
Thanks for the giveaway!!! To keep myself fresh, I always try to give myself me time. It can be hard sometimes being a teacher and single mom of a 5year old and 3 year old. I also check all my favorite blogs every night before I go to bed. It has become my routine. In the summer, I use my pre-bedtime time to read a new teacher book that has come out.
I try to stay fresh by attending professional developments offered by my district. This year I received training in Google. I also try to spend 1 to 2 mornings on the computer, researching new materials. I also stay fresh personally, by exploring new (to me at least) places in my area.
I too receive your emails. To keep fresh for the school year I have my planner/organizer that I begin filling in in August. I also start getting all of my labels and materials organized for the school year. Being organized makes the rest a little bit easier!
Something I do to keep myself fresh for school is to go over all that I’ve taught and figure out how I can change things that need to be better or add on new things! I’m always self-reflecting on how to make myself a better teacher for my first graders! I love seeing fresh ideas from other teachers and collaborating with colleagues. I’m very excited for this upcoming year!
I thank you for motivating teachers while preparing for this new school year! It takes a village to raise our children, but it takes a team of dedicated teachers s toss the nation to assist o e another on resources that are useful in our classroom. I believe in shared resources , which leads to shared success for all students! Again, thank you !!!
I love Giveaways and TpT. I keep myself fresh by reading books that will help me teach as well as books that are just fun to read. I stay fresh by paying attention to the latest trends musically, socially so I can relate to my students as I build relationships.
To keep myself fresh, I try to make sure that I am organized and planned out at least a week or two ahead so that way I can start off with momentum for the school year. I also like to get new and exciting ideas from other teachers at my school, around the district, and on blogs.
Thanks for hosting a giveaway! I stay fresh by reading, watching vlogs, listening to podcasts, attending webinars, and spending quality time with my husband, four daughters, and six grandsons!! I’ve been teaching for 14 1/2 years and always look forward to a fresh new year!
I do get your emails. I try to keep fresh by keeping up with the latest trends and determining what would work best for my classroom. I also follow other teachers on social media to keep learning!
Thanks for sponsoring this giveaway. I try to keep my self fresh by laughing. I laugh with my kids and my co-workers. There are so many things that stress us out in education, so I try to keep a sense of humor and laugh whenever possible. My kids love it and it seems to give them a sense of relief when we can just be silly sometimes. I also like to read aloud to my kids. We have so many great conversations from books we read together. The takeaways are incredible and it allows me to keep learning right along with my kids. And when all else fails, I run. LOL I have two teacher friends and we run at 5:00 am before school. This definitely keeps me fresh and feeling good and it is a great start to each day!
To keep myself fresh during the year I join a running clinic. Getting out in the fresh air helps me clear my head after a long day at school! It also helps me stay healthy so I can ward off any of those little germs my firsties so willingly share!
I set my alarm to make sure I go to bed in time to get 7 hours of sleep and I go on a short run before school so I don’t have to do anything else after school.
To stay fresh for the next school year, I make time to do other things I love and spend time with people I love sonthat I feel truly revived and ready for a new class of students! After July 4, I build in a little time each week to start thinking about planning for the coming year and begin to prepare!
My husband and I have one last date night before the craziness of school begins.
To keep myself fresh I attend a few workshops during the summer to empower myself with new strategies and skills I can use in the classroom to improve teaching and learning throughout the new school tear.
I get a manicure and pedicure before the new school year to stay fresh and to relax!
Staying fresh.. start by getting as much time at the lake as possible leading up to first week back! I also love getting a new planner.. what is it about a new planner that makes thing exciting
I spend a lot of time on the beach with family and friends. Enjoying the waves, the breeze, the conversation and the happiness with those I love always keeps me fresh!
Reading about new ways to implement reading, math, science, and behavior techniques helps keep me fresh for the new school year. It’s the best way to expand your knowledge base.
I like to read several books over the summer that teach me strategies or philosophies- this summer I focused on ADHD to help me better understand some of my students.
To keep myself fresh for school I read a lot and try new things. I always keep in mind what is best for my students even if it means getting out of my comfort zone.
Yay!!!! For the giveaway! What teacher can turn down that??? I am currently subscribed. To keep myself fresh I honestly never stop working. I’m Always thinking about growth and ways to do things better. Ideas will literally wake me from my sleep or keep me up all night. I find myself on Pinterest, Instagram or blogs looking for ideas.
I keep myself fresh by learning new teaching techniques and ideas that make me excited to get back into the classroom.
To keep myself fresh I attend professional development