3 Reasons to Refresh Your Interactive Notebooks After Winter Break

Winter break: a much-needed chance to rest, recharge, and reset. But returning to the classroom in January can feel a bit like starting over—especially when it comes to classroom routines and student organization.

If your interactive notebooks got a little wobbly before the break (no judgment—we’ve all been there), now is the perfect time to refresh those skills and set your students up for success in the second half of the year.

Let’s talk about why this reset matters—and how you can use interactive notebooks to re-establish routines, build student confidence, and prepare for testing season.

Resetting Routines Without Starting Over

January doesn’t have to mean scrapping everything and starting fresh. It’s more like hitting the “refresh” button. Students thrive on structure, and re-teaching your interactive notebook routines is one of the fastest ways to regain that rhythm after break.

✅ Model how to set up pages
✅ Revisit expectations for labeling, date stamping, and organization
✅ Use a short, engaging activity (like a foldable!) to review routines while sneaking in content

Tip: Start with something low-risk and visual—like this Coordinate Plane Foldable Activity—to remind students that notebooks are both useful and fun.

Building Executive Function + Organization

Interactive notebooks aren’t just about content—they’re a powerful tool for teaching executive functioning skills. As you head into testing season, help students take ownership of their learning by:

• Creating a table of contents (or updating one)

• Using tabs or colored stickers to mark units

• Reflecting on past notebook entries: What have they learned? What needs review? (Give each student 5 sticky notes to go through their notebook and reflect on their past entries. Students could also have their notebooks open and do a gallery walk around and leave comments on 3 other notebooks in the classroom with sticky notes. Great way to boost morale to get back on track!)

This simple structure gives students a visual portfolio of their growth and helps reduce test prep stress.

Using Interactive Notebooks for Strategic Review

Standardized testing can feel overwhelming for students (and teachers), but your interactive notebooks are a built-in review system just waiting to be tapped.

Start by assigning short review tasks that require students to:

• Go back to specific notebook pages

• Explain vocabulary or processes in their own words

• Add “review flaps” or summary boxes to older pages

• Complete targeted practice pages to reinforce key skills

Related Resource: Coordinate Plane Practice Page – great for spiral review!

This turns notebooks into a living study guide… organized, personalized, and full of content they’ve already mastered once.

Notebooks Not Looking So Sharp? Try This.

If your students’ notebooks are looking a little rough around the edges post-break, it might be time for a quick refresh lesson.

One of my favorites for January?
👉 Ordered Pairs Coordinate Plane Foldable

It’s visual, tactile, and a great way to review concepts from earlier in the year while rebuilding notebook momentum.

✅ Final Thoughts: January Is a New Chapter

Winter break doesn’t erase what your students have learned, but it does create space for reflection and reorganization. By using this time to revisit your interactive notebook system, you’re not just reviewing math or science… you’re helping students become more confident, organized, and independent learners.

And hey, you’re making your second semester a whole lot smoother, too.