4 Tips for Doing Homework Over Winter Break
Many of my students can tell me the exact number of weeks, days, and sometimes hours until the next school vacation. As schools start sending students off on Winter Break, students start wondering: How will I finish all my homework during Winter Break? Will I be stressed out the entire time? Why do teachers even give homework over a break?
Believe it or not, there are actually good reasons to give students homework over a break. It’s good for covering additional material that’ll be tested somewhere down the line, it’s good for keeping students fresh on the material, and it’s sometimes good for content that doesn’t really fit anywhere else.
I know you didn’t come here to learn why you have homework, though. How can you do all your homework and still enjoy yourself over the break? Is it even possible? (Spoiler: Yes, it is!)
Decide how much there is to do. Do you have assignments for every class, or just a couple? Are they normal assignments or big projects? Have you done similar assignments before? How long did they take? Estimate the number of hours you’ll need to finish all your work.
Think about how to split it up. Do you prefer to do it all at once at the beginning? Do you prefer to split it up and do a little bit each day? I like to split it up into a few large chunks and do about half of the work in the first couple days of vacation and the rest of the work in the last couple days of vacation. That way, I maximize the number of consecutive days without any work.
Plan for fun stuff. Don’t forget to make time for the things you enjoy, whether you prefer binge-watching reality TV shows, making TikToks, or playing the newest PS5 game.
Try ONE new thing. If you’re feeling particularly ambitious, consider tackling one new project, like starting to learn another language or reorganizing your closet. One. If you try to tackle all of your dream projects, you might end up overwhelmed and disappointed.
If you follow these tips, you can make sure your work time is productive and your relaxing time is, well, relaxing.
