5 Simple After-Winter-Break Activities to Re-Engage ESL Students (By Proficiency Level)

The first week after winter break can feel… wobbly.
Students are tired, routines are rusty, and getting everyone back into “English mode” takes a little intention.

That’s why I love starting the semester with low-prep, high-connection activities that help students ease in, warm up their language skills, and reconnect with each other. These activities are designed for beginner, intermediate, and advanced ESL students, but you can easily adapt any of them with the right scaffolds.

1. Beginning Level: Winter Break Picture Sort + Speaking Stems

Overview:

A simple, visual activity to ease newcomers back into English after the break. Students use picture cards to share what they did or did not do during winter break.

Instructions:

• Provide picture cards with common winter break activities (sleeping in, eating special food, visiting family, traveling, watching movies, playing games).

• Students choose 3–5 cards that represent their break.

• Provide sentence stems like:

  • “I (did/did not) ______.”

  • “I went to ______.”

  • “I saw ______.”

• Students share with a partner or small group.

Language Goals:

Past tense practice, basic vocabulary, building confidence with simple sentences.

Why It Works:

It gives beginners structure, visuals, and a safe way to speak without feeling on the spot.

2. Intermediate Level: New Year “True or False” Icebreaker

Overview:

A fun speaking + listening activity where students write three statements about their winter break—two true and one false.

Instructions:

• Students write 3 simple sentences about their break.

• Partners guess which one is false.

• Provide model stems like:

  • “I visited…”

  • “I watched…”

  • “I tried…”

• Once they guess, students explain the real story in more detail.

Language Goals:

Past tense, elaboration, asking questions, building conversational confidence.

Why It Works:

It gets students laughing, guessing, and talking without feeling like a “test.”

3. Advanced Level: New Year Mini-Debates

Overview:

A quick debate-style activity that gets advanced students thinking, discussing, and defending their ideas.

Instructions:

Give debate prompts such as:

• “School should start later after winter break.”

• “Homework should be optional the first week back.”

• “Winter break should be longer.”

• “Phones should be banned for the first week of January.”

Pairs take opposite sides and respond using sentence frames:

• “I believe…”

• “One reason is…”

• “Another example is…”

• “I disagree because…”

Language Goals:

Academic vocabulary, speaking fluency, persuasive language.

Why It Works:

Advanced learners LOVE structure + challenge.
This lets them warm up intellectually without a heavy lesson.

4. Mixed Levels: Winter Break Class Survey (Writing + Speaking)

Overview:

A whole-class survey that turns into a speaking, writing, and graphing activity — perfect for mixed-level classes.

Instructions:

• Create 5–8 simple survey questions:

  • “Did you travel?”

  • “Did you sleep a lot?”

  • “Did you celebrate a holiday?”

  • “Did you watch movies?”

• Students walk around asking peers and tallying responses.

• Newcomers use sentence frames (“Did you…?” “Yes/No”).

• Intermediate + advanced write a short paragraph summarizing the class data.

Language Goals:

Asking questions, responding, summarizing, past tense, transitions.

Why It Works:

It gets students moving, talking, and reconnecting — perfect for the first week back.

5. Multi-Level Option: January “Reset and Reflect” Writing Prompts

Overview:

Quick writing prompts to help students reflect and re-engage.

Prompts:

• “My goal for January is…”

• “One thing I want to do better this semester is…”

• “What I learned last semester that will help me this semester…”

• “A habit I want to change is…”

Modifications:

• Beginners: sentence stems

• Intermediate: 4–5 sentences

• Advanced: full paragraph with examples

Language Goals:

Reflection language, goal-setting vocabulary, sentence expansion.

Why It Works:

It builds personal investment and gives you a great snapshot of where your students are starting academically and emotionally.

Wrapping Up: Start January Strong With Community + Language Practice

The first week after winter break doesn’t need to be heavy.
These activities help students:

✔ Ease back into English
✔ Reconnect with classmates
✔ Rebuild routines
✔ Practice real language in meaningful ways

No matter their proficiency level, your students can start January with confidence, comfort, and a sense of belonging.

Looking for ready-to-use January resources?

✨ After Winter Break Activity (Newcomers & Intermediate)
Picture-supported writing + simple sentence starters for Days 1–2.

✨ Winter ESL Conversation Game (Intermediate–Advanced)
Perfect for warm-ups, stations, or Fun Friday the first week back.

✨ Winter Would You Rather (Newcomers)
Simple, engaging speaking practice for tired post-break brains.

✨ Winter Writing Prompts (All Levels)
Narrative, informative, creative, and opinion prompts ready to print.

✨ Winter Reading Comprehension Bundle (Middle School)
Puzzles, passages, and games that work great after break.

✨ Winter Reading Scavenger Hunt (Intermediate & Advanced)
Great for the first Friday back when classes need something fun.

✨ Full Winter Reading + Writing Test-Prep Bundle
If you want January done in one click, this bundle includes everything.