7 Fun & Free Things To Do To Prep For the New Year

I know that some teachers like to squeeze every last drop out of summer. While I love summer (um hello swimming, lunch dates, quick trips, pjs all day, midday naps, lots of free time), I also can never get school and teaching out of my head. I love to use summer as a chance to refresh for the next year. I've already done my fair share of shopping and I have officially cut myself off.

If you're in that same boat, then please enjoy this fun list of ways you can prep for the new school year for FREE!

 1. Go to the Public Library
I don't know how it's possible, but I often forget about the public library during the school year. The summer is the perfect time to peruse the children's section and check out new titles that your students may be interested in. The best part is, right now you actually have time to read them! Be sure to make a list of titles you may want to add to your classroom library when you get the chance.

2. Create your teacher instagram account
You may be thinking, what's a teacher instagram account and how is that different from my own personal one? Instagram is the best way for teachers from around the country and world to connect. It's also where I get some of my absolute best ideas for projects, classroom arrangement, teacher hacks, etc. Don't believe me? Hop onto your instagram and search the hashtag #teachersfollowteachers or #iteachtoo. If you do decide to join the thriving teacher Instagram community be sure to follow me here.

3. Review all your purchased products on TPT to rack up TPT credits
Maybe I was just out of the loop, but I had no idea about TPT credits until recently. You can learn more about them here. Essentially what you do is go back to all of the products you have purchased and leave feedback. How did it work for you? How could it be improved? What did you love about it? Write a few sentences and you will earn TPT credits that you can accrue to purchase products in the future! It's a Win-Win because I promise the sellers value your feedback.

4. Spend time with your team
Summer is the perfect time to plan a get together with your team. If your team is the same, you can actually enjoy each other's company without having to plan the field trip or make sure you know how has lunch duty today. If your team is changing, use this as an opportunity to get to know each other in a low stakes get together.

5. Do some visioning and dreaming for the year. What are some main goals?
It's so easy for me to get overwhelmed in the summer with WAY TOO MANY IDEAS. Between pinterest, instagram, and professional development, my mind goes into hyper mode. Use your new teacher planner or another notebook for the year and write down three things you definitely want to work on for the year. Those are your must-dos. Next, write down other things you would like to do if you get to them. Those are your may-dos. Put this in a place where you will see it often so that you can accomplish the first list and get to the second list this year.

6. Update your class website and create a google calendar with class events 
At the beginning of the year, we often are asked to update our class websites. That seems like a big task when you have a million other things to do like run copies, plan for the first days of school, set up your classroom, etc. Why not head to a coffee shop and bust that out in a good 30-minute work session. You can also set up a google calendar for your class and add the events that you already know about, like days off, etc.

7. Freshen up your classroom playlists
I am a huge fan of music in my classroom. We often listen to some pump up music in the morning while my kids enter the room and then quieter instrumental music at different points in the day. The summer is the perfect time to look through your playlists and make some edits. Listen to the newest popular music and add appropriate songs that your students may like in the coming year. I love to use Spotify in my class. They even have pre-made playlists that I use for inspiration.

I hope these ideas serve as low-stress, fun ways to prep for the year while still enjoying your summer. Let me know what else you like to do in the summer to get ready for the coming year!

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