Now that the school year rhythm might be starting to feel a little too routine, it’s a great time to get your student council kids planning some fun winter spirit projects. At this mid-point in the year, you’ll also want to set aside a few days for reflection, goal setting, and organization.
Set aside a class or meeting time for a brainstorming session with your student leaders fairly early in the season. Start by creating a “no-idea’s-too-crazy” list, then work to narrow it down.
If you could use some good group brainstorming and decision-making protocols, grab my popular teambuilding flip deck, which is perfect for days like these!
After your students decide on the activities they want to do (making sure they don’t overcommit themselves!), create committees and assign project leads. Then hand each group a project planning kit and let them do the rest!
These are 25 of my favorite winter student council ideas, both school spirit projects and mid-year reflection and goalsetting activities, to help you start filling your December, January, and February calendars. This works great as a starter list for your brainstorming session.
Reflect on the Year So Far
This is actually good to do the day before your brainstorming session. Pose some reflection questions for your students to identify strengths and improvements and how they want to keep growing.
These End of the Semester Reflection Cards are perfect for small group or whole-class conversations that will get them to see their assets, areas for improvement, and goals moving forward. There are even some feedback questions in there for you.
Decorate Some Winter Bulletin Boards
Grab some wrapping paper, bows, and snow fiber, and make themed bulletin boards throughout your school. Ask your librarian if you can put together a book recommendation board using the headline “Cozy up with Good Book.”
Make Winter Wishes Come True
Ask students to submit non-monetary wishes and have your student leaders think of creative ways to grant them over a few weeks. The sillier, the better!
Start a Community Puzzle
If you are in colder climates where students are now congregating inside before the morning bell, gather up a few 500- or 1,000-piece puzzles. Leave one on an open table where students are allowed in the morning. You’ll be amazed at how they draw kids in to add a few pieces each day.
Hold a Gingerbread House Competition
Get some kits and hold a lunchtime competition between a few students from each grade. Or between the school’s clubs and winter sports teams. Afterward, display them somewhere central for everyone to check them out and vote on their favorite.
Host an Ugly Holiday Sweater Day
The official Ugly Christmas Sweater Day is the third Friday in December, but feel free to expand this day to any holiday or ugly sweater! Have ribbons, bows, and other tacky things on hand before school for students to dress up their sweaters for the day.
Create a Mitten Tree
Ask students and staff to decorate a tree with gloves, hats, and scarves to donate to a local shelter.
Calm Finals Week Nerves
During finals week, lead the school in a short meditation, yoga stretch, or breathing exercise at the end of each day’s morning announcements.
Organize That Closet
Use the semester switch to clean up loose ends and messes from the year so far. Spend a couple of days with your students making sure all the record keeping is up to date and the supply closet gets a good cleanout. These Clean Up Crew task cards make this a cinch.
Welcome Back Door Cheer
Create simple snowman, penguin, or mitten image cutouts to put on teachers’ doors, welcoming them back after winter break. Bonus points if you add funny or personal messages on them!
Decide Words of the Year
Kick off the new year by picking words for the year. We all know resolutions don’t usually last even a month, but with selecting a single word the thinking is different. A single word works more like a mantra. It’s about striving to be just a little better or reminding yourself of something you want to prioritize a little more. There is no failing at a word of the year. Grab this done-for-you Word of the Year kit to make that first day back in January super easy.
Afterward, your students can write their words on cards to start a bulletin board, encouraging others to decide on and add their words on blank cards.
Celebrate your School Board
January is School Board Appreciation Month, so do something to show gratitude. Create and send cards or make a short presentation at the January board meeting.
Set Big Goals
Take all those ah-has and honest truths from reflecting on the first half of the year and set some big goals. Use the GREAT goal protocol to create a whole group goal or individual goals for the year.
Whenever I do a formal goal-setting activity like this, I have students write letters to their future selves about their goals that I hand out a couple of months later. Everything to do this is included in my GREAT Goal Setting kit.
Host Winter-Themed Games at Lunch
Use this list of winter-themed Minute to Win It games, or have your students come up with their own. These are perfect for lunchtime or spirit assembly class competition games.
Shower Others with Compliments
January 24th is National Compliment Day. Challenge your student leaders to give out five genuine compliments, then report back the next day on how it went.
Share Goals with Staff
Invite your officers or other student leaders to attend a staff or building leadership meeting to share their goals for the second semester with staff members.
Offer Hot Cocoa Cups of Kindness
At lunch one day, hand out cups of hot cocoa. Better yet, have your students pre-decorate plain white paper cups with all sorts of affirmation, inspirational, and positive messages. Or set up a surprise hot cocoa bar with all kinds of toppings for the staff. National Hot Chocolate Day is January 31st.
Celebrate your School Counselors
The first week of February is National School Counselor’s Week. Plan a week-long shout-out campaign on your school’s social media showcasing your counseling department.
Send Some Long Overdue Cards
In celebration of National Send a Card to a Friend Day, which is every February 7th, challenge your students to write a heartfelt card to a friend (or anyone!) for something they did a long time ago.
This is one of the three types of surprise appreciation cards my students and I do each year. Check out my Thank You Project kit to get all three!
Fundraise with Love
Sell boxes of candy hearts or small chocolates to raise money for a community program, like a domestic violence home, food bank, or animal shelter.
Appreciate your School Resource Officer
February 15th is National School Resource Officer Appreciation Day. To honor yours, have students create and post a big thank you sign at their designated parking space.
Complete Some Random Acts of Kindness
The official Random Acts of Kindness Day is February 17th. The day before, have students brainstorm one small act they can commit to doing the next day. Or make the whole month of February one of kindness with this Random Acts of Leadership BINGO-style board game challenge.
Make Sure No One Eats Alone
No One Eats Alone Day is on the third Friday of February. Challenge your students to eat lunch with people they usually don’t, especially with anyone who’s sitting alone. Remind them to ask first if they can sit with them!
Make a Take One, Leave One Wall
Write a bunch of positive affirmations on sticky notes or notecards and attach to a hallway bulletin board or blank wall. Attach a pocket with a few pens and blank notes.
Host a Movie Night
Pick a holiday or winter-themed movie to show in the auditorium or gym one evening. Make the admission a non-perishable food item to donate and offer clubs the chance to sell concessions as a fundraiser.
Hopefully, this list gives you and your students more than enough ideas so you will pick a few to try this winter. Be sure to grab my Project Planning Kit, a total lifesaver that allows your student leaders to take the lead in brainstorming, planning, and carrying out any project, big or small. The best part is that these universal templates and forms become a how-to guide for next year’s group!
Image credit: Alex Padurariu
