Engaging Review Activities Middle School Students Actually Enjoy Before Winter Break

The days leading up to winter break can feel like a countdown clock ticking louder by the minute. Attention spans shrink, energy levels spike, and traditional review packets suddenly lose all appeal. The good news? Review doesn’t have to feel like “work” to be effective—especially for middle school students.

These engaging, low-prep review activities help students reinforce key skills and content while embracing the festive, high-energy vibe of December. Best of all, they feel like fun—not a chore.

1. Game-Based Review (That Goes Beyond Worksheets)

Middle schoolers love competition, collaboration, and quick wins. Turn review into a game by transforming familiar content into something interactive.

Try this:

• Content Bingo: Create bingo boards with vocabulary, equations, or concepts. Read clues aloud and have students identify the correct answer.

• Review Relay: Set up stations around the room with short review tasks. Teams rotate and earn points for accuracy and teamwork.

• Digital Games: Platforms like Kahoot, Blooket, or Quizizz allow students to review while competing in real time—perfect for high-energy days.

Why it works: Games provide repetition without boredom and encourage participation from even your most reluctant students.

2. Student-Created Review Challenges

Instead of always being the one creating review materials, let students take the lead.

Ideas to try:

• Have students write multiple-choice or short-answer questions for a class review game.

• Ask small groups to design a mini quiz, puzzle, or escape-room-style challenge using recent content.

• Let students “teach” a concept to the class using a visual, skit, or short explanation.

Why it works: Creating review content requires deeper understanding than simply answering questions—and students feel empowered when their work is used.

3. Movement-Based Review for Restless Days

When students have been sitting too long (and dreaming of snow days), adding movement can make all the difference.

Try this:

• Four Corners Review: Post answer choices in each corner of the room. Read a question, and students move to the corner they believe is correct.

• Scoot Activities: Place questions at desks or around the room and have students rotate every minute or two.

• Human Timeline: For ELA, history, or science, students physically arrange themselves in order of events, steps, or processes.

Why it works: Movement boosts engagement and helps students stay focused during longer class periods.

4. Creative Review Projects (Short and Structured)

Creative doesn’t have to mean complicated or time-consuming. Short, focused creative tasks can be powerful review tools.

Ideas include:

• Creating a one-page “cheat sheet” or visual summary of key concepts

• Writing a short comic strip, poem, or song that explains a topic

• Designing a poster that answers an essential question from the unit

Why it works: Creativity helps students make personal connections to the content and solidify understanding in memorable ways.

5. Collaborative Review That Builds Classroom Culture

December is a great time to reinforce collaboration and positive classroom culture while reviewing.

Try this:

• Think–Pair–Share Review: Pose a question, give think time, then let students discuss before sharing answers.

• Group Problem Solving: Assign each group a different type of problem or concept and have them present solutions.

• Class Review Challenge: Set a class-wide goal (e.g., everyone improves their score, or the class reaches a certain accuracy rate).

Why it works: Collaboration lowers stress, builds confidence, and keeps students engaged—even during high-distraction weeks.

6. Reflection as Review

Reflection doesn’t have to be boring—and it’s a powerful way to reinforce learning before a break.

Reflection prompts to try:

• “Three things I understand better now than I did at the start of the unit…”

• “One concept I struggled with—and how I improved…”

• “What advice would I give next year’s students about this unit?”

Why it works: Reflection encourages metacognition and helps students recognize their own growth, setting a positive tone before break.

Finish Strong (Without Burning Out)

Review before winter break doesn’t need to be quiet, rigid, or worksheet-heavy to be effective. By leaning into games, movement, creativity, and collaboration, you can keep students engaged while still reinforcing essential skills and content.

The result? Students leave for break feeling confident, accomplished, and connected—rather than exhausted.

And that’s a win for everyone.