It’s February; the beginning of what can be a tough month for keeping staff energy and morale high. At this point in the year, we are entering our 7th month of school and we are tired! We still have quite a few weeks to go before Spring Break, so how about planning “Fab Fridays in February?” Planning something fun every Friday in February would be a perfect way to look forward to the end of each week this month.
Many of you may already do “Fab Fridays in February” plus other fun events throughout the month, but many of you maybe never thought about this idea. “Fab Fridays” can be as simple or as elaborate as you would like it to be. Basically, all you have to do is plan something fun like laying out some hearts and pens and encouraging your team to write notes of appreciation to a colleague or planning a “Sweet Treats Bar” where everyone brings their favorite sweet treat to the staff lounge for all to enjoy. One of the funnest “Fab Friday” activities we’ve done in the past was “Find Your Match.” Each person got one half of a famous (real or cartoon) couple and they had to somehow locate their “other half.” Let’s just say our staff got VERY creative on finding their “matches.” When they found each other, they came in to pick a small prize. Click HERE and HERE to access PDFs of famous couples’ pictures already paired up for you. All you have to do is press print and cut them in half.
Below are examples of what I’ve done in the past and examples of others’ “Fab Fridays.” I would also head over to my friend, Amber Teamann’s site at www.technicallyteamann.com and check out her Fab Friday post where she shares 5 lessons she’s learned along the way that may help make your “Fab Fridays in February” a success!
Examples to Spark Ideas
I’ve been doing “Fab Fridays in February” for a few years now and there are always smiles and appreciation from our team. It’s such a great way to start a Friday morning. By no means did I come up with all the ideas on my own. I’ve been inspired by so many others’ ideas that it has allowed me to change it up a little bit every year.
“Fab Fridays” don’t have to take hours and hours of your time, nor do they have to be planned ONLY by you. Ask for help. Get a team to help you plan some fun and simple ideas that others will enjoy. Get inspiration from Facebook groups, Twitter chats, Pinterest, etc.
If you get inspired to give “Fab Fridays in February” a shot, I’d love to see what you come up with! Please tag me on your Twitter or Instagram posts. There is so much inspiration I can gain from each one of you. I hope you consider trying “Fab Fridays.” If it feels like a little too much, too soon, no worries! Use some of the ideas and start planning for “Marvelous Mondays in March.” The possibilities are endless!
Keep being amazing and building up your teams. And remember… KEEP IT SIMPLE!
~Jessica
Simple Ideas for Building Positive School Cultures 