3 Steps to Help Your Student With Missing Assignments Going Into Winter Break
- Sean McCormick
- 22 hours ago
- 7 min read
Updated: 15 hours ago
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Is your student is going into winter break with a pile of missing assignments and no idea where to start?
In this post, you’ll learn why it matters to deal with missing work now, what mistakes to avoid, and how to help your student take 3 doable steps to clean things up.
Table of Contents
Winter break is approaching, or maybe it's already here, and your student has a backpack full of missing assignments.
Maybe you open their portal, and the zeros feel louder than any holiday music.
The goal isn’t to spend break chained to the dining room table.
It’s to take a few smart steps so your student finishes the semester feeling responsible, not defeated.
Before you decide whether to push, pause, or completely let it go, it helps to understand why cleaning up missing work now can make such a big difference for their stress, confidence, and future choices.👇
Why It Matters To Help Your Student Clean Up Missing Assignments
When you help your student tackle missing work going into break, you’re:
lowering their stress
protecting their confidence
teaching real-world skills like planning, communication, and follow-through
A few small actions now (making a list, emailing teachers, choosing priorities) can be the difference between a student who spends break dreading report cards and a student who knows,
“I faced the mess and did what I could.”
Plus, you’re modeling that when things get overwhelming, we don’t hide from the problem. Rather, we break it down and take the next step.
For more tips on helping with missing assignments, watch this video:
Common Mistakes Made When Helping a Student With Missing Assignments Going Into Winter Break
Mistake #1: Turning break into a punishment bootcamp
Some parents react to missing assignments by declaring,
“You’re spending the whole break catching up.”
That usually backfires.
The student goes into shutdown mode, procrastinates even more, and starts linking school work with resentment instead of responsibility.
Mistake #2: Doing all the executive function work for them
It’s tempting to log into the portal, make the list, email the teachers, and basically act as the student’s project manager.
Short term, this gets things turned in.
Long term, the student learns,
“If I fall behind, someone else will eventually handle the mess.”
Next semester, the exact same missing assignment pattern shows up because the student never practiced those planning and advocacy skills.
Mistake #3: Ignoring teacher communication
Another common mistake is avoiding communication with teachers because it feels awkward or you’re afraid of the answer.
Families hope the grade “won’t be that bad” and decide to wait and see.
For example, your student notices their grade slipping but doesn’t email the teacher before break.
After grades post, the family reaches out asking for extra credit or a chance to submit missing work but the teacher has already finalized everything, leaving everyone frustrated and stuck.
3 Steps to Help Your Student With Missing Assignments Going Into Winter Break
Step 1: Prioritize assignments with the maximum grade impact
Before anything else, pull up each class and make a clear list of what’s actually missing.
Check the portal, emails, and Google Classroom to confirm.
Instead of trying to do everything, circle the 3–5 assignments that will make the biggest difference:
tests
projects
anything your teacher has flagged as “major”
If they're not sure, have them email or ask their teacher, “I’d like your guidance on prioritizing these missing assignments. Which ones should I focus on first?”
I recommending following the email template in the next step which includes this question.👇
Step 2: Email the teacher about those missing assignments
You will want to have your student write an email to their teacher saying something along these lines of:
Hi (teacher name),
I hope your break is off to a good start. I noticed I am missing the following assignments:
-Assignment name #1
-Assignment name #2
-Assignment name #3
-Assignment name #4
-Assignment name #5
Would you be able to unlock these assignments so I can submit them? If not, could I send them to your email and still earn full credit?
If neither of those are possible, could I do alternative assignments to make up for the lost credit?
If you’re open to this, I’d like your guidance on prioritizing these missing assignments. Which ones should I focus on first?
Thank you for your guidance,
Student Name
Even if the teacher says they are not checking their email over the weekend/break/holiday, STILL SEND THIS EMAIL.
It is proof that the student is doing everything in their locus of control to improve their standing in the class and be a responsible student.
I have coached students in sending an email like this over and over and there is really something magical about what happens afterward.
For one, the teacher automatically holds the student in higher esteem because of the assertive communication skills that are being demonstrated.
Second, teachers LOVE when students ask for their guidance. This act of humility shows the teacher that the student is concerned about their performance in the teacher's class and wants to get back on track.
Step 3: Set a “minimum viable plan” before break starts
Have your student pick 2–3 specific windows of time before or during break when they’ll work on missing assignments.
For example,
Saturday 10–11am
Monday 3–4pm
Wednesday 10–10:30am
During those times, their only job is to open the portal, pick one assignment from the priority list, and get it done, not perfect.
It can be very helpful to have these times set in a visual calendar.
You can download my ideal week template to set up their Winter break weeks that include both the times to work on the assignments and fun time.
Parents, post the schedule on the fridge or somewhere your student will see it.
Coaches, send text check-ins to the student to make sure they completed the assignment during the slotted time. You can also ask them to send a screenshot or picture of the finished work.
FAQs
What if my student refuses to do any work over break?
Start by validating how drained they feel, then negotiate a tiny, specific plan instead of an all-or-nothing push (for example, “Let’s just do 30 minutes on Saturday and 30 minutes on Monday”).
If they still refuse, focus on one small win—like emailing teachers or making a clean list—so they at least practice responsibility, even if every assignment doesn’t get done.
What if the teacher won’t reopen or accept the missing assignments?
Have your student reply and thank the teacher for considering it, then ask what they can do differently next term to avoid getting into the same situation.
This keeps the focus on learning from the experience, not arguing for points that are truly closed.
How much should I push my student versus backing off and letting them fail?
You don’t have to choose between “helicopter parent” and “sink or swim”—aim for “shared responsibility,” where your student sends the emails, makes the list, and chooses what to tackle, while you provide structure and accountability.
If natural consequences are coming, frame them as information (“Now we know what happens with this pattern”) and use that data to plan different supports for next semester.
The Bottom Line
When your student heads into break with missing work, the real wins are helping them practice responsibility, advocacy, and follow-through so next semester starts and ends on stronger footing.
Here's the 3 steps to help your student with missing assignments goin into winter break:
Prioritize assignments with the maximum grade impact
Email the teacher about the missing assignments
Set a “minimum viable plan” before break starts and put it in a calendar
Hope this helps 🤙🏻
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P.S. If you want to work on executive function skills with your students, consider joining hundreds of other educators and parents who have completed my Semester Success Blueprint Course. In less than 2 hours, this comprehensive course will teach you and your student the system I developed to help hundreds of students learn how to manage school effectively and raise their self-awareness and engagement with school.
About Me
Hey! I'm Sean 👋
I'm a former public school special education teacher who realized that executive function skills are more important than knowing when George Washington crossed the Potomac.
Since then, I've made it my mission to teach anyone who will listen about how to develop these key life skills.
In 2020, I founded Executive Function Specialists to ensure all students with ADHD and Autism have access to high-quality online executive function coaching services. We offer online EF coaching and courses to help students and families.
Realizing I could only reach so many people through coaching, in 2021 I started the Executive Function Coaching Academy which trains schools, educators, and individuals to learn the key strategies to improve executive function skills for students.
In 2023, I co-founded of UpSkill Specialists, to provide neurodivergent adults with high-quality executive function coaching services.
When not pursuing my passions through work, I love spending time with my family, getting exercise, and growing my brain through reading. You can connect with me on LinkedIn.
Want me to speak on executive function skills at your event? Learn more about my speaking topics here.