Winter holidays 2025-2026 in schools and universities: Izvestia publishes timetable

New Year's holidays for working Russians will begin on December 31 and end on January 11. The schedules of preschoolers, schoolchildren, and students may vary. About when children and young people have a rest in winter — in the material of Izvestia.

When preschoolers, schoolchildren and students rest and study

According to the production calendar, New Year's Weekend will begin on December 31, 2025 and last until January 11, 2026. In kindergartens, the schedule is usually the same, an expert from the Ministry of Education told Izvestia.

— Kindergartens have a regular work schedule, as established by the charter. Public holidays are non—working days according to the production calendar. Holidays in kindergartens are not provided," explained Lyudmila Volobuyeva, Head of the Department of Preschool Pedagogy at the Faculty of Preschool Pedagogy and Psychology at Moscow State University.

According to her, New Year's Eve matinees are usually held in the last week of December. This year, starting on December 22nd. However, the expert admits that in some kindergartens they may start earlier, for example, on the 15th. Most of the holidays in kindergartens start at 9:00-12:00, but sometimes matinees take place in the afternoon — from about 16:00 to 17:30.

In schools, winter holidays begin 1-2 days before New Year's Eve and last until Christmas, Igor Yakimov, director of the Lyceum of Moscow State University, pointed out in a conversation with Izvestia. According to him, taking into account postponements and rescheduling, weekends can last up to two weeks, and it does not depend on whether students study in trimesters or quarters.

— In our school, New Year's holidays differ from the autumn and spring holidays in that the school does not plan meetings with students to prepare for Olympiads, projects, or competitions. Only festive events. New Year's holidays at the Lyceum begin with the "Family New Year in Slippers" — a holiday for children and their parents, — said Yakimov.

The winter holidays of college and college students also mostly coincide with the weekends set by the production calendar. But the dates may vary depending on the specifics of the educational organization, said Elena Kurenkova, director of the Moscow State University College. There are also no uniform dates for the winter session: each college or college sets them independently. The exact dates can be viewed in the curriculum, as well as in the academic calendar, Kurenkova said.

The dates of university students' vacations and sessions depend on the university.

— The dates of the interim certification and the schedule of student holidays are determined by the curriculum of the educational organization of higher education on the basis of local regulations, — the Ministry of Education and Science clarified to Izvestia.

How to relax for children and young people in winter

During the holidays, children should take a break from studying. As Izvestia previously wrote, during this period children should not be burdened with mathematics, Russian and other subjects. Psychologists recommend practicing for up to one hour a day.

Volobuyeva advised parents of young children to take them to New Year's "Christmas trees", theatrical performances, outdoor winter festivities, and spend time in the country. Also, in her opinion, preschoolers will enjoy traveling, for example, you can go to Santa Claus.

Igor Yakimov considers it important that during the holidays the child "does not lock himself in his gadget." During the holidays, students can meet with relatives, take time for their hobbies, and go on field trips. According to Yakimov, Moscow offers many festive amusements, including free ones: parks, festive locations on the streets, ice rinks, museums, theaters, movies, New Year's performances.

— The guys didn't always have this opportunity. When January 2-8 was my parents' working day, there was no talk of a family holiday. The children ran from the "tree" to the "tree", by themselves or with their grandparents. There weren't as many offers as there are now," the expert commented.

Elena Kurenkova recalled that since September 1, college students under the age of 23 have been eligible for free guided tours and cultural and educational trips. Previously, only schoolchildren could use these services. In addition, according to the new rules, college students can work as tour guides, guides and translation guides. Kurenkova added that during the holidays, young people can participate in sports tournaments and competitions, volunteer projects.

— In 2021, the Russian Ministry of Education and Science launched the Youth and Student Tourism Program ("Studtourism"), designed for university students, young professionals, workers and scientists aged 18 to 35 years. Participants of the program have the opportunity to make budget trips that promote the integration of scientific, professional and cultural interests," the Ministry of Education and Science said.

How holidays in Russia have changed

Previously, in Russia, the study period was closely related to the time of the year and field work, Kurenkova emphasized.

Today, in some colleges and technical schools, students study using the modular method — vacations are more frequent, but shorter in time, Kurenkova noted.

— In recent years, educational organizations have been offered the option of synchronizing vacation time schedules in institutions of secondary vocational education and universities, this approach may allow students to adapt more easily when moving to a new level, — said Kurenkova.

According to Oleg Smolin, First Deputy Chairman of the State Duma Committee on Science and Higher Education, many schools, as you know, have switched to a system in which there are holidays every 6-7 weeks.

— Compared to other countries, our vacation time is one of the largest in the world. At the same time, when I was a student, the maximum number of lessons was six. And now, in the middle grades, many have 7-8 lessons a day, and sometimes nine. From my point of view, this is unacceptable. We need to reduce the workload," Smolin said.