Whether you’re out of school for the summer or just winding down, I bet you’re already thinking about back to school time!
It’s a relief to do some planning when you can actually take a breath. And that’s a good thing, because your first week of school is so very important. That first week can set the tone for the rest of the school year, so it really pays off to spend plenty of time thinking about the type of atmosphere that you’d like to create in your room. Find other back to school ideas here.
back to school activities
Establish a morning routine. You have work that you have to do in the morning once all your students arrive, so your kids need something to do too. During the first few weeks of school students will need a lot of hand-holding as they learn new routines. The goal is to get them to be able to work independently, allowing you to take care of attendance, lunch, etc.
Plan out exactly how you want your students to do what they’ll need to do. Where do their backpacks go? Where do they put their jackets? How do they hand in homework? The clearer you are in your mind about these things, the better you can teach them to your kids.
Establish daily reading time. You’ll need to establish a place for books that you’ll have available for silent reading time.
Once everyone has a book, they can read silently. Make sure you time them with a stopwatch. As soon as you see someone off-task have them all stop reading. Start keeping a record of how long they can read and discuss it with your kids. At first they won’t be able to read for any real length of time. But the goal is get them to a place where they can read silently for 25 – 30 minutes. Grab this free reading stamina chart!
Have a snowball fight! Wait, what?
This is a fun activity that your students will love! Start off by asking your kids about their summers by asking questions. Have them raise their hands if … you played with a friend … you went to the beach … if you had a picnic … if you read a book, if you had a snowball fight. Of course no-one will raise their hand at this one!
Have them write three facts about themselves on white paper but tell them not to write their names. Then they crumple up the paper to make a “snowball.” Now it’s time for the snowball fight! It’s a good idea to give them a specific length of time for their fight. When time is up, students can uncrumple (is that a word?) the snowball they ended up with. Each one reads their paper out loud one a time and everyone tries to guess who wrote it.
Get to know your students. This pretty much goes without saying. There are many activities and games that you can use to achieve this.
One idea is My Favorite Things. Give your students a simple brainstorming worksheet. Have them write down as many of their favorite things that they can think of. You can give them some ideas like their favorite color, game, food, animal, etc.
Then go around the room and have them share their name and one favorite thing from their list. Any other students who have that same thing on their list should raise their hands. What a great way for them to see that other kids have interests in common.
All About Me Activities
This Back to School All About Me Activities Workbook is ideal for the first week of school, as students begin to settle and learn new routines. Your 1st grade and 2nd grade students will love sharing about themselves. These All About Me activities are designed not only to allow teachers to get to know their students, but also to gain some insight into their reading and writing abilities.
Perfect for morning work, first week of school writer’s workshop, or whole class work time. This could also be used for early finishers / fast finishers at any time of the year! Students should complete the workbook independently to allow teachers to spot gaps in skills and confidence.
What are some back to school activities that you love?
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