Learn how to make a kaleidoscope in this fun STEM/science activity and craft for kids. It’s such a fun way to explore light, reflections, and symmetry! Follow our Science for Kids Pinterest board! *This post was originally published 2/2/16 and has since been updated. Last week I made these super fun kaleidoscopes with my …
Back to School Activities that are great for an online classroom or inside a classroom.
This time is exciting, but also nerve-racking for kids! Fortunately, we can get them excited with fun back to school traditions for family.
Too many classroom icebreakers require students to take big social risks with people they barely know. Or they don't really help students get to know each other. Or they are just plain cheesy.
If you are wanting to teach kids about countries around the world this is a fun, free printable to teach kids about 18 countries - perfect for preschool, kindergarten, 1st grade, 2nd grade, and 3rd gr
Now that my new air conditioner is installed and up and running (YES- I lost air at the start of the summer! EEK!), and I've gotten my fair ...
Learn more about the symbols of Australia with this FREE and easy to use flip book. Students cut and paste symbols...
During the last weeks or days of school, I am looking for fun ways to celebrate with my students. We have become such great friends, and I want to end the year with a bang! Having end of year theme days during that last week can be so much fun. You can sneak in academics
Celebrate the first day of school with these fun first day of school traditions! From special breakfasts to fashion shows, and more!
Worksheets for 1st grade math, first grade math worksheets for free for the basic math topics taught in grade 1.
LOTS of FREE Printable worksheets for kids to practice math, literacy, science, & history with kids of all ages from 123Homeschool4Me.
Free printable summer word search for 1st grade. There's a picture of each word to find helping children learning to read. PDF has answers.
The 9 fun and low prep classroom team building games are the perfect addition to your class and will have your students asking for more!
Summer Spaghetti Salad is a simple twist on the classic pasta salad. Made with just a few simple ingredients, this will become your new go to summer side dish!
Get ready for an engaging and productive start to the school year with our Self Portrait First Day of School Worksheets. These worksheets are designed to spark creativity and self-expression in students, allowing them to delve into their unique identities and share their experiences with their new classmates. Whether you're a teacher looking to facilitate interesting icebreaker activities or a parent wanting to encourage your child's self-confidence, our Self Portrait First Day of School Worksheets are the perfect tools to foster a positive and inclusive classroom atmosphere.
The pencils are sharpened, your classroom is clean and the bell rings…gulp…here they come! My feelings on the first week of school are conflicted. On one hand, it’s one of the most important weeks. Explaining and practicing the class procedures and expectations sets the tone for the rest of the school year. Success is vital. On the other hand, I’m so excited to start teaching my historical content that waiting until all the expectations are explained requires a lot of patience! Every teacher has their own plan of action for that pivotal time. Here are 5 things I can’t live without during the first week of school: One: An Icebreaker. I aim to try and make kids feel comfortable in my classroom on day one. One of my favorite little activities is Fact or Fiction. Each student receives a small slip of paper and they’re instructed to write one fact and two fictions. Then each person (including myself!) introduces themselves and we all try to guess which statement is the fact! It’s a great way to quickly learn about each other. Two: Classroom Information and Expectations. This is every teacher’s staple, I know, but it had to go on the list because it’s a must-have! When you’re making your own, spell everything out – from the obvious grading procedures and late work policy to how to pass back papers and when to sharpen pencils and go to the bathroom. Trust me, leave no stone unturned. Your classroom will function much better if you set the tone from day one. (Oh, and don’t forget a seating chart!) Three: Fun and Games. On the second day of school, I love to start class with a little game. It’s a great way for the kids to start practicing our classroom procedures and expectations while getting familiar with their teacher and classmates. Here are some of my favorite games that I use during the first week of school: (P.S. Some of these activities can be found in my Back to School Activities resources! Click the grade level you’re teaching to check them out: Sixth, Seventh, Eighth) InstaFriend: This activity gets students moving around the room and interviewing fellow classmates! Their InstaFriend paper has a series of descriptions and characteristics. When they find a student who matches the description, they write their name in the box. Each name can only be used once! Right or Wrong: I love skits. LOVE THEM. I like to introduce students to the idea of skits during the first week by allowing them to create their own based on our class expectations. I first divide students into small groups of 2-3. Each group then randomly receives one of our class procedures or expectations. As a group, they have to work together to create two mini skits – one showing the RIGHT way to follow the expectation, the other showing the WRONG way. They get to be silly and I get to reinforce my class expectations. After each skit I happily point out all the positive behaviors as well as each time a class policy was violated. It’s a light-hearted way to grab their attention and create a positive atmosphere all while practicing the laws of the land. Classmate Bingo: I love to play this game at the end of the first week. I give each student a blank bingo board with a large selection of personal characteristics, hobbies, etc. at the bottom. The students choose 16 off the list and create their customized board. Then, I randomly select characteristics from the list. If a student has that characteristic on their board, they have to write down a student’s name that matches the characteristic – but no cheating! They have to use what they’ve learned about others during their first week of school to try and win the game. Four: A Pre Test. After a few days of class information and fun, it’s time to start getting down to business. Each year, I make a short pre-test on the information they’ll learn about that year. It gives me a chance to see what the kids already know and gives them a feel for what subject matter they’ll be learning about in the coming weeks. FYI: Your pre-test probably won’t take the whole class period. Make sure to have plans for other activities, too, on the day you give your pre-test! Five: A Writing Activity. True fact: when I tell kids they’re going to do a writing activity, they groan every time. It’s a signal that the “real work” is about to begin. Luckily, they’re always relieved when I assure them that this activity will require very little research because it’s about a subject they’re experts in – themselves! I have a few different activities to choose from each year. Here are some suggestions: Student Survey: What are your strengths? Weaknesses? What do you hope to learn in this class? These are just some of the questions I ask students in the survey. The more I know about my students, the better I can help them achieve success in my class. Write Away: A staple of many: write a letter to a future you! I ask students to write goals for the year, dreams they wish to see realized, and questions they want to ask their “End of the Year” self. I tuck these letters away and revisit them during the last week of school. I’m Ready: Like every middle school history class, we do a lot of writing and students always have to back up their reasons, statements, etc. with evidence to support their claim. In this writing activity, students have to identify which class rule or expectation they believe is most important and provide evidence to support their claim. This activity both reinforces my classroom policies and secretly gives me a preview of their writing proficiency. Have I left anything out? If you have any fun plans for the first week of school, share them in the comments. I’m always looking for new ideas for my classroom!
Choose from 58 fun STEAM art projects and activities for kids to explore art while learning science, technology, engineering, and math, too!
From mixed media to simple sketching, there's something here for every 1st grader.
This back to school "snowball" fight activity will have your students getting up and out of their seats moving around the room to get to know each other.
Giving students an easy, independent activity to start as soon as they arrive on the first day of school is a great way to calm their nerves. It also allows you to focus on greeting new students and getting supplies organized and put away. Here is a great first day of school printable that students ... Read More about Read & Find – First Day of School Printable
Print these free symmetry worksheets and activity pages to use with your students. Learn about the line of symmetry with these fun pattern challenge worksheets. Students must use logic, reasoning, and spatial skills to draw the reflected pattern across the line of symmetry.
These 5 fun 3D shapes activities for kindergarten are a great way for students to learn about shape attributes while having a blast.
Help kids practice math with fun and simple games (many use only playing cards or dice). They will have so much fun, they won't know they are learning!
Learn about five different biomes as you color and read key facts about with free printable Biome Coloring Pages for Prek-4th graders.
Learn what you can expect your child to learn with this list of 1st Grade Skills. Find worksheets to help your child build these skills.
Looking for math centers for your 1st Grade classroom? Grab some FREE 1st Grade Number centers here!
This Jitter Juice recipe is perfect for the first day of school! Pair it with the fun back to school book, "First Day Jitters."
Set a friendly tone in your classroom with these 30 "Get to Know You" games perfect for back to school or when welcoming a new student.
Oh, the first day of school! It's such a fun, but chaotic day. Most of my first days are a little bit of a blur. This is why I have to write very detailed lesson plans or I'll forget everything from that day. I always try to have the same activities for that first day
I can’t say I’m a big fan of icebreakers myself, at least the get-to-know-you type. Students may be grouped in a different way from the previous year, and there are always new students to the schoo…
I DID IT! I survived the first week of second grade, again! It was actually probably my best first week yet! I spent lots of time at the end of the year preparing for back to school. Opening my Back to School box was such a relief, because so much work was already done! Of ... Read More about The First Week of Second Grade
Back to School is right around the corner for us and I am SUPER excited to kick of this school year with some fun, hands-on and engaging resources for The
Implementing icebreakers on the first day of school is neccessary for building classroom community. Check out these easy first day icebreakers . . .
It’s my first day of school! I love this time of year, all fresh starts and possiblities! Team builder games are one of my favorite things to do in the classroom during the first few weeks …
One of my favorite things about back to school, is knowing that I get to meet and love on a brand new bunch of kids for the school year. I’m sure you feel the same way, and have your lesson planner packed to the max with different “get-to-know-you activities.” I want to share with you […]
Are you getting ready to plan your first day of school but not sure where to start? Here are 10 free first day activities to help!
These back to school traditions are so much fun! They allow everyone in the family to spend time together and make memories year after year!
Use these free printable first day of school interview worksheets to create your own school memory boxes for your kids! Just print the free questionnaire and have your kids fill it in as a fun keepsake. Super cute "All about me" first day of school printables!
Fun and engaging ideas to get to know your students at the beginning of the school year. Build a strong classroom community with these free resources.
Have fun learning to subitize dot patterns to ten with our fast-to-prep, engaging math game. This printable card game is ideal for small group math rotations or center work. Students will play with a partner or small group to match numerals to the dots of their board, aiming for 5 in a row. What is subitizing When students can subitize, they are able to tell the number of objects in a set, instantly - they don't need to count each item. Most commonly, you can teach students to subitize with dots, ten frames and fingers. Subitizing Patterns - Standard and Non-Standard 'Standard' dot patter arrangements are those common patterns you see on dice, dominoes and math equipment. Learning to subitize non-standard arrangements is important too and will require your students being able to visualize the common or standard patterns and manipulating them in their mind. Work with the standard patterns first. Playing board games is often a child's first experience with dot patterns, those on a dice. Play lots of games and specially-made learning games, like this one of ours - 5 in a Row! Extend your learners - conceptual subitizing When your students are confident with the patterns of a particular activity (perceptual subitizing) we encourage you to teach conceptual subitizing. This is where 2 patterns are shown to a student and they can combine them (add them) instantly to know the total. Think of throwing a double 6 in a board game. They would know instantly that this is 12 if they are able to conceptually subitize. To encourage this in 5 in a Row, ask them to flip 2 cards, and find the total before covering the 2 numbers. They may need to count the total the first few times they play, but with repetition they will know the total of 2 cards, instantly. Play it over and over to give them this opportunity to develop. Our game 5 in a Row will help teach subitizing to ten with standard patterns. It is a perfect place to start your learners! Non-standard dot pattern arrangements We've also prepared something extra for you to extend your fastest learners - and it is FREE today! Roll and Cover is so easy to prep (just print the page). It will help teach subitizing of non-standard patterns for 1 to 6. Students roll a standard 6 sided die and place a counter over a matching number (non standard pattern). Playing this will help them bridge the gap between standard and non-standard patterns. Find it here in Google Drive: Roll and Cover Free Game From the Pond
In order to boost virtual classroom participation and reduce achievement gaps, it is essential that teachers explore different strategies to see which ones motivate their students to learn.
Set a friendly tone in your classroom with these 30 "Get to Know You" games perfect for back to school or when welcoming a new student.
The first week anxiety and nerves are real! Help your new students with some beginning of the year team building activities and ice breakers.
This Jitter Juice recipe is perfect for the first day of school! Pair it with the fun back to school book, "First Day Jitters."
