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.
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!
First days of school can be stressful. There's an insane amount of pressure to make a great first impression. The administration wants you to go over the handbook of rules for the district. There's tons of forms that need to be filled out. You need to learn their names and it's hard because half the names don't match your class list. His name is Samuel but he goes by S.J. Her name on your roll says Mary, but she goes by Mary Beth. You want to start off the year on the right note regarding procedures and expectations, but you also want it to be a little bit fun, too. Yes, it can be complicated to plan out the first day. My first day was absolutely fantastic. Yes, I learned names. Yes, I went over the handbook. Yes, I went over forms. But we also did some quick exciting things that started us out on the right foot. In no particular order, here is what made my first day FANTASTIC. 1. I let my students collaborate on a story. I started a story on the whiteboard and each student could only add four words to the story. It ended up being hilarious and making ABSOLUTELY NO SENSE but no one cared. It was fun. They worked as a family. 2. That bring me to my next point--we don't call our classes, um, classes. Or homerooms. We call them families. So I have Mrs. Johnson's Family for my 1st period class and Mrs. Anderson's Family for my second period class. (Homeroom teacher names were changed for this post.) You get the idea. And it really does reinforce this idea that we need to work together like a family should. 3. I embraced and addressed my students' biggest fear. Each teacher has his/her students coming to the room with a big fear. Go ahead and address it. Since I'm the first year of middle school, the big fear is the locker. Will I ever get into it? Will I have enough time to get everything out of it? My students can't begin to learn procedures until we address the locker issue. Once they feel confident with their locker, they are ready to learn procedures. So, what did I do? I lined up my wonderful parents to come work with my students one-on-one the very first day of school on their locker. And it was the best thing for that first day. Address your students' fears with a solution. Don't think, "Oh I need to teach procedures! I'll help them with that later on in the week." No. Their Big Fear is ALL THEY CAN THINK ABOUT. Fix the fear, then they can face all the procedures and rules head on! 4. If you know me, you know that I ABSOLUTELY DETEST GETTING TO KNOW YOU GAMES. Why do I have to name a fact about myself that starts with a J just because my first name is Jordyn? Nothing starts with a J that I like! I hate jelly beans. I'm ok with jolly ranchers but they aren't anything special. I. HATE. GETTING. TO. KNOW. YOU. GAMES. I think I've made my point clear. Soooooo---what did I do to get to know them? I made a statement and pointed to two sides of the room. The students moved to the side of the room for their answer. Examples: 1. Team Cat or Team Dog 2. Would you rather travel every day or never leave home? 3. Team Math/Science or Team Language Arts? 4. Alabama or Auburn? (I live in Alabama, so this is a big deal around here. Feel free to change to whatever sports teams works for you. And by the way, the correct answer to me is the side of the room that was yelling WAR EAGLE!) We didn't do this as one big activity. I broke up the reading of the district handbook by doing a couple of these, then back to the handbook, then a couple more of these, then back to the handbook, a couple more of these, then going over forms. THEY LOVED THIS ACTIVITY! It didn't force the quiet kids to talk, but they did participate by moving. It let the other ones announce why they were on that side. It was just a great icebreaker for those of us who are anti-icebreaker. --->Do you need a GETTING TO KNOW YOU ACTIVITY perfect for the first few days? (And not icebreaker questions that tweens dislike---actually questions they enjoy answering!)
Explore 18 back-to-school activities perfect for the first day and first week of middle school. Start the school year right with easy, low-prep activities that engage and motivate students!
Check out these 12 engaging first day of school activities that will help set a positive tone for the year and help build relationships from day 1.
These first day of school activities and printables are so much fun! Great for homeschooling or traditional schooling and free to print and use, too!
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…
It's time to go back to school! With the back-to-school season upon us, it is time to start planning back-to-school activities for the first week of school.
Check out these 12 engaging first day of school activities that will help set a positive tone for the year and help build relationships from day 1.
5 fun and engaging ways to celebrate the first day of school in STEM class: STEM name tag, Quick STEM challenge, All About Me STEM
Fun back to school EFL ESL kids games and activities for the first day of class to meet your kids and start learning and enjoying English.
The ultimate list of activities on the first day of school to make students feel welcome, excited, and ready to learn! Crafts, games...
With these 11 first day of school activities for first grade, you’re well on your way to setting the stage for an exciting and positive day!
Find out why teachers should be using icebreaker activities for small groups all year long and not just at the beginning of the school year.
Get your FREE First Day of School Interview page to download and print exclusively from MeganHStudio!
Engage students on the first day of school with this Saving Fred activity which encourages students to practice teamwork while saving a gummy worm named "Fred."
Need a fun first day activity to break the ice and get students connecting? Try hexagonal identity one-pagers.
Much like students who spend more hours on the hook of an essay than they do the bulk of an essay, I often found myself with a case of English teacher writing block when it came to planning my first day of school activities. Though I have ten years (x two semesters each) of ... Read More about First Day of School Activities for High School and Middle School English
20 fun and engaging first day of school icebreakers for kids to help your students transition back to school and get to know one another!
Find out why teachers should be using icebreaker activities for small groups all year long and not just at the beginning of the school year.
Getting ready for the first day of the new school year? Here are 11 first day of science class activities for your middle school class!
Use this fantastic pentomino exploration as a first day of math class activity in middle school. You'll learn so much about your students!
Get ready for the first day of school with these Kissing Hand activities. These back-to-school printables are perfect for preschool and kindergarten classrooms!
Help make your 4th & 5th grade students' first day back fun and memorable with these back to school activities.
The first day of first grade is always a really fun, but hectic day for my littles. They are so excited to come to school, but they are always a little nervous since they don’t know what to expect when they walk through my classroom door. I always have an activity such as a first day coloring page or a play-doh model on their desks to work on right when they come in so my students are busy creating while I welcome students and take attendance.
Free Printable I Spy Back to School Activity. Classroom themed activity or game idea for the first day of school for students.
Kick off the school year with fun Name Games! Foster classroom camaraderie and help students break the ice on the first day.
Make going back to school fun and exciting with this collection of 15 first day of school STEM activities for the classroom or home.
Don't spend all of your time making up your own first day of school activities. I'm sharing my list of first day of school activities that...
This geometry activity for the first day of school is a great way to assess students' prior knowledge. It is a fun and free way to pre-test them! Click to..
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.
Get to know your students using a left brain vs right brain tests that can further inform your instruction with powerful insight.
Have you tried using Collaborative Posters in the Classroom? Collaborative posters are a fantastic way to build a culture of teamwork and unity in your
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.
Why I don't review the syllabus on the first day of class in high school and what I do instead. Fun first day of school activities and icebreakers!
Free Printable I Spy Back to School Activity. Classroom themed activity or game idea for the first day of school for students.
