First week of school activities help you begin the new school year on the right foot in lower elementary age classrooms.

No joke! Every year at the beginning of the school year, I have a dream where I show up to school in my slip without my dress. The dream varies slightly from year to year, but my missing dress is the common theme. I think it has something to do with all of the back to school anxiety and planning the first week of school activities, but I have learned a few things over the years. By being prepared, I have found that the nervousness of a new school year is less stressful and I feel calm, prepared, and ready to go.

When I begin planning the first week of school, I like to look at the big picture and think about what I want to happen to make the school year amazing. I want my students to be engaged when they walk into my classroom. I want them to think “Wow! This is where I want to be.” This helps them feel comfortable and feel assured that they are going to be okay in my classroom. This sets the stage for a successful year.

Variety is the spice of life and is critical when helping my students and me transition back into the school year. My goal during the first week of school is to get to know what makes my students tick and what interests them. I have found that if I think about using something in each of these 5 areas, I really begin to understand my students.

Here is my checklist.

1. Get to Know You Activities
2. Activity to Build Class Community
3. Academic Activities
4. Craft Activity
5. Procedures, Routines, and Rules Activity

Get to Know You Activities

First, I like a variety of activities that can be used with the whole class. Some of them are absolutely no prep so that I can use them when I have a few extra minutes. I also like to balance them with some activities that are low prep and only need to be copied. These activities can be used during Morning Meetings, at the end of the day, or just before lunch. Another way to help my students feel that they belong in my classroom is to hang up something quickly in our classroom so they can begin to take ownership in our room.

Build Class Community

Next, I like a project to begin building classroom community. Although this is an ongoing project, I love to make a 30 x 30 inch poster that everyone has a part in making. This helps my class see that they are part of a team, and our team needs everyone’s help. As they say, “Team work makes the dream work.” As one of my first week of school activities, I have the students color a piece of the puzzle. When I hear the oohs and aahs when they see the final poster, it makes my heart sing.

First Week of School Activities: Academics

It may seem like I have forgotten about academics, but I haven’t. I ease into them gradually, but I like to make them engaging. I always have a simple writing activity that includes a book to read. Using a growth mindset is also an important part of the writing process and is a theme of the book. Math is also included and is a review of simple concepts from the previous school year. I have found that this helps students transition from summer brain to school brain more easily. I also include simple writing tasks in a fun poster that they love making. As part of the gentle easing back into academics, you may want to try out these addition and subtraction strategies posters for your students. Put your name and email address in the boxes below and then check your inbox for them.

Craft Activity

One of my favorite parts of the first day of school is when the bell has rung at the end of the day. I am not saying this because I have just survived the first day, but I am saying it because I love seeing what different students are carrying or wearing from their classrooms. One of my favorite things is seeing hats on top of their heads. This is where a simple craft helps students on the first day of school. Easy. Fun. Engaging. Cute…

First Week of School Activities: Go on a Safari

Wow! That’s so much to think about, but during all of this activity, one of the most important things to set the foundation for the school year is taking place. Training your class in your procedures, routines, and rules is critical! It sets the tone for the entire year, and these things need to be taught. This training is what makes the first weeks of school so exhausting for teachers. It is why they go home and just want to put their feet up and catch their breath.

A few years ago, I decided that I wanted to make this process more interesting and more precise. That is when I began taking my students on a safari. Let’s be honest, going over procedures and routines is not always the most fun. It might even be when your students begin daydreaming and wishing they were back at the pool. So we set out on a safari to learn more about our classroom. I gave them a Safari Pass booklet, and we began. After we learned and practiced a procedure or routine, they were able to see what animal they saw. They marked it in their booklet, and it changed this process from drudgery to fun.

With these activities, your first week will be a breeze! You can feel calm, prepared, and ready to go. The stress is gone. And hopefully the stress dream of showing up to school in only your slip is only in your imagination!