Back to School Activities

If you're already teaching this year, welcome back! If not, I hope you enjoy your last few days/weeks of summer vacation.

I know in those first few days back to school, you need some activities that the students can complete with little to no instruction. Something that is review so they can be confident in what they are doing.

For my first grade students, I often used a roll and cover activity during the first week of school. It requires little instruction and all they have to do is count the dots on the dice.

You can use 1 die, 2 dice, or 3 dice to add a little differentiation. You can also use the black and white version of the handouts so students can color their answers instead of covering them. I used small erasers to cover the numbers, but you could use anything you have in your classroom, including Unifix cubes, yellow and red counters, transparent counters, beans, etc.

If you are interested in trying this Back to School Roll and Cover, you can find it here.

Another idea that can be used with kindergarten or first grade students is counting bears strips. These strips are easy to prep and all you need to do is add the bears! They work on counting and patterning skills.

Many different patterns are included and all you have to do is print, laminate (optional), and cut them out. They are ready to go! I also included black and white versions so students are able to create their own pattern that goes with the description in the bottom of the strip (AB, ABC, etc.).

If you are interested in trying these Counting Bears Strips, you can find it here.

This final Back to School activity is better suited for second, third, or fourth graders. The activity is mystery pictures that practice addition, subtraction, or multiplication facts. The key is that you should already know your math facts pretty well in order to do these. So definitely not a first week activity for first graders, but they can do it soon enough.

These can be used as fast finishers, morning work, homework, math centers, etc. The possibilities are endless!

If you are interested in trying these Back to School Mystery Pictures, you can click on each one to be taken to my store.

I hope these resources help you in the first few days/weeks of school!

Have a great year!

Back to School Giveaway!

It's nearly that time! We hope you have enjoyed your summer! To make this season a little easier this year, myself and a team of amazing teachers have grouped together to gift ONE lucky teacher with a TPT gift card and an Amazon gift card!

PRIZES INCLUDE 1 x $150 TPT Giftcard, 1 x $100 Amazon Giftcard

Enter here:

a Rafflecopter giveaway

REMEMBER: each entry counts as ONE entry, the more links you complete, the higher your chances of winning!!

Raffle CLOSES: Saturday 25th August 2018 12am

GOOD LUCK!!!

First Day of School Ideas

So I have been a little out of the action for awhile. Buying a house, moving, having a baby, and many more exciting things have happened since I last posted! I am no longer in the classroom, but am staying at home with my sweet baby girl. This is my first year ever not returning to school in some capacity - whether that be as a teacher or student. It is so strange not going back, so I thought I would share my First Day of School ideas with you all instead!

We all know that the first day of school can be daunting. Even the most laid-out plans don't get completed, nor do they need to. I find that instead of having a strict schedule for the first day, having activities and mini lessons planned works much better. So instead of giving you a schedule of what I did in my classroom on the first day of school (because of course I wrote it all out), I thought it would be better to share a few activities/ideas that I try to include every year and that you can do too!

1. Desk work

For the past few years I have taught first grade. When they arrived in the morning, I had the following page on their desk.

This is from Jen Jones at Hello Literacy. It is FREE and can be found here.

I chose a coloring sheet because it required no directions or explanation and the students could just get started while I was welcoming other students or talking with parents. Plus, the students loved to open their new box of crayons and start coloring.

2. Go over the "schedule."

As I mentioned earlier, there isn't necessarily a set schedule that you will follow for the first day, but let the students know what types of activities they will be doing. Many of them come in so nervous and just like to hear what they'll be doing to calm their nerves. Activities include reading books, lunch, recess, specials classes (if you have them that day), games, etc.

3. Read a few books.

One of the first things I do with my students is read to them. I want them to know how important I think reading is in the classroom, but also this is a familiar activity for them where they can just sit and enjoy. Here are a few of my first day favorites:

First Day Jitters by Julie Danneberg

The Night Before First Grade by Natasha Wing

The Kissing Hand by Audrey Penn

Chrysanthemum by Kevin Henkes

(I would have included a picture, but somehow I misplaced 3/4 of these books!)

After we read either First Day Jitters or The Night Before First Grade I will have the students discuss their feelings about the first day. Together we complete the following anchor chart from The Applicious Teacher.You can find it here.

You could either have the students write their name on a Post-It (smaller ones would be better than larger ones) or they could put an X on the chart above the picture.

4. Ice Breaker Activities

One of the activities that I have done the past few years is very simple. I put a piece of masking tape on the floor in the front of the classroom. Students will stand in the front. I will then ask them a question, like "Do you prefer chocolate or vanilla ice cream? Do you prefer math or reading? Cats or dogs?" Students will then stand on either side of the line depending on their choice. It is a fun way to get the students up and moving, get a little information about them, and help them see how they are alike and different from their classmates.

Here is a free list of questions that you can use!

5. All About Me Bags

At Meet the Teacher night I pass out these notes stapled to a brown paper bag. This is a free activity from Kindergarten Squared and can be found on TPT here.

 On the first day of school (or during the first week) students are asked to bring 5 items that represent themselves. I always share my bag first and then I ask 4-5 students to share theirs each day during the first week of school.

I brought a blue crayon (I like blue), a puzzle piece, chocolate bar, rubber duck (ducks are my favorite animal), and Spot It game (I love games!).

So those are a few ideas for the first day of school in a first grade classroom!