Easy and Fun First Week Back to School Activities

Get ready for the new school year! Teachers will be starting tomorrow, and our first day with students is coming up on Monday. I can’t wait to show you my awesome first week lesson plans and the resources I’ll be using for the first week. Let’s make this school year the best one yet with these easy and fun first week back to school activities!

Morning Activities

• Roll and Respond {Freebie}
  
• What’s in Your Math Toolbox?
  
• A Growth Mindset Craftivity
  
• Behavior Stories

• First, we chat about and make a list of what they learned in math in 1st grade
• Then, they make predictions about what they will learn in 2nd-grade math
• Next, I hand out their math workbooks and let them look through the pages and we go back to the prediction and see what we can add/change
• There is always this “Math in the Real World” type drawing page in the front of the book so they do that and we share
• If there is time (there usually is), we play Trash Can Math

• dominoes
• base 10 blocks
• 2-sided counters
• geoboards
• Unifix cubes
• shapes

Rules and Expectations

After our AM recess, it’s all about more rules and expectations (so fun!) Well, I have tried to spice it up by breaking down each expectation and connecting it so it has more meaning and using kinesthetic activities like the (free!) roll and respond.  Students can better understand the “why” of our class rules if we dig a little deeper.

One of my favorite first week back to school activities is a simple read aloud. I read a book almost every day and we discuss the character’s behavior.  I also use fictional short stories during the first week and throughout the year when we need a reminder about behavior in our classroom and around the school. In each story, the student is making both positive and negative choices. We talk about what they are doing well and what they could improve upon. There are also sheets for written reflection.

Afternoon Activities

After a morning filled with serious tasks, I decided to liven things up in the afternoon with interactive, game-like activities. Let’s be honest, by that time everyone is tired of talking and feeling a bit zoned out. These activities will get students up and moving! My main goal for the afternoon was to foster a sense of community and help everyone get to know each other better. This is crucial for building a strong classroom environment and setting expectations.

• This School Year Will Be the Best {freebie}
• All About Me bunting {freebie}
• Getting to Know You Four Corners
• Be a Reading Expert
• Back to School Scoot
• Find a Friend Freebie
• Back to School Jeopardy

Wohoooo! First weeks, while a bit intimidating at times, can be incredibly rewarding. Engaging students with fun and informative activities helps make them feel more comfortable with the class structure and helps build a better classroom environment for the year. I hope that first week back to school activities and lesson plans will give you and your students an exciting start to the school year.

DOWNLOAD A COPY OF THESE PLANS