From my observation, the first day isn’t just about handing out the schedule or reviewing the rules. It’s also about setting the tone for the rest of the year, making those important first contacts, and sparking the interest that keeps people learning. With each new group of students, I’ve changed, tweaked, and played with my first-day routine, always trying for a mix of fun, warmth, and excitement about the year to come. In this post, I’d like to tell you about some methods and activities that I’ve found helpful over the years and have made the first day of school a great way to start a good school year.
Whether you’re a new teacher getting ready for your first day or an experienced teacher looking for new ideas, I hope these tips will help make the first day of school memorable, interesting, and fun for your kids.
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How to Spend Your First Day of School
- Get yourself ready
If you get enough sleep and get to school early on the first day, you can double-check that your classroom is in order and that all the materials you need are easy. It also gives you time to think about your plans and prepare to meet your new kids. For example, you could use this time to practice how to say your students’ names or think of some personal stories you can tell as an introduction.
- Welcome Your Students
A warm welcome can set a good start to the school year. Stand at the door and smile at each student as they come in. As soon as you learn their names, be sure to use them.
Consider putting a welcome sign or a bright bulletin board near your classroom door. For example, you could put up a sign that says, “Welcome to 5th grade! Together, we’re going to have a great year of learning!” or a bulletin board with a word of welcome and some quotes or fun facts about what you’ll be learning this year.
- Activities to break the ice
Students can get to know each other and feel more comfortable in their new classroom by doing “icebreaker” activities. In “Two Truths and a Lie,” each student says two true things about themselves and one lie, and the rest of the class tries to figure out which one is the lie.
In “Human Bingo,” each student gets a bingo card with questions like “Has been to another country” or “Likes to draw” in the circles. Students go around the room and ask each other questions to find someone who fits each prompt. The first student to fill in a row or column on their card wins.
- Visit the classroom
A walk of the classroom helps students get used to their new surroundings. Walk around the room with your students and show them important places and things like the book corner, the art tools, the cubbies or lockers, and the bathrooms. You could even turn this into a fun treasure hunt by giving the kids a list of things or places to look for.
- Talk about the rules in class
Instead of just giving them a list of rules, have them help you set standards for the classroom. Start a conversation about why rules are important and what actions can help make the classroom a good place to learn. Then, lead a discussion process where students can develop their own rules.
This method not only gives students a sense of ownership and duty but also ensures they understand and agree with the standards because they helped make them.
How to Spend Your First Day of School
- Tell us about yourself
Personalizing the connection between the teacher and the students can be a great way to start the first day. Share some information about yourself, like your hobbies, favourite books, pets, or favourite places. You can also talk about why you love teaching and what made you want to become one.
- Schedule Overview
Giving kids a clear picture of what a normal day or week looks like helps them know what to expect and calms any first-day nerves. You could show them the different parts of the day and tell them when things like reading, math, science, exercise, lunch, and so on will happen. You can also talk about special things that happen every week, such as reading, computer lab, or physical education.
- Do something that will help you learn.
With a fun, hands-on game, you can start learning right away. This could be a group project where students work together to solve a problem. This easy science experiment excites them about how science works or an artistic activity connected to one of the subjects you’ll be teaching. For example, if you teach history, you could start with a game where students use hints to figure out which period they’ll be learning about first.
- Make goals for the coming year
Setting goals is a strong way to keep yourself going and improve yourself. Have your kids think about both what they want to learn and what they want to accomplish in their lives during the school year. They could write down their goals on a piece of paper and put it in a “goal box,” or they could make a “goal poster” that they could decorate and put up in the classroom.
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Leave on a good note
When the first day ends on a good note, students can feel excited and hopeful about the rest of the year. Tell your kids this year will be great and full of learning and growth. You could also have a short time for students to share what they liked best about their first day. This can give you a good idea of what your kids are interested in and help them get to know each other immediately.
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