1. Name Tags
I love setting out huge name tags for my students on the first day. When they arrive, it doubles as an activity that they can do while waiting for class to start. First I print out every child's name as large as I can on legal sized paper. I use a hollow font so that the name is outlined with a blank area inside. I make the lines thick in Photoshop so that all the letters touch. I do this so that later the name can be cut out as one piece instead of as individual letters. I make sure to double check the spelling of each name, cause it would be awful to arrive on day one to see that your teacher had written your name wrong. As students arrive, I usher them to their seats and ask them to decorate their name. If they finish early, I have them also cut it out. After school, I put them up on a bulletin board that also has space to display a piece of work beside their name. It is an instant display. After all these years of teaching, I have found one thing to be true, kids everywhere LOVE to see their own work on display.
2. Get to Know you Activities
If students have been in the same school for a while, they will probably already know a lot of their classmates. But as things usually go, there are new students that have come in over the summer. It is so important for me to get the class started by introducing ourselves and getting to know about things we have in common. This can be done in a simple sharing style, like going around and saying your name and also something about you such as your favorite color, or even better, turn it into a game...who doesn't like a game? With nerves so high on day one, playing a game can be a non-threatening way to calm those nerves and help students get to know one another.
A simple game to get you started is just to have the students stand in a circle. Start with a ball. A student will throw the ball to another classmate and say their own name like, I'm April and you are ______. If they do not know the student's name, the other student will say his/her name and play will continue until all students have had the ball. Throw the ball around the entire circle several times (in the same order) to help students start to learn each other's name.
Another back to school game I really like is called Everybody in my Family. To play this game, students will be in a circle, with each student standing on a paper plate. One player, usually the teacher, will start out. He/she will be inside the circle. The player in the circle will say, "Everybody in my family...." and then will name one thing about them such as, "Everybody in my family is good at gymnastics." Or "Everybody in my family loves pizza." Or Everybody in my family has a sister." Then all the other students that have that in common with the player in the middle, will come off his/her plate and run to another plate. The student who does not get a plate goes to the middle and says something about their own family. You can continue to play for as long as you like, but usually 5 minutes or so is just right for a quick and easy way to get to know a bit about one another.
One other activity I love is to give each student a pair of Lego glasses (these can be purchased on Amazon) and a box of Legos to share. Students then use the Legos to build onto their glasses. They build something they like or you could have them build something to represent their favorite thing about school. Be sure to take pictures of each student as they finish their designs.
A new get to know you activity I tried last year was by the fabulous >>>>> She is the most amazing art teacher.
3. Team Building
If your classroom is like my classroom, students work in teams a lot. To help them learn to work together, I give them several team or class challenges that they work on during the back to school week. There are so many different types of challenges out there. I like to shake it up sometimes and try different ones that I have found.
A great activity from the book, Making Learning Magical, is to have students write down three of their favorite things. After they have written all three, take a little break to share with students some of your own favorite things. You can do this in a powerpoint (for older students) or as a show-n-tell (for younger students).
After sharing, pass out Play-doh to all the students. Tell them to use the Play-doh to sculpt one of their favorite things. As students work, be sure to walk around the class, engaging them in conversations about what they are making. Have them share with their groups what they have made.
During the next day of class, a fun way to bring it all together is to have them work in teams to find one thing they all have in common. The teams can create a poster, make an art project or another sculpture to share with the class what they have in common.
Another fun activity that I have done before is a spin off the show Chopped. This, however is an art challenge. Students get a bag of mystery supplies and they have to use what is in the bag to create something with their team. Teams will share their creations with the class. Teams are scored on how well they work as a team and also creativity and presentation.
These are just two activities that I will use this year, but there are so many amazing ways to get your teams working together.
4. S.T.E.M.
S.T.E.M. challenges are all the rage right now. These are great for helping students learn to work together and persist through an activity. There are really so many S.T.E.M. challenges that you can find for free by doing a search or that you can purchase from Teachers Pay Teachers.
5. Books
Books are a great way to calm nerves and also help set expectations for kindness from the first day. Some of my favorite books are:
First Day Jitters
Enemy Pie
Mean Jean Recess Queen
Each Kindness
Be Kind
There are just so many books to love and share.
In case you are looking for some back to school activities, you can check out some that I have available by clicking the labels below.
Art Team Building Activity
Bulletin Board Activity
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