Back to school is busy and stressful but I alway try to make it fun and exciting for my students. Here are my top 5 EASY ways to make this back to school season your best ever:
Countdown to the First Day of School
Send your students some mail before they even get to school on the first day! This is as simple as printing out a pre-made countdown, or designing your own, and mailing one to each student. Kids always love to hear from their future teacher before the school year starts. This small step definitely helps to build up anticipation for the first day back. Click this link to download this simple back to school countdown!
First Day of School Challenge
A few years ago I spent about three weeks preparing my classroom and prepping for the school year ahead and completely neglected preparations for the first day back!! I was so thankful to have this activity on hand. I printed the pages on bright paper, placed one on each student desk and called it a day :)
This back to school challenge is such a great way to ease into the school year. I enjoy walking around and meeting each student. Their work product also gives me an idea of their academic abilities right from the get go. This activity is perfect for grades 3-5. Click this link to take you to this back to school challenge!
Classroom Jobs: HELP WANTED!
Teachers can ALWAYS use an extra hand. I love to farm out small tasks to students at the beginning of the year. They love to feel useful and involved in the daily operation of the classroom and it takes these tasks off your plate! Definitely a win-win situation.
Since each job involves a small amount of training I have students read summaries of the jobs and apply for their top three. We go through this process twice a year: once at the beginning of the year and once after our winter break. Because students hold these jobs for months at a time they get to know it VERY well and can even help train their replacement come January :)
My biggest mistake my first year teaching was switching out jobs every week. It was SO much extra work and students weren’t able to complete their jobs properly because we didn’t have time for proper training. I highly recommend the twice-a-year method to control the chaos!
Download these classroom job classifieds here.
Back to School Games
These back to school games are perfect for that first week back as students are getting to know one another. Rotate your students through these four stations: This or That, Tic Tac Toe, Ring Toss and Paint your Self Portrait. Use the self portraits and this or that pages to be the first teacher on your hallway to have a bulletin board decorated! Download these games here.
Back to School Escape Room
In between assigning classroom jobs and reviewing routines and structures for the year, this is a perfect way to dust off the cobwebs and review math skills from the previous school year! No prep is involved in this digital activity.
In this escape room, your school's data system has been breached and all information from last year has been erased. Students will work through a series of math questions that will provide them with the secret codes necessary to break through digital walls and restore the school's data!
Students will work through slides that are designed to look and function like a video game. If students can answer all the problems correctly they will escape the game and win! Click this link to watch a preview of this activity or to download this back to school escape room.
How do you make the back to school season exciting for your students? Let me know below in the comments!