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5 Fall Activities to Do With Your Elementary Students

September 22, 2023 teachersbrain Fall & Halloween, fall writing prompts, STEM, Teacher's Pay Teachers, Writing

Fall is in the air! Are you ready?

The fall colors and weather are a fantastic backdrop for outdoor exploration. It’s the perfect time to take your students on nature walks, scavenger hunts, and teach them about the changing seasons.

I always loved using this time of year as a chance to explore apples and pumpkins in lessons. These activities not only engage students but also provide opportunities for math, science, and sensory learning. 🍁🍂📚

If you are looking for some fall activities for elementary students, fall activity sheets, or fall worksheets, you are in the right place!

So what are some activities you can do during the fall season?

I have you covered! Here are 5 of my favorite fall themed resources to use this time of year!

Fall Scarecrow Writing Craft

This engaging fall activity will help your kids enjoy their writing time and provide a cute display for your classroom! Three different types of lines for you to choose from to make it perfect to individualize for your students.

Fall Math and Literacy Worksheets

Candy corn activities are so easy to get kids engaged in learning in the fall! Teach math, opinion writing, letter id, STEM and so more with this activity pack made around a candy corn theme! Learning made fun for fall time!

Fall Would You Rather Writing Activity

Would you Rather Prompts are great conversation starters, ice breakers or writing prompts. Use these interactive, editable Google Slides to easily have students show one or two fingers to share their choice.

Fall Directed Drawing

Show students how to draw fall images with their writing using these directed drawings for primary and intermediate grades in 5 simple steps. Pick and choose what works for you to create a journal or a gift for others!

Pumpkin Worksheets and Activities

Looking for a great plan with everything you need to teach students all about pumpkins? I have you covered with this math and literacy plan that includes crafts, writing, reading, bulletin board options, posters, and so much more!

I hope your students love these fall activities, crafts, and worksheets as much as mine did! Fall is such a great season to celebrate in the classroom, so don’t miss out on the wonderful opportunities that fall brings!

If you want more fall fun, check out these free fall printables!

What are your favorite fall activities for the classroom? Let me know in the comments!

5 Back To School Resources That Will Make Your Year Better

July 29, 2023 teachersbrain Back to School, Classroom Behavior Management, Classroom Decor, education

It’s almost time to head back to the classroom!

As we gear up to welcome our new students and reunite with the familiar faces, it’s essential to be equipped with the best resources to make this academic year a smashing success.

If you’re looking for back to school activities, classroom decoration ideas, classroom management resources, or back to school resources for teachers, you’re in the right place! I’ll be sharing some fantastic back-to-school resources that will help us create engaging lessons, foster a positive classroom environment, and make this school year the best one yet! 🚀

What do you do to welcome kids back to school?

It all starts with your classroom! Creating a warm and welcome environment can work wonders when it comes to easing students’ stress and making them feel comfortable. Add colors and even a fun classroom theme to bring life to a cold and bland classroom.

The next step is implementing a good classroom management system that will make expectations clear, and then you want to have some fun with back to school and get to know you activities!

Here are 5 back to school resources to get you started!

1. This Boho Rainbow Classroom Decor Bundle is adorable and welcoming!

back to school classroom decoration ideas

Create an inviting classroom decor with this calming boho Rainbow-themed set! This is a calm theme with editable pages to easily personalize. Use the suggested fonts or create your own.

What is in the download:

An Editable Calendar Set
Editable Birthday Chart
Editable Daily Visual Schedule
Classroom Jobs Set
Color Word Posters & Name Tags
An Alphabet Line (Print and Cursive)
Back to School Welcome Banners, Forms, Posters & Labels for Binders

2. Try out the Desk Pet Pals Classroom Management System

back to school classroom management system

Need a great way to help your class improve daily behavior? I have you covered with this editable Powerpoint and Google Slides! Use these slides to personalize editable text boxes. Use mini erasers or the virtual pets provided to improve student’s behavior.

This resource comes with everything you need to implement this fun and engaging resource including behavior contracts, charts, pet store price list, signs, writing prompts, pet personality posters, and so much more! Just add some pet erasers.

Try it out free here!

3. Wondering what’s a good activity for the first lesson? Try out this Back To School Gingerbread Man Campus Hunt activity!

back to school Ginger Bread Man Hunt resource

Are you looking for a back-to-school activity to help students learn where different locations are on your school campus? This is a week of lessons integrating reading with a campus hunt for the Gingerbread Man! There is enough to keep your kiddos busy for weeks learning with this fun theme. It is full of extras too! Check it out!

4. Try out this First Day Jitters Glitter Slime Activity to ease the nerves

Love reading First Day Jitters to your students to help them get rid of their nervousness during the first week of school? The Jitter Glitter Slime included in this week lesson plan is always a huge hit with students! Use this at the beginning of the year to get students excited about science and teach them about inferences!

5. Don’t forget a fun craft! Check out these First Day of School Hat Crafts

Looking for an engaging activity to do with students to celebrate the first day or week of school? Have them create their own first day of school hat to wear while using the provided writing prompt to explain their favorite part of the first day, and give them a certificate!

I hope you and your students love these resources and that you have a marvelous first day of school!
Want more back to school resources? Check out these beachy classroom decor ideas.

Creative Spring Activities for Kids That Students Will Love

March 24, 2023 teachersbrain Science, Teacher's Pay Teachers, Writing

Happy Spring!

This is such a wonderful time of year. The sun starts to shine again and flowers start to bloom. It’s definitely worth celebrating in the classroom. If you’re looking for spring activities for elementary students, you’re in the right place. I’m sharing some fun and engaging spring activities you can do with your students to welcome the season!

How do you celebrate spring with kids?

Whether you want to have a spring party with your students or just sprinkle some spring-themed activities into your lessons, these spring activities for school will get you started.

Planting: You can teach your students about plants and gardening by having them plant flowers or vegetables in the school garden or small pots in the classroom. This can be a fun and interactive way to teach kids about science and nature. For plant-themed resources, check out my resource here and here!
Nature Walk: Take a nature walk with your students and have them collect different types of flowers, leaves, and other items found in nature. Once back in the classroom, students can use these items to make art projects or create a nature journal.
Spring-themed Art Projects: There are many fun spring-themed art projects that you can do with your students, such as creating paper flowers, making spring-themed collages, or creating birdhouses or nests. Check out this adorable flower glasses craft!
Reading: Have students read spring-themed books and discuss the different aspects of spring, such as weather changes, new growth, and baby animals.
Science Experiments: You can do science experiments with your students, such as creating a rain gauge or exploring the different parts of a flower. Here is a fun resource to try!
Spring Poetry: Teach your students about poetry by having them write their own spring-themed poems. I love this fun and creative way to teach them about language and expression. Here’s a fun poetry resource to try!

These are all wonderful ideas, but my favorite activity is definitely my Spring-Themed Would You Rather resource.

This is a fun and creative way to get your students excited about writing. Would You Rather Prompts are great conversation starters, ice breakers, or writing prompts.

Use these interactive, editable Google Slides to easily have students show one or two fingers to share their choice. Then, they get to explain why they chose it by writing it out!

What is in this download?

53 Google Slides with a moveable highlighter to share your favorite or the class’s most popular choice.

50 Colorful WOULD YOU RATHER Slides
1 Digital Writing Prompt Paper
2 black and white ink-saving slides for handwriting practice

If you want to do this activity virtually, it’s totally possible and fun! Students can simply share a 1 or a 2 in the chatbox.

You can delete slides you don’t want to send to students and add your own directions or images to the sides of the slides to personalize. One of my favorite things about this resource is it can be used for any grade level!

Love this idea? I actually created it for every season too in this Seasonal Would You Rather Bundle.

You’ll get the spring resource plus the ones for summer, fall, and winter too!

What is in this download?

200+ Google Slides with a moveable highlighter to share your favorite or the class’s most popular choice.

This resource is great for virtual or in-person teaching

200+ Colorful Would You Rather Season-Themed Slides (Fall, Winter, Spring, Summer) 4 Resources Bundled
4 Digital Writing Prompt Paper
8 Black and White Ink-Saving Slides for Handwriting Practice.

Check it out here!

What are your favorite ways to celebrate spring in the classroom? Let me know in the comments!
Looking for more spring fun? Check out my post on Easter activities here!

Fun Alphabet Practice Activities For Kids

July 15, 2022 teachersbrain kindergarten survival, Reading, Teacher's Pay Teachers, Teaching Tips

Alphabet writing practice is one of the most important parts of preschool or kindergarten instruction. Getting familiar and comfortable recognizing, writing, and using the alphabet is a foundational skill that students will use for the rest of their lives! That’s why it’s so important to make it as fun as possible!

The more fun kids have, the more engaged in learning they will be!

How can I make learning the alphabet fun?

The sky is the limit when it comes to learning the alphabet. Here are some of my favorite alphabet activities for kids.

Stamp pads. Get some alphabet stamping supplies and let students have fun practicing letters with stamps
Finger paint. Let students get their hands dirty and finger-paint the letters.
Sand tables. This one is great if you have the supplies. Simply have students write their letters in the sand.
Shaving cream. Simply spray some shaving cream on each desk, spread it out, and let students write letters in it!
Lego Letters. Get out some Lego blocks and have students build the letters with them.
Pipe Cleaners. Twist pipe cleaners to make letters.
Dry Erase Boards. Practice writing and erasing letters with dry-erase markers and boards.
Sidewalk Chalk. Decorate the sidewalk with letters.
Have a letter scavenger hunt.
Play I Spy with the alphabet.

There are so many ways to get creative with learning the alphabet. If you are looking for some traditional alphabet practice sheets or even alphabet tracing worksheets, I have you covered!

This Alphabet Writing Practice Bundle comes with everything you need!

It comes with alphabet worksheets, alphabet tracing, and alphabet crafts for every letter A-Z!

These provide hands-on options as well as worksheets to help with busy mornings. Students will learn how to work independently after the first couple of letter sets are used because every unit follows the same pattern. There are plenty of things to choose from for the week if you are doing a letter a week. Students will practice fine motor skills with writing, cutting, and tracing.

What is the download?

LETTER A: 16 printables which include 3 crafts, a spinning game, letter identification, forming letters, playdough letters, BINGO daubing, tracing letters (upper and lowercase), letter sounds, and beginning sounds of words.
LETTER B: 16 printables which include 3 crafts, a spinning game, letter identification, forming letters, playdough letters, BINGO daubing, tracing letters, letter sounds, and beginning sounds of words.
LETTERS C-Z These will follow the same format as units for letters A & B, but with different crafts.

Want to try it out for FREE? Check out my free Alphabet Worksheets and Crafts resource here!

Let your students have a blast while they master identifying the upper and lowercase letters, reviewing the sound, writing letters, and creating crafts with these printable practice pages. These make morning work, literacy centers, small groups, or home reviews a breeze!

What’s in the download?

P. 1 Cover

p. 2 More Resources

P. 3 Letter Aa practice

P. 4 Letter B Mini Book

P. 5 Letter C Play-Doh Trace

P. 6-7 Letter A Alligator Craft

P. 8-9 Letter T Tiger Craft

P. 10 Color by Code Letter L

P. 11 Answer Key

P. 12 CREDITS

What are your favorite alphabet practice activities? Let me know in the comments!