first day of school Archives

7 Must-Have Activities for the First Day of School in Kindergarten and First Grade

July 25, 2025 teachersbrain Back to School, kindergarten survival, Teaching Tips

The first day of school in kindergarten or first grade is a whirlwind of emotions for both students and teachers! Excitement, nerves, big hugs (and sometimes a few tears) are all part of the day. The key to a smooth start is having a plan packed with simple, engaging activities that build routines, calm nerves, and make students feel welcome.

Here are 7 must-have first day of school activities that are fun, purposeful, and perfect for early elementary classrooms:

1. Follow a Ready-to-Go Lesson Plan

Having an organized plan helps you feel confident, even when the unexpected pops up. These editable plans are packed with engaging, developmentally appropriate activities:

Each plan includes a full day of learning, fun, and community-building!

2. Kick Things Off with a Crown

Start the day by celebrating! Let students decorate and wear their own First Day of School Hats. These hats make adorable photo ops and help everyone feel special from the moment they walk in.

3. Calm First-Day Nerves with Jitter Glitter

A little sparkle goes a long way! Make Jitter Glitter or Slime as a quick science activity that doubles as an emotional support tool students can take home.

4. Incorporate Simple, Engaging Activities

Need low-prep tasks that keep kids focused while you handle logistics? These First Day of School Activities for Kindergarten include fine motor, writing, and name activities that are perfect for little hands and big feelings.

5. Create a First Day Banner

Have students complete their own pennant and string them together to create a class banner! This First Day of School Pennant Banner makes a sweet keepsake and doubles as your first bulletin board.

6. Practice Simple Routines

Use songs, visuals, and modeling to introduce classroom routines like lining up, snack time, or using supplies. Keep it simple and repeat often!

7. End the Day with a Celebration

Wrap things up with a first-day certificate, group picture, or dance party to end on a high note. The goal? Make sure students are excited to come back tomorrow!

With a little planning and the right resources, your first day can be both memorable and manageable.

🎉 Check out all my first day of school activities here!
Looking for more back to school ideas? Check out my post here!

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.

How To Have A Stellar First Day Of First Grade

June 4, 2021 teachersbrain Back to School, Teaching Tips

The school year is wrapping up everywhere so it is time for teachers to start preparing for next year! If you are a first grade teacher, it is fun because school is still so exciting and new to the students.

The great thing about that is that even though school is still relatively new to them, this isn’t their first experience with it. This means they have a little more confidence and independence than they did in kindergarten.

Here are some tips for having an amazing first day of first grade:

Get to know each other! One of the biggest reasons for those first-day jitters is that students aren’t familiar with each other yet. Spend the first day playing some ice breaker games or crafts. You can pair students up for some activities so they can start developing friendships from the start.
Make sure to cover the rules. They may be familiar with a lot of them because they are likely similar to kindergarten rules, but summer break is a long time so it is always good to reiterate what is expected. Don’t forget to cover rules for the classroom, lunchroom, recess, and hallways.
Read books about the first day of school. Everyone loves a good book! Reading some about the first day of school is a fun way to illustrate how even though you may be nervous, it will all turn out okay.
Explain how your classroom schedule will go. Explaining to students what they can expect when they come into school is another great way to ease some of their nerves. Don’t forget to review going-home procedures so they are all prepared at the end of the day.

After 20 years of teaching, I created an easy and detailed first day of first grade lesson plan! This includes a full day of detailed lesson plans with printables, links, editable plans, suggested plans, ideas, and activities!

Here is what’s included:

31 printables including detailed lesson plans, links, planning checklists, Welcome to First Grade welcome sheet, directions for the icebreaker name game, materials for First Day Jitters, name crafts, a photo poster, an All About Me Home Connection activity, name tags, and certificates!
An Editable PowerPoint to easily add students’ names to certificates, crafts and edit your own lesson plans
Classroom rules posters
Gingerbread Man hunt to find all the important locations at school!
Morning greeting and goodbye posters

Everything you need for an amazingly fun first day of first grade!

Love these ideas but teaching kindergarten? Check out my post here.

First Day Of Kindergarten Activities Your Students Will Love

May 21, 2021 teachersbrain Back to School, kindergarten survival, Teaching Tips

It’s time to start thinking about the new school year! If you are a kindergarten teacher, it can be especially exciting because you are preparing for a year with brand new students who have never been to school before!

You are probably exhilarated, and your kids are excited too and maybe a little scared but that’s okay! You are more than prepared for a fun learning experience with lesson plans and activities that will keep your little ones busy every step of the day, right?

If you aren’t quite prepared yet, that’s okay! I’m here to help. Being well prepared for the first day of kindergarten (there will likely be tears!), will save you so much time in the long run. Your transition times will be kept to a minimum and it will save your sanity!

Here are some tips for having a stellar first day of kindergarten with your students:

Make it fun! As mentioned above, a lot of kindergarten students have never experienced school before so, understandably, they will probably be pretty nervous about this new experience. Once they start having fun in the classroom, they will realize how great learning can be! Playing some get-to-know-you games is a great first day of school activity.
Read some fun books. Find a great story to read together and do a simple craft to go along with the story. You can encourage your students to share what the story was about with their caregivers at home.
Discuss rules. This one isn’t as fun but it is necessary to make sure expectations are set from the very first day. Make sure to cover classroom rules, recess rules, and lunchroom rules so they know what to expect all day long.
Review going home procedures. This is a very important piece of information to cover. Going over what each student will do at the end of the day will alleviate some of the stress that usually comes along with that part of the first day.

To help your first day go off without a hitch, I created my First Day Of School Kindergarten Activities Resource. It includes a full lesson plan!

Included you’ll get:

33 first day of school printables (includes detailed lesson plans, links, planning checklists, Welcome to Kindergarten coloring sheet, directions for a fun name game, name crafts, photo frames, A Kissing Hand Home Connection activity, name tags, certificates, and more!)
Editable PowerPoint to easily add students names to certificates, crafts and edit your lesson plans
Classroom rules posters
Gingerbread Man hunt to find all the important locations at school
How I Get Home hats

Everything you need for a fun and successful first day!

What are your favorite activities for the first day of school? Let me know in the comments!

Want some more kindergarten teaching tips? Check out these kindergarten homework ideas!