Summer is winding down, Target’s shelves are fully stocked with school supplies, and we all know what that means…back to school is right around the corner. I hate to see summer go, not because I actually get to sit down and eat a meal or go to the bathroom whenever I’d like or anything. In all seriousness, I have thoroughly enjoyed my summer and freedom but back to school brings another level of excitement.
Back to school allows for renewal and a fresh start with an entirely new set of first-graders! I wanted to share some of my favorite tips to help you kick off the back-to-school season with excitement and fresh ideas. Who doesn’t love easy to implement ideas for back to school that will positively affect the school year?
Tip #1 Get to Know Your Students
First and foremost, take the time to truly get to know your students. I do my best to live by this. Take the time to get to know them by learning about their home life, their favorite things, and what they are most excited about or nervous about. Here are some of my favorite activities for getting to know my students at the beginning of the year. Be sure to build rapport with parents and form that line of communication. It goes a long way! When your students feel safe, cared for, and loved, you will see amazing learning and growth within your classroom walls.
And I also make it a goal to know my students’ names by the end of the day! During the first week of school, I set aside time with each student individually, and by the end of the week, I can communicate with each family about how excited I am that their child is in my class and all of the fun things I learned about them.
Tip #2 Build Your Classroom Community
One tip I have learned throughout my years of teaching is to lay the groundwork right away. Plant the seeds of what you want your classroom to look like; for me, it’s a strong classroom community. I want my room to feel like a home away from home and be a school family. But to create a family-like community, teaching and modeling is essential. Your students are always watching and listening whether it’s a conversation with another teacher, parent, principal or so on- they are listening! Trust me. Model the behavior that you want your students to emulate. When laying the foundation for a strong classroom community, I always make sure to include team-building activities. Those first few days, we spend time playing games, participating in class projects, and having a ton of conversations. Team-building activities are a staple in my classroom, and it’s a great way to break the ice and bring students together. I also include read-alouds with extension activities. We Don’t Eat Our Classmates is one of my most favorite activities to do during back-to-school. Remember during that first week that it’s ok to feel like you aren’t doing much teaching. Remember that relationship building and establishing a safe and inclusive classroom is the backbone of learning.
Tip #3 Establish Your Seating Arrangement FIRST!
I know some teachers get plenty of time to set up their classrooms perfectly, while I know some who only get 24 hours. My biggest piece of advice is to arrange your seats, then the rest will follow. Map out what resources you will want your students to access regularly: supplies, word walls, bookshelves, or anchor charts. Literally, sit at the desk and think about what makes the most sense for your vision. Once you have come up with a seating arrangement, whether it be tables, circles, rows, then you can decorate your room!
Tip #4 Use Push-Pins
We all have that one thing that makes us cringe, right? Well…mine is crooked or uneven bulletin boards. They drive me nuts, and I used to work so hard thinking they were perfect to step off my chair and find they weren’t. Now, I start with push-pins to hang everything. I gather all my resources and bulletin board supplies, hang it all up, then step back and decide how it looks. Once it’s where I want it, then I staple. And, voila! It removes a ton of stress from battling bulletin boards, and everything looks how I want it to look. If you’re looking for new bulletin board ideas, check out my Growth Mindset board, too!
Tip #5 Cover Those Fabrics!
Let’s be real for a second, teachers spend a lot of their own money on their classrooms, and nothing hurts more than having to replace things every single year. This tip was a total GAME CHANGER for me. I was constantly replacing cushions, pillows, chair covers, you name it I was probably replacing it until I discovered waterproof fabric shower curtains! I no longer had to worry about accidents, spills, paint, play-dough, or markers…seriously the liquid doesn’t soak in. My bench is covered with one, and it’s lasted me for years. Seriously, it’s a game-changer!
Tip #6 Portable Sound and/or Word Wall
I love discovering little hacks that make my life easier, but when they help my students is a whole different level of happiness. It can be hard to copy when you are little, especially from halfway across the room. I discovered creating a portable word wall has helped my first-graders SO much. It’s simply my regular word wall but on a ring for students to quickly grab the ring, copy the word, and put it back when they’re done. It gives them a break from squinting, adds some movements, and helps keep students accountable. This is one of those tips that I will never ever not use. You can grab the editable word wall here.
Tip #7 Enjoy it!
Have fun and enjoy the ride! I’ve been teaching for a long, long time, and I will tell you the back-to-school season fades quickly, and the next thing you know, you’re moving and grooving in an excellent routine. Take these first couple weeks to read fun books about a new school year like the Pigeon Series and plan engaging activities for your students. This bundle has some of my favorites, from an All are Welcome craftivity to recipes for friendships. I always remind myself how important those first few weeks are for laying the foundation for the rest of the year, so use it wisely!
If you are looking for first week of school lesson plans to build your classroom community and get to know your students, I’ve got you covered! I compiled all of my favorite activities in this back to school first week of first grade lesson plans and activities unit.
I hope you all have a fabulous year! Feel free to share your favorite back-to-school tip with me in the comments.
