The first part of the school year is an exciting time. Summer has come to end and students may be excited to get back into the classroom. There may be some students who aren’t as excited about school starting again but the structure is good for all students. Regardless of how your students feel, it is important to have some first week of school activities planned out to get everyone excited and involved. This is a great way to get to know your students, the students to get to know each other, and the students to get to know your classroom. Below are some activities that you can do with your students.

Classmate Bingo

Almost all of your students will know how to play bingo so this is one that can be done without much explanation. On the bingo card, you can have things that would describe other classmates. Examples of this would be, going camping this summer, who likes to read, or who has a dog. This will encourage your students to get to know their classmates and starts conversations with each other. It can also be played multiple times and they have to find new people each round. You could have mini prizes for each round such as erasers and pencils. 

All About Me Poster

A great way to kick off the new year is to have each student fill out an all about me poster or paper. This asks them questions about themselves. This is great because come to the end of the year you can have them do the same poster or paper again to see how much they have changed during that school year. Questions about who they want to be when they grow up, their favorite color or sport, and how tall they are. There could also be space for them to draw a picture. This will also show the growth in their handwriting. All about me posters are a great way to show growth in your students while learning about them. 

Create Classroom Rules 

Getting your students involved in how your classroom will be run is a great way to give them a sense of control. As a class, you can ask them questions about what kind of rules should there be within the classroom. Treating others the way you want to be treated is usually an answer that is given and a great rule to have. You may want to ask them questions about what kind of rewarding system should be put into place for them and what kind of rewards will motivate them. Having this discussion with your students allows you to see what is important to them and lets them contribute to how the classroom will run. 

Get to Know Your Students

One of the most important things you can do is get to know your students and how you can help them to learn. The first week of school can be a fun time full of activities that allow you to get to know your students and your students get to know their classmates. Whether you use classmate bingo, an all about poster, or creating classroom rules as a class, these all will start conversations in the classroom. Creating a safe and happy learning environment can make all the difference and these activities are a great start.