September Classroom Activities: Make Fall Learning Fun and Engaging
As leaves fall and the temperatures drop, students in elementary classrooms settle into the routine of a new school year. While students may be nervous about being in a new grade in a new classroom with a new teacher, September creates a sense of ease.
The initial worry over the first day of school is over, and students see how exciting the year will be. These September classroom activities are exciting, interactive, and hands-on with the amazing Fall teaching ideas and activities below!
Many teachers just like you have commented and let me know what activities they enjoy doing during the month of September. I have curated some of the most common September classroom activities I saw and also added a few more fall teaching ideas of my own.
When you’ve gotten to the end of this blog post, keep scrolling to see all of the comments and get even more teaching ideas for the month of September!
Fall Classroom Craft Ideas
As students begin their journey in a new classroom, they are often scared to make mistakes. Many times, they don’t know how their teachers or classmates will react. However, it is imperative that students realize that everyone makes mistakes.
Fall Leaves Craft – Mistakes are Opportunities to Learn
Thankfully, the Fall Leaves Craftivity shows how mistakes are learning opportunities. Students write or draw about what they do when they “fall down” and make a mistake. They also reflect on people they can go to for support when making mistakes, what they learn from mistakes, and encouraging words. Ultimately, students can build so much empathy for each other and themselves with this activity!
This craft pairs well with the book ‘The Girl Who Never Made Mistakes.’
Back-to-School Bus Craft
While building empathy, students get to know each other. This is essential when developing a strong classroom community. However, building conversation is hard when students are falling into September. They are still nervous and hesitant around each other. Luckily, the Back-to-School Bus Craftivity is the perfect way for students to learn about their classmates and classroom! Specifically, students focus on sharing all about themselves, reflecting on their first day, being good classmates, and following class rules. Students will love getting to know each other with this craft!
Painted Kindness Rocks
Spreading kindness is crucial during September. Students need to know they are around supportive classmates. Thankfully, they can spread kindness through a fun classroom activity involving rocks and paint.
Students can paint rocks with fun fall designs and a kind word or message. This includes leaves and pumpkins. Have students place the rocks around areas of the school, such as the playground and entrance/exits.
Truthfully, it is one of the best feelings to see how excited students are when finding a rock!
Ice-Breaker September Classroom Activities as Students Continue to Get to Know One Another
Engaging students in ice-breaking activities can help them relax, build rapport, and foster a sense of camaraderie. Even if you’re teaching online, setting the stage for the school year is important.
While I have 40+ Back-to-School Ideas in another post, here are a few favorite ones mentioned in the comments below:
- Link hands & pass a hula hoop
- Building the tallest tower with cups – this is a great STEM activity!
- Passing a ball of yarn to “weave a web” to show we are all connected & if one person lets go – the whole thing falls apart. I call this a Spider Web and have more details in this post.
- ‘Getting to know you’ scavenger hunts where students seek out classmates who match certain criteria encourage interaction and help students learn about each other.
- Send home an All About Me sheet. Have students fill out the sheet and then add pictures of their family on the back. Spend the first month sharing students’ sheets. Once everyone has shared, put the All About Me sheets in a classroom book. Have each student take the book home to share about their classmates. Students get really excited to bring the class book home.
- The ‘Saving Fred’ activity, another favorite, reviews classroom partner work expectations while incorporating the scientific method
- Another unique and humorous ice-breaker involves a roll of toilet paper. Each student takes as much as they want and then must share a fact about themselves for each square they took. This fun activity inevitably leads to laughter and helps students open up about their interests and experiences.
- Lower grades can engage in a ‘Back to School’ Kahoot game or a ‘This or That’ game which is a fun way to learn about the students.
- Create a time capsule and save it until the end of the school year.
- I “Moustache” You A Question where students write questions they have for the teacher on sticky notes. As an end-of-the-day routine during September answer a few of the questions. It is a great way to start some really fun conversations
Set Classroom Norms Throughout the Month of September
Instead of prescribing rules, involve students in creating ‘class norms.’ Have students create posters of the agreed-upon norms. When students illustrate the norms and see them posted on the walls, it increases their sense of ownership and commitment to maintaining a positive classroom environment.
Here are examples of Back to School Anchor Charts that focus on our roles as teachers, students, and parents. Also included are ideas about what makes a good friend and what students can do at home in different subject areas. These are great starting points in setting classroom norms.
Thematic Teaching Ideas for September
Thematic teaching in September provides a unique and engaging approach to kick-start the academic year. This method facilitates a comprehensive learning environment, merging academic subjects like Math, Science, and English around a central theme. Thematic learning not only makes education more enjoyable and significant but also fosters a sense of community as students collaborate and share experiences.
Here are a few thematic teaching ideas for September:
Learn about 9/11
In September, consider dedicating some time to honoring the heroes of 9/11. While you can focus on traditional human heroes, you can also delve into the stories of the dog heroes of 9/11. Extend the learning and create an opportunity to meet and learn about the incredible ways your local K9 officers contribute to the safety of your community.
Teach about Estimation and Three-Digit Addition with LeaveS
A perfect way to bring the tranquil feeling of Fall into the classroom involves the Fall Leaves Craft with Math and Art. Students create a beautiful fall tree with colorful dots.
Then, they apply their three-digit addition strategies to figure out how many dots they have on their sheet, as a table group and as a whole class. Students can work on estimating and seeing how close their guess was to the right answer.
Students even use addition strategies to see how many dots the whole class has!
Grandparents Day Interview
September is also a great time to celebrate Grandparents Day with the students. One activity I personally love to do involves the students interviewing their grandparents about their childhood experiences. It’s not only a wonderful intergenerational interaction but also a rich, real-life history lesson.
Students prepare questions on what life might have been like when their grandparents were children, covering topics like school, entertainment, holidays, and even the fashion trends of the era.
After the interviews, we compile these stories into a class “History Book”, celebrating the shared journey of our ancestors. The students relish hearing these personal narratives and it often sparks lively discussions about how times have changed.
It’s a wonderful initiative that brings the past alive and enriches our understanding of history.
Apple Teaching Ideas for September
A popular theme for September month is ‘Apples and Johnny Appleseed’, which encompasses various activities ranging from making homemade applesauce to conducting science experiments on apple oxidation or decomposition.
Consider making apple sauce and discuss the science behind the process, including concepts like reversible and irreversible changes and the oxidation of apples. While you’re at it, investigate the life cycle of apples, read about Johnny Appleseed, and discuss legends and folktales.
If you teach upper elementary, you too can learn all about apples! I created these resources just for older students and teachers who love thematic teaching. This All About Apples unit focuses on reading comprehension, science, social studies, and math. All of the components are apple-themed.
Learn about Labor Day
Looking for engaging Labor Day activities for your 2nd-5th graders?
Check out this comprehensive unit that combines history and reading!
Students will learn about the importance of Labor Day through informative text, vocabulary building, and comprehension activities.
Perfect for making the most of this holiday!
Science Teaching Ideas for September
Nature is so beautiful during fall. The leaves are turning red, orange, and yellow. Fall-themed vocabulary, books, and leaf change activities engage students in understanding and celebrating the season. Embrace the change of seasons with fall-themed science activities.
Explore the Science Behind the Changing Colors of Leaves
Have students explore the photosynthesis of deciduous trees. We have a third-grade and a fourth-grade science station designed just for this!
In the third grade station, students investigate how colors can be found in other colors, demonstrating how there are many colors in leaves, including green, yellow, and brown.
The investigation uses chromatography and includes student text about photosynthesis and chlorophyll, in addition to the actual investigation.
The fourth-grade science station goes deeper. Students explore the colors of autumn leaves and why leaves change in the Fall.
Students explore what leaves need for photosynthesis how chlorophyll is not the only pigment in leaves and what happens to chlorophyll in the Fall.
Nature Scavenger Hunt
If you have younger students, consider going on a nature scavenger hunt, collecting leaves, sticks, twigs, etc. End the activity by using the items found on the nature scavenger hunt to create a bookmark. Laminate the bookmark for students to use for the rest of the school year.
While on a nature scavenger hunt collect seeds from a garden that students grew in the spring. Learn about the beginning of the plant life cycle and continue into the following spring. This can even be the beginning of a year-long garden project.
Goal Setting Activities for September
September is the time for all of the back-to-school assessments. Look at where students are at right now and make plans on how to move them forward, both academically and behaviorally.
Have students write a letter to themselves that will be opened at the end of the school year. In the letter have students set some goals about what they want to learn this year. This can be a part of the time capsule activity!
Consider having students set strategic behavior goals and create a plan of action to accomplish the goal. Don’t forget to check in with students at the end of the month to see if they accomplished their goal!
Read the book Fair is Fair and explain to students that fair means everyone gets what they need, not everyone gets the same things. This can be super helpful when students notice you are differentiating work. You can refer back to the book and explanation of fair vs. the same.
September is an emotionally strong month for students. They are excited about a new year but still nervous about all the unexpected. Thankfully, the September classroom activities above will build communication and collaboration among all classmates!
I love when students make their name plates and explain the meaning of their name. Learning how to pronounce their names and story behind their name is a great way to start the new year!
In September, I like to have my students complete an “All About Me” activity. Except this year, I’m going to have them take home a poster to work on with their family. Then they will share with the class their posters. I also like to take photos of each student at the beginning of the year to hold onto them until the end of the school year. Then I will take an end of 5th grade photo. These photos will be used for our Moving on Ceremony. I also like to start of the school year with a self-portrait art project (Paul Klee Self-portraits).
I live in rural Vermont. I like to start the school year science unit by bringing in / helping students find monarch caterpillars. I bring them into the classroom for the students to watch the process of metamorphosis. I also tie in books & projects involving art, calendar, etc.
One of my favorite activities at the beginning of the year is “me” boxes. their homework for the first week of school is to work with their gown-ups to cover and decorate their shoe box, and put 3 items that they want to share in the box. They also complete a worksheet with information about themselves. Each day a student is chosen to be the Student of the Day. They share their me box and then get to choose 5 students to ask additional questions to learn more about them. We then do a shared writing creating an “article” about them where I am able to model good writing daily. We read the article together and then students draw a picture of the student of the day and write a 1-2 sentences for or about the student. The papers are sent home in a Student of the Day folder to share with their families. I keep the SOTD self portrait and writing and put them into a class book. I love getting to know my students this way and they love getting to know their new classmates.
We do lots of classroom building activitis activities such as Find Someone Who…, creating a class motto, writing our goals for the year, and creating a class agreement for expectations.
By the time September begins, my school district will have been in school for 1 month. During the month of September, I focus on having my students using and understanding literary elements in preparation to begin writing “spooky stories” and creating dioramas to be displayed during the month of October.
Sometime in the first couple of weeks, I like to give my students a list of instructions, not all students end with the correct final result. It demonstrates how important it is to read instructions!
I like to read “First Day Jitters” and make jitter juice. We also do an “ All About Me” activity. I always start a new chapter book, the kids love “Charlie and the Chocolate Factory”.
I love to work on making connections with each student. We play a lot of games that help me to get to know my students. These connections create the foundation for the year. The games also work to build a classroom community.
I love making applesauce with my class! We also enjoy going on a nature walk and looking at all of the fall colors and playing apple themed math games.
We raise and release Monarch butterflies. Students get to watch an egg hatch, the caterpillar grow, the forming of the chrysalis, and the emerging butterfly.
I love to begin My National Heritage Month – by working on projects for Hispanic Heritage.
I love doing goal sheets. Having a conversation about setting goals, how to track progress, and why it’s helpful. Giving the students some ownership in regards to their education.
Everything fall. Apple lessons, we visit local pumpkin patches.
I love to start off social studies by teaching the oceans/continents through song and review. Then we make a paper mache globe as a culminating activity. Messy but fun!
My first graders will learn tons about apples and Johnny Appleseed in September. We do lots of art with apples throughout the month and end the unit with our apple celebration. We make crockpot applesauce and apple pie in a cup. The room smells SO good all day!
get to know your students -Time Capsule
Have the class due an “about me” print out. Then “bury” the papers in a certain spot until the end of the year. In May have the class do the same print out about themselves. Then you get to see the change in each student.
My favorite activities in September focus on the heroes of 9/11. Kids are so engaged throughout our entire unit, and they especially love learning about the dog heroes of 9/11. 🙂 I’m hoping this year we will be able to meet and learn about the amazing ways our local K9 officers help keep our community safe. Thank you!! 🙂
Sharing experiences, talking and doing Chicka Chicka boom boom activities
I like to play Getting to Know You Bingo to allow my students to find out what they have in common with their peers.
September is all about place value – I love using hands on activities with my students using manipulatives to make sure they truly understand place value!
All about apples ! Life cycle of them !
I’m loving the applesauce in a crockpot idea I saw in the comments. New Kinder teacher here and looking forward to finding out what my favorite fall activities are as time goes on!
My favorite thing to teach in September is ELA. I love seeing students progress from knowing letters to reading CVC sentences. I like to use fall based sentences and letter/sound activities. I can’t wait for my students to become readers!
My first and second graders always enjoy doing teambuilding activities during the first week of school. Linking hands & passing the hoola hoop; building the tallest tower with cups; or passing a ball of yarn to “weave a web” to show we are all connected & if one person lets go – the whole thing falls apart.
I love to go on nature walks where we collect pretty leaves and flowers and take them back to paste in a scrapbook. We write about our day and what we found all around them!
Two of my favorite fall activities to do with my students are going on a nature scavenger hunt, collecting leaves, sticks, twigs, etc., and ending the activity by taking the items found on the nature scavenger hunt and creating a bookmark that I will laminate for them to use the rest of the school year.
My favorite activities to do in September are giving my students escape rooms to review the skills that I’ve taught them so far this year.
Getting to know you activities and building relationships. This is vital between staff and students and peers to peers to encourage collaboration, success in socioemotional and academics, and building respect for one another.
I love September activities. We usually write a letter to ourselves that will be opened at the end of the school year and set goals, targets, and a plan of action for a successful school year.
I like to build reading stamina with the class. We create a graph showing how many minutes they can read independently each day while following our class expectations for that (no talking, eyes on the book, etc.) It usually takes at least a couple weeks but then it’s that much more exciting when we get to our goal of 20 minutes!
I love doing any activities that help me to get to know my students better. One of my favourites is to do teambuilders. I love keeping it fun in the first week to give students a chance to adjust and get comfortable in the classroom.