30 First Day of School Activities for Elementary Students
The first day of school activities, you choose, sets the tone for everything that follows. Students are nervous, curious, and watching everything you do — and the right mix of icebreakers, community building, and creative activities can turn that anxious energy into something that actually works in your favor.
These are 30 first day of school activities for elementary classrooms that help students feel at home, learn each other’s names, and give you a real picture of who you’re working with this year.
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Icebreakers and Name Games for the First Day of School
The earlier students know each other’s names, the faster the classroom starts to feel like a community. These icebreakers are low-pressure, easy to run, and genuinely fun — even for students who are shy.
1. Beach Ball Icebreaker
Write questions on a beach ball with a permanent marker before the day starts. Sit in a circle, toss the ball, and whoever catches it answers any question visible on the ball before tossing it to someone else. It gets students talking without putting anyone too much on the spot. Works at every grade level. Grades K–5.
2. Just Like Me
Sit in a large circle. One student stands and shares something they did over the summer. Any student who did the same thing stands up and says “Just like me!” enthusiastically, then sits back down. Students quickly discover what they have in common, and the energy in the room picks up fast. Grades K–5.
3. Human Bingo / Find Someone Who
Give each student a bingo-style card with squares like “flew on an airplane” or “has a dog.” Students walk around the room, finding classmates who fit each square and writing their name in it. The first student to fill the whole board wins. This is also called Find Someone Who — you can grab a free version to use right away. Grades 1–5.
4. Two Truths and a Lie
Each student shares three “facts” about themselves — two true and one made up. The class guesses which one is the lie. Prepare for some creative answers and a lot of laughter. It’s also a good way for you to learn surprising things about your students early on. Grades 2–5.
5. Teacher Q&A
Let students ask you questions — favorite food, favorite color, favorite animal, anything they want to know. You can answer on the spot, or turn it into a quiz where they guess your answers first. Students love knowing something personal about their teacher, and it establishes right away that you’re a person, not just a classroom authority figure. Grades K–5.
6. Play a Name Game
Pick one name game and do it. Any of them. A classic: each student says their name and something they like that starts with the same letter (Marcus likes movies, Sarah likes soccer). Every time students hear each other’s names in a structured context, the names stick a little better. Here are 37 name games if you want options for different grade levels. Grades K–5.
Community Building Activities for Elementary Students
Community doesn’t happen automatically — it’s built deliberately, especially in those first days. These activities give students a shared experience to point back to all year.
7. Community Building Puzzle
Leave a puzzle piece and box of crayons on each desk before students arrive. When they walk in, they write their name and color every inch of the piece. Later in the day, the class assembles the puzzle together — and it becomes a bulletin board display titled something like “A Perfect Fit for a Perfect Year.” It’s a calm morning activity that gives you time to greet families at the door, and the finished puzzle stays up all year as a reminder that everyone belongs. Get the Community Building Puzzle here. Grades K–5.
8. Getting to Know You Small Group Craftivity
Break students into small groups and give each group paper shapes to cut out and decorate. Students complete sentence starters like “I feel appreciated when…” and share within their group. It’s a quiet, creative way for students to learn something real about the people they’re sitting with. Find the full activity here. Grades 1–5.
Getting to Know You Small Group Craftivity for Back-to-School
Help your students learn to work together as a team within their table groups. This folding person craftivity asks students to reflect on what they can do to effectively work with other students.
9. Classroom Cheer
Spend a few minutes at the end of the first day brainstorming a class cheer together. Students love contributing to something that belongs to the whole group, and you’ll use it all year to celebrate wins. Keep it simple, silly, and theirs. Grades K–5.
10. Start a Community Circle
A community circle is one of the most useful routines you can establish from day one. Students sit together, share ideas and feelings, and learn to listen to each other. Use it on the first day to introduce yourselves, talk about hopes for the year, or just decompress at the end of the day. The routine pays off all year long. Grades K–5.
Need ideas of questions you can ask your students? This post directs you to the right question for the right purpose.
11. Social Contract
Post four large papers around the room, each with a different question: How do I want to be treated by the teacher? By other students? How do I treat the teacher? How do we solve conflicts? Students write answers on sticky notes and place them on the posters. Then small groups sort the responses and identify the most common themes. The result becomes the class’s Social Contract — a set of expectations students helped create. Because they made it, they own it. Grades 3–5.
12. Class Mission Statement
Work with students to write a class mission statement or pledge they recite each morning. It connects naturally to student goal setting — once students define who they are as a class, they can set goals that align with it. Even younger students can contribute to a simple class promise. Grades 1–5.
13. What I Really Want to Learn
Put up a large piece of chart paper and have each student write one thing they genuinely want to learn this year. Read through the responses and look for opportunities to weave student interests into your curriculum throughout the year. Students notice when you follow through on this. Grades 1–5.
First Day of School Read-Alouds
A good read-aloud on the first day does double duty — it settles the class and opens up conversations about feelings, names, belonging, and community. These three are worth having on your shelf every year.
14. First Day Jitters by Julie Danneberg
First Day Jitters is a perfect first-day read because the twist at the end catches students off guard and gets them talking. After reading, have students write you a letter with advice about why you shouldn’t be nervous. It gets them thinking about their own feelings while building empathy. Bonus: serve Jitter Juice alongside it for a memorable first morning. Grades K–3.
15. The Kissing Hand by Audrey Penn
This one is a kindergarten and first grade staple for good reason — it speaks directly to the separation anxiety many young students feel. After reading, have students trace their hands, add a heart to the palm, and fold the fingers down. Send it home at the end of the day. It becomes a keepsake families genuinely appreciate. Grades K–1.
16. The Name Jar by Yangsook Choi
After reading, ask students to go home and find out how they got their name. Have them write about it as their first writing assignment of the year. Students learn something about themselves, share it with the class, and you get a piece of writing that tells you a lot about each student right away. Grades 2–5.
Creative Activities and Crafts for the First Day
Creative activities give students something to do with their hands, which is especially useful during the more anxious parts of the first day. These also produce keepsakes that mean something by the end of the year.
17. Back-to-School Bus Craftivity
This is a great end-of-day wind-down activity. Students complete a flap book where they tell about themselves, reflect on the first day, review the rules, and think about what makes a good classmate. It keeps students productively busy while giving you time to wrap up the day. Parents love taking it home. Get the Bus Craftivity Flap Book here. Grades K–3.
Bus Craftivity Flap Book for Back-to-School
Make back-to-school fun with this engaging flap book craftivity! Perfect for the first weeks of school, this resource helps students share about themselves, learn classroom expectations, and build community through writing and creativity.
18. Self-Portrait
Have students draw themselves on the first day. Keep the portraits and repeat the activity on the last day of school. The comparison between August and June is always striking — both in drawing ability and in how much older students look. Display the first-day portraits in the hallway to welcome visitors to your classroom. Grades K–5.
19. Dear Me Letter
Ask students to write a letter to their future self about what they’re hoping for this year, what they’re nervous about, or how they’re feeling right now. Seal the letters and return them on the last day of school. Students are always amazed at how much their handwriting changed — and how much they’ve grown. Grades 2–5.
20. When I Grow Up
Ask students what they want to be when they grow up — and actually listen. You’ll hear answers that surprise you, and you can use those dreams to make personal connections throughout the year. (“Didn’t you say you wanted to be a marine biologist? We’re studying ecosystems this week — pay attention to this part.”) Grades K–5.
21. Name Tags and Labels
Let students write their own names and decorate a border on name cards for their desks or cubbies. Laminate them for durability. It’s a simple activity that gives students ownership over their space from day one. Grades K–5.
22. Photo Keepsake
Take a photo of each student on the first day and again on the last day. Share the side-by-side comparison at the end of the year — it’s one of those moments students and families genuinely love. If photos aren’t logistically easy, a self-portrait drawing (see #18) works just as well. Grades K–5.
23. Kindness Quilt
Give each student a square of fabric or heavy paper to decorate with kind words and drawings. Assemble the squares into a class quilt and display it in the room all year. It becomes a visual anchor for classroom community and a reminder of what students built together on day one. Grades 1–5.
Exploring the Classroom on the First Day of School
Students who know where things are and how the space works feel safer. These activities turn the classroom itself into content.
24. Classroom and School Tour
Walk students through the classroom first — where supplies live, what areas are just for them, what areas are yours. Then take them on a tour of the school: bathrooms, gym, cafeteria, computer lab. For new students especially, this reduces anxiety about basic logistics. If your social studies standards include maps, this is also a natural hook for a mapping unit. Grades K–2 especially.
25. Classroom Scavenger Hunt
Turn the classroom tour into a scavenger hunt. Give students a list of things to find or questions to answer about the room and school. They can work independently or in pairs. It’s active, it’s social, and students learn the space without it feeling like a lecture. Grades 1–5.
26. Sticky Note Survey
Draw a large bar graph on chart paper. Ask a survey question (“What’s your favorite season?” “How do you get to school?”) and have each student place a sticky note in the correct column. Change the question throughout the day. Students love the interactivity, and you can naturally weave in math concepts like data and graphing — which makes it a genuine lesson, not just a filler. Grades K–5.
27. STEM Challenge
A well-designed STEM challenge on the first day does exactly what you want: it gets students working together, problem-solving, and talking — before they’ve had time to feel awkward about any of it. It also signals right away that your classroom is a place where curiosity is valued. Grades 2–5.
Here are 10 back-to-school STEM challenges designed specifically for the first week.
Classroom Procedures and Expectations
The best first-day activities mean nothing if students don’t know how to function in your classroom. Weave procedures throughout the day — don’t save them for one long block.
28. Teach and Practice Classroom Procedures
Don’t skip this. It’s the most important thing you do on the first day. Go slowly through every routine that matters — how to get the teacher’s attention, how to work with a partner, how to transition between activities. Model the right way, model the wrong way, then model the right way again. Have students practice. Have them practice again. The investment pays off every single day for the rest of the year. Grades K–5.
29. Discuss Student and Teacher Roles
Talk with students about what they expect from you and what you expect from them. Anchor charts that define “what a good student does” and “what a good teacher does” make expectations concrete and give students agency. This connects naturally to goal setting activities you can introduce in the first week. Grades 1–5.
Do students know what their classroom roles are, how to make friends, and how their parents can help them at home? Teach it during the first week of school.
30. One-on-One Time With Each Student
This one isn’t dramatic, but it matters. Find a few moments throughout the day to connect individually with each student — when you’re handing out supplies, during independent work time, or at the door. Say their name. Ask one genuine question. Jot a quick note on a sticky note so you remember. By the end of the first day, you’ll have a richer picture of your class than any first-day activity can give you on its own. Grades K–5.
Building Your First-Day Plan With These Activities
You don’t need all 30 of these first day of school activities for elementary students in one day. Pick 4 to 6 that fit your grade level and your students, and plan more than you think you’ll need. The first day rarely goes exactly as expected — having extra in your back pocket means you’re never scrambling. Mix community building with procedures, creative work with movement, and you’ll end the day with students who feel like they belong in your classroom.
Looking for ready-made resources to use on day one? The Community Building Puzzle, Getting to Know You Small Group Craftivity, and Back-to-School Bus Craftivity are all designed for K–5 and ready to use the moment students walk in.
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I teach middle school science, so after going over procedures and expectations we like to do some fun and exciting demos to get the kids excited about science.
Introductions with ice breaker games
I always like to make a chart of the things the kids want to learn in first grade that year. It gives me insights into their hobbies and other things they love. I can then pull from that list throughout the year for random activities and lessons.
On the first day of school, we visit about our summers. Then I have the kiddos draw and write about what they did over the summer. I also have some who will instead choose to write about a “dream vacation.”
I always have a fun slide show that discusses everything they need to know about 4th grade for the year!
Each year I set the tone by telling my students that if they are honest with me I will not get mad and yell, and I never do!
On the first day, I always share with my classes how nervous I am! We then talk about their jitters (or do an activity). I alter the picture books I use but there will be a read aloud for them enjoy. We also start playing Two Truths and a Lie (to get to know each other a bit more with movement added in.) I always have way more planned for the first day than we can possibly get through! (locker combinations always consume a ton of time!) I start making connections, getting to know them/they me, and modeling school expectations (respect self, others and property.) Smiling is a must!!
Hey. On first day of school I try to greet everyone with a smile and label all supplies brought in with students name.
I always read First Day Jitters and The Teacher From the Black Lagoon.
Every year, On day one, I act out (role play) what to do when entering our classroom in the morning!
One thing that I always do on the first day of school is have the students write letters to their future selves. I then squirrel these away until the last week of school!
Smile and greet the children at the door!
One thing I always do for fun is read “Arnie the Doughnut.” The kids then receive a donut to name and eat of their own. Kids get a kick out of it.
I always do a team-building activity so the kids get to do some hands-on fun in the midst of all the rules and new information.
I don’t see students the first few days of school as a Reading Specialist, so I help students get to their classrooms and then spend the day getting ready for beginning of the year reading assessments (fun fun!). I do go around and visit the classrooms to see all my students from previous years and wish them good luck on the new school year!
I teach Kindergarten, and one thing that I do on the first day of school is read “The Kissing Hand” and create a picture for our parents! 🙂
I like to read first day jitters and have jitter juice! I also like to play the Find someone who. However not sure how that will work this year since we are looping.
One thing I do on the first day of school every year is to tell the students about myself. This always helps students feel more comfortable and get to know me better.
I always read and do a lesson based on the book The Girl Who Never MAkes Mistakes. I teach and train my kids that making mistakes is how we learn and grow.
I am a support teacher so I don’t meet with students right away. However, I seek out students I met with last school year to make a big deal about how much they have grown and ask about their summer.
I teach science lab so we go over lab safety & what to do in case of emergencies!
We like to make a graph with each student’s teacher from the year before. It’s a good math activity, and comes in handy at times you’re wanting to ask something of their previous teacher!
One thing I always do is make a social contract with my students. 🙂 I believe it is super important that we do this together (more of the children’s participation than mine) that way we know that WE, as a class, made up the rules and came up with the consequences.
We always start reading the first day! We also play ice breakers and have Jitter Juice. It’s a fun day so they want to come back tomorrow!
The one thing I do on the first day of school is an ice-breaker with my students. We play 2 truths and a lie. The kids seem to relax and we all laugh about it. It always works!
On the first day of school I always read Building a Bridge. I also read First Day Jitters it helps us to start building a community in our classroom. This year I am going to pull in bucket filler ideas and literature. The students always do a self – portrait and they love seeing what they drew at the end of the year.
I always take a picture of each student on the first day to use on our end of year scrapbooks!
One thing I always do is the name game. I have the class sit in a circle and have the first person say their name and the second says their name and the first persons name. So by the time it gets to the 30th and myself it’s. Little more difficult but the kids love it
One thing I do on the first day of school is getting-to-know-activities. I give kids the opportunity to move around and talk to other students so they can make connections and find out who they have some things in common with.
I always teach the students a simple math game on the first day of school like Tens Go Fish. They work with a partner to collect two cards that add to ten. The students love it every year.
Greet students at the door
I take a picture of each child on the first day with a “My First Day Sign” and let them fill out a paper with what they hope to learn and what they want to be when the grow up.
There are many things I always do with my kids. We draw a self portrait that I keep until the last day when they do a last day self portrait. I always take their picture and we talk about being bucket fillers in and out of the classroom.
We play “Four People on the Couch,” a game I learned when I was in Youth Ministry. It is a GREAT way for kids to bond. I also like to play a simplified version of Bunko because it is “forced” interaction between classmates…the kind of interaction all kids want but don’t know how to do themselves. So, girls are talking to guys, guys are talking to girls, popular kids are talking to unpopular kids, etc…does a great job of building a sense of whole-class community, and I have never had a kids say they didn’t enjoy it!
On the first day I always have the students play a get to know you bingo game . This gives them time to discover that we all have things in common and things that make us special !
People BINGO!
Read aloud to my students!
I always have a fun ice breaker activity.
I teach 2nd and always read First Day Jitters! Then we make jitter juice together and have a special snack! The kiddos love it❤️
One thing that I always do in my Montessori classroom is to give a classroom tour, calling on returning students to explain what students would find in a particular place. Great way to share information and have the students engaged.
On the first day we draw a picture and describe ourselves as well as our goals for the year.
On the first day of school I like to read the book Chrysanthemum and we talk about how we are all unique in some way and that is what makes our class so special.
I teach English Language Learners in middle school. For my newcomers I use the first day of school to create a warm, welcoming, safe place for them. After a morning circle in which we begin to learn each other’s names and have some fun, I have them rewrite their daily schedule from a computer print out to something they can follow. Then we do a short scavenger hunt so they have a sense of where the office, gym, library, cafeteria, nurse..etc. are located with regard to my classroom.
I teach kindergarten and we always read The Kissing Hand and make a special “hand” to take home for our families…and I send a hand cutout home for each family to decorate and send back with a photo of their family to put in a book in our classroom library. They love looking at pictures of their families and their friends’ families!
I always have my first graders draw a picture of themselves on the first day and writr theit name. I out it in a “time capsule.” Then at the end of the year, we open the “time capsule ” and see how much their drawing and writing has changed.
I set up seats FOR my fifth graders. This way, no one wanders around unsure of where to go. I also write postcards to all of my students over the summer. In it, I tell them that I’ve picked up a small gift for each student. It’s at their desk before they arrive. I saw an earlier post, that the teacher teaches a mini lesson which contains some first-day-of-school content . Brilliant. I’m totally doing that!
I like to take photos of each student for our bulletin board. This year I’ll be having them choose 5 words to describe them in order to create a digital project using WordFoto.
On the first day of school I like to show the kids around the room and talk about what it will be used for during the year. I do activities to get to know the students and for them to get to know me. I always like games and activities that get them out of their seats.
I always take an individual picture of the students and do some sort of group or partner activity to build classroom community.
I have been teaching kindergarten and first grade. For kindergarten, on the first day of school, we always read “The Gingerbread Man” story and decorate gingerbread man cookies that I make ahead of time. Then I ask someone to take them away and hide in the principle’s office. My kids and I go looking for them. I take them to different important places at school (nurse’s office, music classroom, library, etc.) where they meet and interact with staff. The last place we go is our principal’s office where we find our “runaway” cookies and interact with the principal. Of course, we eat the cookies! The kids love that!
For first grade, we always read “The Kissing Hand” story and create our own “kissing hands” for their moms to remind them they are loved by their children. Moms miss kids on the first day of school too 🙂 Then we eat “kissing hand” cookie I make ahead of time. At the end of the day, students give their “kissing hands” to moms, and usually, there are quite a few sweet tears. 🙂