First Day of School Tips for Teachers: What Actually Works After 16 Years in the Classroom
The first day of school tips for teachers that actually stick are the ones you learn the hard way — from the years when something didn’t go the way you…
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10 Icebreaker Games for Elementary Students
Icebreaker games for elementary students are one of the best tools you have during the first week of school. A quick game paired with kid-friendly questions breaks the silence and…
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Cooperative Learning Activities for the First Day of School
Cooperative learning activities on the first day of school do something routines alone can’t: they give students an immediate reason to talk to each other. When students collaborate, listen, and…
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200 Would You Rather Questions for Kids in Kindergarten Through 5th Grade
Would you rather questions for kids are one of the fastest ways to get students talking, laughing, and learning about each other. There’s no wrong answer, no prep required, and…
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37 Name Games for Kids: Fun First-Day Icebreakers
Name games for kids are one of the simplest, most effective tools a teacher can use during the first days of school. When students walk in not knowing a single…
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10 Back to School STEM Activities for the First Day of School (Grades 2–5)
The first day of school is the perfect time to hand students a challenge and see what they do. Back to school STEM activities give students a reason to introduce…
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Community Building Puzzle: A Classroom Puzzle Activity for the First Day of School
A fun Community Building Puzzle that is a great activity to engage students in working together at the beginning of the year or any time you need to build community in your elementary classroom. Students color the puzzle pieces and cooperatively put the puzzle together.
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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…
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Getting to Know You Craft for Kids: A Small Group Craftivity
This getting to know you craft does two things at once: students make something, and they think seriously about who they are and how they work alongside other people. Students…
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Fun Back-to-School Craft For the First Day of School – Bus Flap Book
Are you headed back to your first days of school? Do you have students tell about themselves, review the rules, and acclimate them to the classroom? I developed this Back-to-School…
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Classroom Community Anchor Charts for the First Weeks of School
Classroom community anchor charts do something that a list of rules posted on the wall cannot: they capture what students actually said, in their own words, about what it means…
