First Day Blues

I know my first time will be a frightening yet exciting experience for me. What are some things you would recommend doing to prepare for the first day of school? What type of activities do you plan with young students on the first day?

0 members like this

▶ Reply to This

Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by Wendy Gladstone-Brown on April 7, 2011 at 4:35pm

Typically I would do a get to know you activity after the kids enter from the buses. They come in and get a name tag necklace and then guided to put their book bags under their labeled cubbie and then to take their assigned seat at one of the five groups. After I take attendance I would teach them how to indicate their choice for lunch each day and how to do the take home book exchange. Then we would have a morning meeting and I'd begin to establish the daily routine (morning message, weather, calendar activities, big book of the week, song of the week, sticks and cubes for # of days in school, etc) I would also include our classroom rules, constitution or class pledge that we will create together during the morning meeting. The first day is one that is full of anxiety so I usually have a read aloud in the morning and one after lunch. If it is a primary classroom I would probably bring in a healthy snack (knowing already about allergies in my room) since the first day is always long. I would have the snack at 10 ish if we had a late lunch and 1ish if we have an early lunchtime. We would practice a fire drill and we would take a tour of the building and go over rules for hallwalking, caring for the supplies, rules for the caft., bus loop, specials, etc. If time I give out Math workbooks and other journals, logs, etc. Usually I'd end with something fun (play outside for 15 minutes outside before weather changes). It is a big day for establishing routines and relationships. I use to have terrible nightmares every night before the first day of school each year teaching until Tylenol PM. ; )