Sighs in teacher voice Summer is winding down, and the new school year is right around the corner. For second through fifth grade teachers, having a solid plan for back-to-school activities will make the transition from couch to classroom much smoother!
That’s exactly what I’m here to help with! In this post, I’ll share teacher-tested, kid-approved activities perfect for starting your school year on the right foot. These activities focus on building a strong classroom community from day one. Be sure to check out my blog post all about building classroom community for more insights!
Here are some essential activities I use every year to promote a positive and cohesive classroom environment. Don’t forget to download my FREE First Day Plans to make your first day a breeze! → Click here to download the plans instantly
Getting to Know You Activities for Back to School
Bio Poems: Get to know your students and introduce classroom expectations with a fun painting activity! Yes, painting at the beginning of the year is something you can definitely handle. This is one of my favorite back-to-school activities for second through fifth grade students.
Students start by filling out a Bio Poem template (there are many great free options on TPT). They then transcribe their poem onto final draft paper and draw a self-portrait, which they paint using watercolors.
Once all the projects are finished, conduct a “gallery walk” by hanging the poems around the room. Let students explore and learn about their classmates through this creative display. Tip: This activity always makes for a fantastic bulletin board display to keep up for Open House/Parent Night! 😀
Classmate Quest: My absolute favorite first-day activity! This fun, interactive game gets kids up and moving around, mixing and mingling with their new classmates.
Students roam the room asking each other various questions. Afterward, they can share a few things they learned about each other. Most of the questions are silly or simple “get to know you” types, but some are super helpful for understanding how your students prefer to learn. It’s a win-win!
Grab the activity here or get the bundle for even more back to school fun.
Slam Dunk School Year: This activity is both fun and energizing, making it a perfect “get to know you” game for the first week of school. It helps get the wiggles out while encouraging students to talk and bond with one another.
Channel your inner basketball coach and get your team talking and building that classroom community early on! Grab the activity [here] or get the bundle for even more engaging activities. This back to school activity for elementary students is part of my FREE First Day of School lesson plans. Get the plans here.
All About Me Flipbooks: Perfect for back to school activities for elementary students, these flip books are a treasure trove of insights. They help you understand your students as learners and individuals. The Reading Interest Survey page is particularly valuable for fostering a positive reading life.
These flipbooks bundle all essential back-to-school forms into one neat package. Students can share their favorite subjects, hobbies, learning styles, and goals. Parents also complete their own flip book to provide important information about their child. Once completed, store them in individual student folders for easy reference throughout the year.
Not only are they practical, but they also serve as a great icebreaker activity!
Grab your All About Me Flipbooks here or get the bundle for even more fantastic resources.
Back to School Activities to Build Classroom Community
The 5 P’s and Behavior Expectations Scale: Let’s start the school year right! Introduce the 5 P’s on day one. These are our guiding principles for both inside and outside the classroom.
It’s important that students not only understand each P but also practice recognizing examples and non-examples. To make learning fun, assign each P to small groups. Have them brainstorm real-life examples and not-so-great examples, then act them out for the class!
Ready to dive in? Grab this resource here or check out the Positive Behavior Management bundle for my simple 3-step classroom management system.
Learn more about the 5 Ps, Behavior Expectations Scale and Behavior Focus Meetings and how it shapes our everyday classroom dynamics in this blog post!
Classroom Jobs: While not an activity per se, assigning classroom jobs is crucial for fostering classroom community early in the school year. For more details, check out my comprehensive blog post on classroom jobs here.
At the start of the school year, focus on modeling. Demonstrate each job, highlighting a few at a time, and assign them to small groups of students. Once students have observed how each job works and understand the expectations, they’ll be ready to take on their responsibilities independently.
Ready to implement classroom jobs in your routine? Grab this resource here or explore the bundle for more helpful tools.
Behavior Focus Meetings: Simple yet impactful, Behavior Focus Meetings can transform your Morning Meetings or serve as the focal point of your morning routine. These meetings infuse mindfulness into your classroom, empowering students to take ownership of their choices and actions.
A time for teachers and students to discuss ways they can positively impact the classroom community. A quick meeting at the start of the week that boosts morale, fosters friendship, and holds students accountable for their choices. Overall, it is a time for students to focus their efforts on building character and developing good habits that can reach beyond the classroom.
The resource includes 16 weeks of Behavior Focus Meeting plans, including focus prompts, discussion guides and read aloud suggestions for each. Plus a full teacher guide for implementation. Check out the resource here, or grab the whole Positive Behavior Management System here!
Save Fred: This STEM activity is great for sparking discussions about perseverance, teamwork, and embracing challenges. I suggest allowing them to attempt it multiple times because, in my experience, most won’t succeed on their first try if they follow the rules strictly. The goal is to initiate an open dialogue and help students understand early on that they can overcome difficult tasks! There are many free “Saving Fred” resources on TPT.
ENGAGEMENT TIP: Have some fun and really “hook” your students in! Draw blank lines on the board and when you see a student exhibiting model behavior, call on them to shout out a letter. This can be done for anything and can make almost any task more exciting. Try it out! 🤓
Don’t forget to download the free first day of school plans:
Setting a solid foundation for a classroom community is the best thing you can do for behavior management in the long run. The resources above are what help me get started on the right foot year after year, and I hope they help you, too! Which back to school activities for elementary students will you try this year?
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-Courtney 💕
