Goals for the First Day of School
My goal for my students on the first day of school is for them to feel welcomed at school. I tell them that we are a school family. We are kind and helpful to each other. I want my second graders to enjoy school and learning.
Build positive relationships with my students
Slowly introduce routines to my students
Create a sense of excitement about learning
Students should leave school feeling positive
Word Search for the First Day of School
One of my students’ favorite activities for the first day of school is finding their names in a word search. Second graders love word searches. This Back to School word search is a fun and simple activity for the first day of school. This word search for Back to School is editable so that you can add your students’ names.
My students love finding their name and friends’ names in the word search. It is a great Back to School activity to complete while you are waiting for everyone to join your class and are busy greeting students and parents as they enter the classroom for the first time. You can grab this FREE Editable Back to School Word Search from Lauren Fairclough on Teachers Pay Teachers.
Back to school word search freebie for the first day of school
Books to Read for the First Day of School
There are many great books to read on the first day of school. My favorite Back to School book to read is “How Full is Your Bucket?” by Tom Rath and Mary Reckmeyer. It is about how everyone has an invisible bucket. When our bucket is full, we feel great! We feel sad and awful when our bucket is empty.
This book discusses how our interactions during the day either add water to our bucket or empties water from our bucket. This book is a great discussion starter on ways we can fill or empty each other’s buckets.
First day of school read aloud
Need more suggestions for Read Alouds? Check out this post.
Find A Friend Icebreaker Activity for the First Day of School
Introduce students to their classmates using this Find a Friend icebreaker activity for the first day of school! I want my students to walk around, chat, and get to know their new classmates on the first day of school. As students walk around the classroom, they ask their classmates questions that are on the sheet. The goal is to find a new friend for each box. This is perfect for lower grades because there are pictures to help the students that struggle with reading.