Fun ideas teachers can do the first day back in school

The first day back in school is an exciting time for both teachers and students. Starting a new school year means meeting new kids and coming up with new lesson ideas to help them learn. However, the transition from summer fun to being back in the classroom can take a little adjustment. Here are some fun ideas that teachers can do the first day back in school that can give kids a chance to get to know each other and to transition back into school mode.

If you have a group of kids that don't know each other well, you can pair them up and have them interview each other. Come up with a list of questions to ask, such as where do you live, what's your favourite TV show, what's your middle name, what's your favourite hobby?, etc. Then you can have the kids prepare reports based on their interview questions and have each one take turns getting up in front of the class and introducing the person they interviewed.

Having a job gives kids a sense of responsibility and ownership.

• On the first day of school, assign everyone in the class a different job that they have to do every day or once a week for the whole school year.
• Jobs can be straightening chairs, doing roll call and putting supplies away.
• You can have kids pick their jobs from a hat or assign them based on where they are sitting.

Playing a memory game will help kids to learn each other's names.

• Go around once and have everyone say their names out loud and name their favourite animal or hobby. Then call on kids and have them say one person in the group's name and favourite hobby.
• The person next to them then has to choose a different person's name and hobby.
• Go around the circle until everyone has had a turn.

You can use the first day of school to have kids start a journal.

• For the first entry, give them a prompt. You can have them write about what they did over the summer.
• Ask who they spent time with, where they went and their favourite part of summer.