Correct me if I’m wrong, but nothing beats that “back-to-school” feeling. With fresh supplies, unbent name tags #IYKYK, and a squeaky clean classroom ready for a brand new class list of students, a well-planned BTS routine sets the tone for the entire school year.
And if you need lesson plans for back-to-school, you’re in the right place!
Keep reading for lesson plans, activities, and resources that will help you kick off your new school year with your best foot forward.
Get-To-Know-Me Activities
A new year means all new students! Learn about them, and let them learn about each other with these interactive get-to-know-me resources.
(if that’s not the case and you have some of the same students year after year, these are still handy resources to help learn about student growth.)
Get to know your students with the Back to School Lapbook with prompts to fill in their favorites, facts about their families, and space for you to leave them some words of encouragement. When these are finished, students can share pieces of them with their classmates!
The Back to School Craftivity will also allow you to get to know your students but is a no-prep activity that requires minimal teacher involvement. In other words, this is a great resource to have on hand for those early finishers!
Capture the year in memories with the Back to School Accordion. Students will share their goals, their feelings, and even what they did over the summer with this print-and-go download! This one’s also a hit to use at Open House or Meet The Teacher Night.
Back to School Routine Activities
It’s critical to set the ground rules and routines on the first few days of school. So why not use lesson plans for back to school to help with this? While it may take students some time to get the hang of them, it’s always a good idea to introduce them early on and, more importantly- stay consistent!
Create a predictable morning routine with this Morning Adapted Work Binder. Select an appropriate daily activity and have students complete the work each morning as a way to get them in the school year groove- and to practice basic, must-have skills!
Review the classroom rules with the Dos and Don’ts of School Sorting Game. This is a must-have in the beginning and makes a great whole-group or morning meeting activity. And who doesn’t love a download that can be made into a file folder game?!
Introduce, review, or fine-tune those social skills with this Social Skills Sorting Mat. This set will help students identify how to act appropriately with their friends, teachers, and in the classroom. Psst. . . this one comes with a bonus lesson that focuses on Whole Body Listening.
Teach students about the different parts of the school with the Parts of School Adapted Book. This tool is a staple used during small group instruction and is a great way to take baseline data on student comprehension skills.
Back to School Activities for Parents
Open House or Meet the Teacher night? What does your district call it? Regardless of the title, it’s essential to have a plan for parents when they walk through the door! These resources make it easy to do just that.
Parents want to know about you and your classroom during Open House. After all, their children will be with you all year long! With the Editable Parent Handbook, you can lay out all of the details they’ll need to set them up for a successful year. Give parents the tools to get to know you, contact you, volunteer with you, and more! You can find an alternative version to this handbook in flipbook form here.
Keep parents in the loop all year long with this Editable Parent Calendar Flipbook. Outline important dates, themes, and events, so parents never miss a spirit day again. Well, almost never again.
Back to School Resources for Teachers
Teachers need back-to-school love, too! And ours comes in the form of a survival guide. So approach the new school year with confidence and strategy by grabbing the Back to School Teacher Survival Guide. Inside you’ll find checklists, interviews, and forms (oh, my!) along with other staples you won’t want to teach without.
What is your favorite part about Back To School time? Tell us in the comments!
