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Back To School Activities For The First Week Of School

Hey there!

As the beginning of the school year gets closer and closer, you might be wondering what activities you should be doing on the first day and the first week of the new school year.

Perhaps you want easy activities that are no prep for you.

You probably want activities that are engaging for students.

You could also be looking for activities to get to know your students or maybe ones to check their Math and Literacy capabilities.

Well don’t worry. I’ve got you covered!

BACK TO SCHOOL ACTIVITIES FOR THE FIRST WEEK OF SCHOOL

All About Me Free Worksheet

First up, a freebie.

You’re probably thinking, ‘what do you do on the first day of school?’ Well, don’t worry!

This ‘All About Me’ worksheet is perfect for the first day of school as a way to get to know your new students.

BACK TO SCHOOL ACTIVITIES - all about me worksheet

You’ll learn what your student’s favorite book, TV show, food, and sport is. They’ll tell you their name, age, hair color, where they live, and what they want to be when they grow up. They’ll even tell you their favorite color and all about their family!

Over 150,000 teachers have downloaded this printable for the first day or week back at school!

But here’s other ways it can be used –

  • Couselors, SLPs and even girl scout leaders have used it with students.
  • It’s great as an ice breaker and has been featured in leadership binders.
  • Buddie classes love it!
  • It’s perfect for student/star of the week.
  • It’s ideal for homework or summer school.
  • The worksheet is perfect for SPED and English language learners.

It comes in a US and UK/AUS version and even has a digital option through TPT Easel. You’re going to love it!

Grab this back to school freebie here.

Back To School Worksheets For The First Week

Next up, activities for the whole week.

This packet includes 24 worksheets and 17 task cards to make your first week back at school easier. These no prep printables are ideal for elementary students.

BACK TO SCHOOL ACTIVITIES - first week of school

The first few worksheets are ‘all about me’/’getting to know you’ activities. Then, there are reflections on summer and holidays. Finally, there is a focus on goal setting and classroom rules.

BACK TO SCHOOL ACTIVITIES  -  all about me the first day of school

The task cards will be especially valuable, as you can work together as a class and answer questions like, ‘Where do I sharpen my pencil? What to I do when I finish my work?’

Grab the activities here!

Back To School Sentence Building

Up next, we have some sentence scramble activities.

These sentence building worksheets are designed for Kindergarten and 1st Grade. They feature fun Back to School themed sentences and pictures which are perfect for literacy lessons or literacy centers.

BACK TO SCHOOL ACTIVITIES - sentence building worksheets

Students simply cut, sort, and paste the words into a sentence, write the sentence, and color the picture. It’s a great way to practice sentence structure in a back to school theme! You can use this to assess your students sentence writing capabilities.

Get the sentence scramble worksheets here.

BACK TO SCHOOL WRITING CRAFTs

Are you someone who loves doing crafts with your students? Or perhaps you just want to assess your students’ writing capabilities in the first week of school.

Well these prompts are perfect for that (they also make cute bulletin boards)!

back to school activities - writing crafts writing prompt for the first day of school recount

The great thing is that they are no prep, you can just print and go. The other awesome thing is that they are easy for students to complete. It’s not complicated at all and you won’t have students needing as many instructions or 1:1 help! It’s not intricate and all they have to do is write, color, and cut.

No glitter. No little bits of paper.

Less mess for you and less stress for them!

back to school activities - writing crafts writing prompt for the first day of school recount

Students will write recounts about their first day of school and their new friends.

Check out the writing prompts out here.

If you’re interested in some August themed ones with references to Summer, you’ll love these ones too.

back to school august writing prompts - writing crafts for summer and fall

Grab the August writing prompts here.

back to school Roll a story

If you’re looking to gauge your students’ writing proficiency, this activity is great.

Students simply roll dice to mix and match story elements (such as character, setting, and problem).

Although you’re giving your students the story ideas, they have to write their own narrative from scratch. You’ll be able to see their strengths and weaknesses when it comes to spelling, punctuation, grammar, vocabulary, text structure, and cohesion.

BACK TO SCHOOL ACTIVITIES roll a story first week of school writing prompt

You can print the writing pages if you like. But your students could just write in their books (if you are limited when it comes to printing)!

You can get the roll a story prompt here.

Back to School Addition Worksheets

Finally, we have a Math activity that is back to school themed.

Your students will love these back to school themed color by code worksheets! These activities are perfect for Math lessons and Math centers during the first day of school and first week back at school.

BACK TO SCHOOL ACTIVITIES - color by addition workseets

Students will practice their addition math facts and add to 5, 10, and 20. These no prep printables are ideal for Kindergarten, First Grade, or Second Grade.

You can use these worksheets to assess how proficient your students are at addition. Get them here.

back to school activities - back to school lesson ideas - first day of school ideas - first week of school lessons

If you’ve been asking, ‘what are some fun school activities?’ or ‘how do you make back to school fun?’…

…I hope you and your students enjoy these ideas!

P.S. You can grab freebies from my free resource library. You can access the freebies by signing up for my newsletter!

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Hi, my name is Alex! I love creating fun, colorful, and engaging resources for the early years. I’ve taught 3rd and 1st grade and I’m passionate about creating interactive activities that engage all learners Read More…

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If you’re looking for a cute writing craft, thes If you’re looking for a cute writing craft, these snow globe narrative writing prompts are perfect for bulletin boards and writing centers! ❄️ 

Comment below or message me if you’d like the link! I’ll also add a link to my bio and stories 🙂

 #Writingcurriculum #writingprompts #writingteachers #writingteacher #writingworkshop #writingworkshops #writersworkshop #writinglessons #writinglesson #writingcenter #writingcenters #bulletinboardideas #writingactivity #writingactivities #iteachwriting #kindergartenwriting #firstgradewriting #secondgradewriting #thirdgradewriting #literacycenters #literacycentres #literacycenter #bulletinboards #literacylearning #elateacher #elateachers #iteachela #iteachelementary #bulletinboard #winterbulletinboard
Bump is coming along 😬 I know this isn’t te Bump is coming along 😬 

I know this isn’t teaching or tpt related in anyway, but so many of you have been through this.

Any tips for 3rd trimester? Things to pack in hospital bag? Must buy things for baby? I’ve heard I should do batch cooking. 

Should I just try to enjoy my sleep while I can? 😂

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Just an FYI! Revising involves making major change Just an FYI! Revising involves making major changes to the content and editing is more sentence level changes.

For example, you might ask your students to edit their writing by checking for spelling and punctuation errors.

But for revision, they might add or remove ideas to their writing.

I hope you enjoy these writing tips! Double tap if you do 💗

 #Writingcurriculum #writingprompts #writingteachers #writingteacher #writingworkshop #writingworkshops #writersworkshop #writinglessons #writinglesson #writingcenter #writingcenters #writingforkids #writingactivity #writingactivities #iteachwriting #kindergartenwriting #firstgradewriting #secondgradewriting #thirdgradewriting #literacycenters  #literacycenter  #literacylearning #elateacher #elateachers #iteachela #iteachelementary #teachertips #teachertip #1stgradeteachers #2ndgradeteachers
You can grab these for free at the link in my bio! You can grab these for free at the link in my bio! Or you can comment below or message me if you like the link 🙂

 #Writingcurriculum #writingprompts #writingteachers #writingteacher #writingworkshop #writingworkshops #writersworkshop #writinglessons #writinglesson #writingcenter #writingcenters #writingforkids #writingactivity #writingactivities #iteachwriting #kindergartenwriting #firstgradewriting #secondgradewriting #thirdgradewriting #literacycenters #literacycentres #literacycenter #literacycentre #literacylearning #elateacher #elateachers #iteachela #iteachelementary #tptfreebie
I’ve been so quiet on this account lately! So ju I’ve been so quiet on this account lately! So just popping in to say hi 👋🏻 

Had my baby shower yesterday and it was great fun 👶🏻🎉

I’m having a girl in Feb and apparently unicorns is the theme for everything so I hope she likes it 😂

I’m 30 weeks this week and need to pack my hospital bag soon. Definitely give me any tips for things I’ll need! 

 #teacherssupportingteachers #teachersoninstagram #iteachkindergarten #iteach1st #educatorsofinstagram #elementaryteacher #educatorsofinsta  #igteacher #teacherlifestyle  #iteach2nd #igteachers #educatorsofig #teachersconnect #iteachelementaryschool #teachertalk #teachersofthegram #instateachers #instagramteacher #teachersofaustralia #teachersoninsta #teachersrock #teacherinstagram #teachergoals  #teacherinspo #teacherthoughts #teacherthings #teachersengaging #teachershare #teachersofigau #teachersonig
If so, it’s important to start doing some lesson If so, it’s important to start doing some lessons where you explicitly teach sentence structure! 

I remember teaching writing in my first year. I was teaching 3rd grade and it just never occurred to me that I need to explicitly teach students how to write a proper sentence.

But after seeing their first writing piece, I was shocked!

Do your students struggle with this too?

 #Writingcurriculum #writingprompts #writingteachers #writingteacher #writingworkshop #writingworkshops #writersworkshop #writinglessons #writinglesson #writingcenter #writingcenters #writingforkids #writingactivity #writingactivities #iteachwriting #kindergartenwriting #firstgradewriting #secondgradewriting #thirdgradewriting #literacycenters #literacycentres #literacycenter #literacycentre #literacylearning #elateacher #elateachers #iteachela #iteachelementary
Cute craft idea for December! (If you’re allowed Cute craft idea for December! (If you’re allowed to do Christmas themed activities in your school).

Just grab white, red, and skin colored paper that you have in beige/brown etc. and let the students create their own Santa!

With younger students, you could cut some strips of white paper out or red triangles to help them. 

For older students, they could do it on their own! 

All the cutting and gluing is great for fine motor and I think this would make a pretty cute bulletin board! 

You could also make this craft more educational by having students write math facts or words on the beard strips!

Save this post so you don’t forget to try it 🙂

#christmascrafts #christmascraft #christmascraftsforkids #lettertosanta #santaletters #xmascrafts #xmascraft #writingprompts #writingteachers #writingteacher #writingworkshop #writingworkshops #writersworkshop #writinglessons #writinglesson #writingcenter #writingcenters #writingforkids #writingactivity #writingactivities #iteachwriting  #firstgradewriting #secondgradewriting #thirdgradewriting #literacycenters #literacycenter  #literacylearning #elateacher #elateachers #iteachela
Are you looking for a cute bulletin board or door Are you looking for a cute bulletin board or door decor idea for December? This letter to Santa writing craft is super cute and  fun for students to complete! 

The best news? It’s 25% off at the moment! 

There’s a link in my bio 🙂

#christmascrafts #christmascraft #christmascraftsforkids #lettertosanta #santaletters #xmascrafts #xmascraft #writingprompts #writingteachers #writingteacher #writingworkshop #writingworkshops #writersworkshop #writinglessons #writinglesson #writingcenter #writingcenters #writingforkids #writingactivity #writingactivities #iteachwriting  #firstgradewriting #secondgradewriting #thirdgradewriting #literacycenters #literacycenter  #literacylearning #elateacher #elateachers #iteachela
Freebie Alert! I’m offering these cute sentenc Freebie Alert! 

I’m offering these cute sentence building worksheets for free, so grab them at the link in my bio 🙂

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Unfollow the people who are making you feel bad! 📱

I mentioned this in my weekly email this week. It’s sooo depressing when you log on to social media and fall into the comparison trap with other sellers.

Honestly for me right now, it’s teacher IG influencers (like one who has a baby similar in age to mine and her life looks so glamorous all the time and I’m just sitting there wearing spit up and feeling less than)!

How to stop the comparison game is something that Maddy @livingnsunshine and I discuss this week on The Terrific Teacherpreneur podcast🎙

I really think that unfollowing people who make you feel bad is so important for your mental health. But also your business mindset.

If you’re always comparing yourself to other sellers, you’re less likely to thrive as a TPT seller because you’ll always be doubting yourself and holding yourself back 🥲

So I challenge you to unfollow someone this week! Comment below with an emoji when you’ve done it 👍🏻

#Iteachscience #spedteachers #iteachart #musicteachers #iteachela #mathteachers #iteachreading #socialstudiesteacher #iteachlanguagearts #eslteachers #iteachpe #middleschoolteachers #iteachhighschool #primaryschoolteachers #iteachprep #prekteachers #schoolslp  #scienceteachers #iteachsped #artteachers #iteachmusic #elateachers #iteachmath #readingteachers #iteachsocialstudies #languageartsteacher #iteachesl #peteachers #iteachmiddleschool
Just a reminder not to take on too many things! Just a reminder not to take on too many things! 

It’s tempting to do ‘all the things’ when it comes to TPT and marketing and it leads to burnout fast 🔥 

If you’re feeling overwhelmed, step back from a few things.

Let me know in the comments if you’re feeling this way at the moment and what you plan on stepping back from!

 #Teachingtips #teachingtip #teachingadvice #teacheradvice #adviceforteachers #teachertips #teachertip  #tipsforteachers  #teacherhack #teacherhacks #teachinghacks #teachinghack #newteacher #newteachertips #teachertricks #teachertrick #newteachers #teacherhustle #teachersidehustle #teacherbusiness #teacherpreneurs #teacherpreneurship #teacherpreneurtribe #tptsellers #teacherauthors #tptauthor #tptauthors
Hot pink is my brand! Right? I bet you recognize m Hot pink is my brand! Right? I bet you recognize my posts as mine straight away when you see them on here.

Anyways, when it comes to making your brand stand out… 
Consistency is key!

It’s important to use the same fonts, colors, style of photos/mock-ups, layouts, or clip art.

That way, when your new resource is released to followers or you post something on social media, people instantly know it’s you!

It’s also important to ensure that your branding is eye catching, cohesive (and make sure your colors complement each other)!

This week on the podcast, Caileigh from @thedenniscrew joins me again and we chat about branding. Be sure to check it out 🙌🏻

Tell me below, what are your brand colors?

 #Igteachers #igteacher #instateacher #instateachers #instagramteachers #instagramteacher #teachersofig #teachersofinsta #teachersofthegram #teacherig #teacherinsta #teacherinstagram #educatorsofig #educatorsofinsta #educatorsofinstagram
Make 👏🏻 A 👏🏻 Great 👏🏻 Cover 👏 Make 👏🏻 A 👏🏻 Great 👏🏻 Cover 👏🏻

Your cover on TpT is so important when it comes to getting views and therefore securing sales.

I’m pretty passionate about the importance of a good cover and that’s why I’ve been sharing tips about them in my weekly emails and it was discussed a lot last week on the podcast with @thedenniscrew (thanks for joining me caileigh)!

👏🏻 Remember to have a big, bold, easy to read title.

👏🏻 Show the product through photography, mock-ups or screenshots.

Tell me in the comments, do you enjoy making covers or is it something you dread? 

P.S. You can sign up for my weekly emails through the link in my bio! You can grab my free Pinterest cheat sheet, prioritizing tasks doc, or email definitions guide. 

 #teacherspayteachersresources #teacherauthors #teachersidegig #teachersidehustle  #teacherentrepreneur #teacherpreneurs #tptauthors #teacherpreneurlife  #tpttips #teacherauthor  #teacherspayteachersstore #tptnewbie #teacherboss #teachertiptpt #teacherpreneurship  #teacherseller #teacherhustle #teacherbusiness #teacherbsn #teachercreator #tptsellers #tptauthor #teacherpreneurcommunity  #tptteachers #tptseller #tptteacher #tptstore #teachersoftpt #teacherpreneur #teacherpreneurtribe
Sometimes we chase new followers instead of nurtur Sometimes we chase new followers instead of nurturing the ones we already have. 

Sometimes we fixate on how many likes, comments, saves, and shares we have, instead of appreciating that a human somewhere took the time to do them.

Sometimes we make a half hearted attempt at sharing in stories or answering messages, because we’re obsessing over hashtags or impressions.

Sometimes we get so caught up in inauthentic engagement that we barely appreciate or notice when someone genuinely engages.

This is just a reminder that this is a social platform! It’s an amazing place for you to connect with other teachers, make friends, and build relationships! If you can sell some of your products along the way, that’s an awesome bonus. 

But don’t forget to relax and enjoy the amazing connections you can make on this platform.

Instagram is like a party! Sit back and chat with some new friends instead of throwing your business cards at people 🙌🏻

Relationships over reach. 🙌🏻 
Not only is this more fun, it will probably actually help you grow more. 

Connecting with your existing followers in a genuine way will help you grow more than chasing the next fake follower.

I heard the other day that not being authentic is one of the leading reasons people unfollow others.

So let’s work on this 💗

I know I need to hear this sometimes. Do you? 

#Teachingtips #teachingtip #teachingadvice  #tipsforteachers  #teacherhack  #teacherhacks #teachertip #teachertips #teachinghack #teachinghacks #teacherquote #teacherquotes #teachingquote #teachingquotes #teachertruth #teachertalk #teacheradvice  #teacherssupportteachers #teacherssupportingteachers  #teachersengaging  #igteachers #igteacher #instateacher #instateachers #instagramteachers #instagramteacher #teachersofig #teachersofinsta #teachersofthegram #teacherig
One month of sleep deprivation, endless diaper cha One month of sleep deprivation, endless diaper changes, and trying to figure out breastfeeding. 😴🤯😭

But also one month of newborn snuggles and falling in love with little Lily. 💗

Thanks for your patience when it comes to my diminished presence on here and thanks to everyone who has messaged helpful parenting tips.

As each day goes by I feel less overwhelmed and more myself and I can slowly see myself getting back to TPT stuff eventually. But I am enjoying the break honestly.

Running a business can be so all consuming and it’s important to take a break sometimes. I’m also learning it’s important to prioritize family.

I love how TPT is passive and I can make money in my sleep (or at times when a normal person would be sleeping 😅) so I’m trying to soak up the precious time while Lily is small.

Sorry for the long caption! Just wanted to share my thoughts for today 🙂

(Psst! Took like a million photos before I got one that didn’t include crying or a bow that fell in her eyes 😂 I’m baffled at how these people get such glamorous baby pics here on the gram and act like it’s effortless 😂)

Also fun fact I look AWFUL these days and that’s why you won’t see my face much on stories 😂 who has time for hair brushing?
I love using storytelling to start my emails. I th I love using storytelling to start my emails. I think it’s a great way to connect with my audience and let them get to know me 🙌🏻

Did you catch this week’s podcast episode? I chat to Melissa @notanotherva about email marketing and we discuss welcome sequences, email content, and making your list profitable.

#Iteachscience #spedteachers #iteachart #musicteachers #iteachela #mathteachers #iteachreading #socialstudiesteacher #iteachlanguagearts #eslteachers #iteachpe #middleschoolteachers #iteachhighschool #primaryschoolteachers #iteachprep #prekteachers #schoolslp #schoolcounselorsofinstagram #iteachk12 #iteach345 #iteach789 #teacherfollow
Just a reminder that TPT has emphasized the import Just a reminder that TPT has emphasized the importance of PDF previews so many times!

Two thirds of buyers won’t purchase a product if there’s no preview. That’s a lot of missed sales if 2/3 people who visit your listings leave because you don’t have a preview. 😱

It’s so hard to get products seen. Whether that’s because of ranking, an oversaturated market, or how tricky marketing is. When you finally get a buyer on your listing, you want them to buy! 

So a great question to ask yourself is - do all of your resources have previews? If not, make this a long term project at the top of your to-do list this quarter or this year.

Tell me in the comments, do you need to get to work and make some previews? 😅

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The scary truth is this…it’s probably the only The scary truth is this…it’s probably the only secure thing in your business that you own! 

With the exception of having a blog/website, so much of our marketing is done on rented land (for example, social media).

We don’t own these platforms and so they come with a bit of risk. Your account could be deleted, an algorithm could change etc

With the tpt algorithm debacle, my email list has become an even more precious asset in my business. 

This week’s podcast episode is all about this topic so be sure to check it out!

Let me know in the comments if you have any questions about email marketing 🙂

#Teacherhustle #teachersidehustle #teacherbusiness #teacherpreneurs #teacherpreneurship #teacherpreneurtribe #tptsellers #teacherauthors #tptauthor #tptauthors  #igteachers #igteacher #instateacher #instateachers #instagramteachers #instagramteacher #teachersofig #teachersofinsta #teachersofthegram #teacherig #teacherinsta #teacherinstagram #educatorsofig #educatorsofinsta #educatorsofinstagram

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