The start of the school year is an exciting time, and creating a positive and welcoming environment for your students is essential. Here are some ideas to help you get to know your students and make their first day back memorable:
1. Welcome Back Decorations 🎊
- Transform your classroom with vibrant welcome-back decorations like banners, posters, and personalized desk tags. Consider using an “I Love Learning” poster or colouful bunting that spells out “Welcome To School” to add a splash of color and warmth to your walls.
2. Student Survey 📝
- Have students complete a classroom survey during the first week of school. Ask questions about their interests, hobbies, and learning preferences to get to know them better.
3. People Bingo 🙋
- Create a bingo card with fun facts or characteristics (e.g., “Has a pet”, “Loves pizza”, “Plays a musical instrument”). Encourage students to interact and find classmates who match each description
4. All About Me Bags 🛍️
- Assign students to bring in a bag with items that represent themselves. They can share the items and explain why they chose them, allowing everyone to learn more about each other
5. Facebook Bulletin Board 📋
- Set up a bulletin board where students can fill out “Facebook” profiles each week. Include sections like favourite books, hobbies, and goals to foster connections
6. Post-It Note Interviews 🎤
- Give each student a sticky note and have them write down a question they’d like to ask a classmate. Swap notes and answer the questions, promoting conversation and understanding
7. All About Me Bunting 👧
- Create a colorful bunting with each student’s name and a fun fact about themselves. Hang it up in the classroom as a display.
8. Multiple-Choice Quiz ✏️
- Create a quick quiz about yourself, including interesting facts. Students can then make up their own quizzes about themselves.
Remember, these activities should be effortless, memorable, and fun to help students settle in and feel comfortable in their new environment!
How can Sumdog help?
We know that back to school can be a stressful time for teachers so we've created resources designed to help you start the new academic year on Sumdog with a bang! Our classroom display pack is perfect to help you create an area in your classroom celebrating the learning taking place on Sumdog. Additionally, our Icebreaker activities are great for helping you get to know the children in your new class. Discover all this and more over on our back to school page!
