The first day of school is right around the corner! Creating a positive classroom experience for your students can shape the rest of their academic year. By preparing in advance, you can help your students return to school excited and ready to learn.
So, how do you make the most of the first days of school? Check out these tips for starting the school year right, from preparing for the first day of school to planning the perfect back to school night.
How Can Teachers Prepare to Go Back to School?
Preparation is key to a successful return to school. It can be tempting to relax as much as you can before the hustle and bustle of the school year begins, but you’ll thank yourself later if you are ready ahead of time. Try to organize your classroom —and your lesson plans— in advance.
That doesn’t mean you need to throw yourself into your job and push your own needs aside. Stress can take a toll on teachers, especially during the first weeks of school when parents and students are also adjusting. To relieve stress, plan at least one self-care activity in your routine every day.[5]
Another great way to avoid teacher burnout is by establishing a relationship with your students’ families. The Internet and online communication can be one of the most effective ways to inform and build relationships with parents.[8] Send an email or text within the days leading up to school so that you have at least some connection before you meet them.[9] If you don’t yet have parent contact information, make sure to collect it during your back to school night.
How Can Teachers Help Families Go Back to School?
Teachers can help families by providing some resources they’ll need for a positive return to school.
Some information families may need during back to school night might include:
- Login information for remote learning and progress reports
- Contact information such as school email addresses and phone numbers
- A school supplies list, including a backpack that fits comfortably [1]
- Information about the school’s immunization requirements [4]
- A copy of the school calendar to help children be on time each day [6]
- Information about after-school programs and free meal options
- How to sign up for classroom or field trip volunteering opportunities
For students attending school for the first time, transitioning from home life to a busier school environment can take some time. Encourage families to attend school events or set up playdates with their students’ friends.[3] That way, they’ll feel more confident at school.
Making the Most of Back to School Night
Back to school night is an opportunity for parents to learn how they can best support their child during the year. Family engagement can improve your classroom community and your students’ academic achievement.[10] Finding ways to encourage positive communication between parents and teachers should be a focus for any back to school event.
Try to make your back to school event light and fun to promote a friendly atmosphere with classroom tours, get-to-know-you games, or samples of lessons your students will learn during the school year. Depending on how your school’s event is set up, it’s possible many families will be coming in and out throughout the night, so choose events that are easy for parents to join or leave.
Parent Communication and Involvement
Make sure to keep parents updated on school events. You could send a weekly newsletter email, for example, or reminder texts can be helpful. You may even want to start a Facebook group or Twitter account for parents. [11] If you can figure out how to reach the majority of parents early in the school year, you’re more likely to promote long-term parent engagement. Additionally, let parents know how they can get involved with school events. Many parents are happy to volunteer in class or chaperone field trips.
What to Establish During the First Weeks of School
Routines
Students thrive best when they have a routine, so work to establish your classroom routine early on in the school year.[7] You could, for example, schedule math and reading lessons during the same time each day or plan a recurring activity for your students (like freewriting or a class read-aloud) every morning. Additionally, try to go over your classroom rules on the first day of school so students know what is expected of them.[13]
Relationships
One of the most common predictors of difficulties for students in transitioning back to school life is a lack of friends.[2] During the first week of school, try to focus on helping students make and build relationships with their peers. Back to school crafts, get-to-know-you activities, and team building exercises are all great ways to encourage a friendly classroom environment.
For example, icebreaker questions such as these can help students bond during the first day of school:
- If you were an animal, what animal would you be?
- Do you play any sports or instruments?
- What do you want to be when you grow up?
- If you could have one superpower, which one would you choose?
- Who is your biggest hero or role model?
Social Skills
Teaching social skills early on can make a big difference both for individual students and in your classroom as a whole. Students can make significant gains in conversational skills, behavior, and even academic performance in the classroom.[15] While putting together your lesson plans, try to include a few activities on the first days of school that focus on developing social skills.
Use these first day of school read-alouds to teach social skills to your elementary students:
- David Goes to School by David Shannon
- The Name Jar by Yangsook Choi
- Miss Nelson is Missing! by Harry Allard
- First Day Jitters by Julia Danneberg
- The Kissing Hand by Audrey Penn, Ruth E. Harper, and Nancy M. Leak
5 Quick Teacher Tips for Transitioning Back to School
Getting ready for school after a long summer break can be daunting. But if you take steps now to gather ideas and activities for the back to school season, you can finish the last days of summer break with peace of mind.
Keep these five short tips in mind to most of those first weeks:
- Organize and decorate your classroom as soon as possible. That way, you won’t have to scramble to get everything prepared in the days before school starts.
- Family engagement is crucial for providing students with the support they need. Try to communicate with parents by the first day of school.
- Teacher burnout can sneak up on anyone, especially during back to school season. Avoid overworking yourself and make time for self-care every day. [14]
- You can do your part to prevent school bullying from day one. Model kind behavior for your students and include opportunities for developing social skills early on in your class curriculum. [12]
- The first week of school can be overwhelming for students. Keep your lessons simple while students transition from summer to school routines.
Sources:
- Weir, E. Avoiding the back-to-school backache. Canadian Medical Association Journal, September 2002, 167(6), pp. 669.
- Peters, S. “I Didn’t Expect That I Would Get Tons of Friends More Each Day”: Children’s experiences of friendship during the transition to school. Early Years: An International Research Journal, 2003, 23(1), pp. 45-53.
- NSW Department of Education. Getting Ready for School. Retrieved from nsw.gov.au: https://education.nsw.gov.au/public-schools/going-to-a-public-school/media/documents/getting-ready-for-school.pdf.
- U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Parent Tips: Healthy Back to School Habits. Retrieved from nhlbi.nih.gov: :https://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health/educational/wecan/downloads/tip-back-to-school.pdf.
- Kyriacou, C. Teacher Stress: Directions for future research. Educational Review, 2001, 53(1), pp. 27-35.
O’Brien, L. How to Get Good Grades in Ten Easy Steps. Retrieved from boyd.k12.ky.us: http://www.boyd.k12.ky.us/userfiles/321/Classes/23862/HowtoGetGoodGrades.pdf. - Gill, K. 7 Back-to-School Health Tips. Retrieved from healthline.com: https://www.healthline.com/health/back-to-school-health#nutrition.
- Minero, E. Parent Engagement in the Digital Age. Retrieved from edutopia.org: https://www.edutopia.org/article/parent-engagement-digital-age.
- Concordia University Portland Room 241 Team. Foolproof Strategies for New Teachers: Prepare, Organize and Engage. Retrieved from education.cu-portland.edu: https://education.cu-portland.edu/blog/classroom-resources/three-foolproof-strategies-for-new-teachers/.
- Keller, B. Schools Seek to Channel Parent Involvement. Education Digest, September 2008, 74(1). pp. 11-15.
Hernandez, S., and Leung, B.P. Using the Internet to Boost Parent-Teacher Relationships. Kappa Delta Pi Record, 2004, 40(3), pp. 136-138. - McClure, L. 5 Back-to-School Tips for Teachers and Parents. Retrieved from blog.ed.ted.com: http://blog.ed.ted.com/2016/09/15/5-back-to-school-tips-for-teachers-and-parents/.
- Nast, P. Establishing Classroom Rules. Retrieved from nea.org: http://www.nea.org/tools/establishing-classroom-rules.html.
- Kriegel, O. How to Nail the First Week of School: Tips for a New Teacher. Retrieved from wgu.edu: https://www.wgu.edu/heyteach/article/how-to-nail-the-first-week-of-school-tips-for-a-new-teacher1808.html.
- Durlak, J.A., Weissberg, R.P, Dymnicki, A.B., Taylor, R.D., and Schellinger, K.B. The Impact of Enhancing Students’ Social and Emotional Learning: A Meta-Analysis of School-Based Universal Interventions. Child Development, 82(1), January/February 2011, pp. 405-432.
