It’s hard to believe summer is nearing the end and school will be starting before we know it. As a preschool parent and teacher, it’s a time of year filled with excitement, learning, and lots and lots of feelings.
As a teacher, the beginning of the school year is like meeting your new family. You want to make each child feels welcome in your classroom. One way of doing that is by giving each child a designated space for their personal items (backpacks, coats, etc.). Label these spaces with their names on colorful paper or fun print. Laminate the name tags so they last all year. I usually make a few extra copies just in case! Seeing their name in print helps children with name recognition and helps them feel like a part of the group, like they belong! Make sure to use an easy to read font, preferably with proper letter formation or hand-write them yourself.
Your next step is setting up your classroom environment. Make sure you have furniture set up in a way that is functional, aesthetically pleasing, and in a way that keeps all spaces visible. The layout of your room can help with behavior management as well. For the younger learners, be sure to label all of the centers and even some common objects. The more environmental print, the better! You will want a nice flow to your room, as well as some clearly defined spaces for learning centers. This helps keep items from one center from spilling into other areas of the classroom. Depending on the age of your students, having assigned seating those first few days, weeks, or even months may be necessary. It is important to do a classroom walk through with your students so they can get to know their new environment. Show them their designated spaces, the bathroom and sink, garbage cans, learning centers, etc.
Once your classroom looks visibly ready, it’s time to get down to business: curriculum planning. It’s important to have lots of get-to-know-you games and activities those first few days to help everyone get more comfortable. Once children feel comfortable and safe in their environment, academic and social learning can begin! At the preschool level, our primary focus of the first few weeks of class is getting everyone comfortable and seeing where everyone is at, both academically and socially, when they first join our class. We begin with basics like working on name writing/recognition, cutting, coloring, and gluing. We also focus on social skills like listening, sharing, being kind to others, taking turns, keeping their body to themselves, and focusing at group time.
Here are some great worksheets for the beginning of the year:
Depending on your school curriculum, some of these activities may be already built into your schedule, while others you may need to get a bit creative! There are so many free (or cost-friendly) resources you can utilize for extra activities when planning for your school day.
As ready as your classroom may appear, or as ready as you may feel, the first few weeks of school always find a way to bring some new surprises. There’s truly never a dull moment. So embrace the chaos, and have fun with your new school family!
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