The Best Back to School Activity

Who else is getting excited for back to school season? The first day of school is right around the corner for many teachers, and I for one could not be more pumped. With all the chaos and excitement that back to school brings, you probably don’t have a lot of extra time on your hands right now. Even so, we all want to make sure that the first day goes as well as possible!

To help you out, I wanted to share one of my favorite back to school activities for K-2nd graders: the Digital Back to School Activity! It can be hard to know exactly what to do on the first day of school. Having a great back to school activity in your plan will help structure your time and add a lot of value to the day.

 

What does a good back to school activity involve?

I love first day activities that cover several bases. It can be overwhelming for students to constantly flip flop between tasks, even if they are relatively simple. Since my Digital Back to School Activity includes a bunch of different games and tasks, it helps you get more done with less pivoting between activities! Here are a few things that I love to see in a back to school activity:

Ice breakers

The first few days of school are an important time to build community between classmates. It’s also the key timeframe where you will be learning all of your students’ names and what makes them special! For this reason, I love including some good ice breakers in a back to school activity. They are the best way for you to get acquainted with your new class and introduce your students to each other. A good ice breaker should include name introductions and a silly twist to keep them fun.

Fun assessments

While it’s a good idea to keep the first day of school fun and engaging, it’s also a good idea to perform some quick assessments to get a feel for your students. These don’t need to be anything intensive or crazy! I like to use activities that are fun for my class, but help me jot down some quick notes on their strengths and weaknesses. Games that involve unscrambling words and identification work great for this.

Silly activities

I always pack in the fun on the first day of school! Silly activities help students shake off their nerves and get excited for everything that the rest of the year has to offer. For younger students, I highly recommend incorporating some jokes, songs, and anything else that you think your new class would love.

Why I love the Digital Back to School Activity

This Digital Back to School Activity checks all the boxes for me when it comes to the first day of school. It includes 8 different activities that are super fun and engaging for students. Students can introduce themselves to the class (and you) while showing off their unique personalities! Plus, the digital format makes it easy to lead your whole class through the activity without having to print out individual copies. It’s also great to use during a Google Meet or Zoom for distance learning!

What does the Digital Back to School Activity include?

As I mentioned before, the Digital Back to School Activity contains 8 different games to engage in a variety of ways with your new class! Here is what the activity includes:

• Jokes
• Mystery Picture
• This or That
• Unscramble the Word
• Talk About It
• Brain Break Dance
• What’s Your Silly School Name?
• Teacher Says

How can you use the Digital Back to School Activity in the classroom?

This Digital Back to School Activity works well virtually during distance learning or as a whole group during in-person instruction. If using this during distance learning during a Google Meet or Zoom call, share your screen with your students. If you are in-person, this works well by projecting the presentation and completing it in class.

Conclusion

The first day of school can be pretty crazy! But with the Digital Back to School Activity in your lesson plan, it’s easy to cover lots of ground while having fun with your new students. The 8 different games allow students to introduce themselves, get a little silly, and show off what they know.

If you use this activity on your first day, I’d love to know how you and your students liked it! Have an awesome first day, teachers!