How to Start RIGHT on the First Day of School

Phew! All the preparation and planning for the first day of school is finally over!
Now it's time to do the do, make all the planning a reality, after all, it is the day that you have been waiting for .... right?

 Right! 

Let's do this!

Yikes! Wait a minute now! Tweet: You need to start things RIGHT because you only get one"first day of school." So how do you get it right the first time?

Here are 10 tips that will make you rock on YOUR BIG DAY! You will begin the year setting things in place so that your teaching does not become tedious or monotonous. Read 'til the end because I have something for you!

Tip #1

So how early is early? Well early here means before your students, at least a half hour before the first bell rings. I think that this sets the right example and it makes you emotionally ready after a long vacation.

Tip #2

Smile and greet your students as they come in at the door. A smiling teacher can move mountains of anxiety and fear from a child! It is important to help them ease into the new day, especially if it's their first day in kindergarten. They need to see a face smiling back at them to ease their tensions and make them feel less pressured. 

Tip #3

A little chit chat moment can always work in your favor. You can start the day by talking about your vacation then give each student a chance to tell their own story. This can be followed by a drawing or writing activity which will give the non-talkers a chance to show their story rather than tell it.

Tip #4

Let your students write their names on name tags by themselves. Of course, not all of them may be able to do so, but at least you would see those who need help with it. A name tag is used for identification, but in this case, you can turn it into a feat of creativity. Use a blank tag and have them rainbow write their names and embellish the tag with lots of color.

Tip #5

The first day is the best time to educate your students about the school rules and procedures whether they are returning  or reception students. They need to know or be reminded of how things work around the school. Get in as much of the rules and procedures as possible but make it clear to them about the consequences if they breach these rules.

Tip #6

Class rules are just as important as school rules. Both you and your kids should establish rules of conduct in the classroom on the first day.  This collaboration increases students' sense of responsibility and they tend to work harder to keep and obey the rules.

Tip #7

You are the teacher and you are the one who is directly accountable for what goes on in the classroom. This is precisely why you should organize the school day around particular routines. When you plan properly you will be able to accomplish more by starting the school year with the communication of class routines. This helps tremendously as your students become so familiar with what comes next, that they are eventually able to preempt what you are about to do. Even if they are unable to read the class schedule, they know what follows. This helps to manage your students so much better!!!

Tip #8

Pictures of your students at work at different times of the day can give  parents an idea of the typical day for parent nights or meetings. I share some of the pictures with parents but I mostly keep a photojournal for my own personal growth.

Tip #9

Setting class goals is a great idea for the first day of school. You can set class goals both short term and long term. The goals must be SMART goals:

 S=Specific
M= Measurable
A=Achievable
R=Relevant
T=Time Bound

This will help everyone to understand how they can help.

Tip #10

I think that there must be some activity that can get your students mobile. The day can be a fun day also, even if it is singing and clapping to a few nursery rhymes or action songs that they are familiar with. Of course, you will need to be a little more creative with the older students. Think about it this way, they get to do a physical activity which will relieve  all the tension and stress that comes with the first day of school. What do you think? Feel free to comment below!




So this is how I spend my first day of school. I do as much of the ten tips that I can, and in some cases I continue the next day with those that I could not complete due to disruptions which are typical in any school. For the most part, by the end of the first week I have already begun to 'personalise' my little darlings in front of me, just a bit so that they love me enough to want to come to school again! :)



And now for your free resource that was promised to you! Here's a set of monster themed name tags for you. Click the picture below!