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3 helpful first grade teacher tips for teachers starting the school year, including welcome activities, tips for being prepared, and classroom management.
Today I am joining Sparkling in Second to share first grade teacher tips. These suggestions are some things that have worked for me at the beginning of the year in first grade.
First Grade Teacher Tips
The beginning of the year is an extremely important and special time for teachers and students. It is a time to develop a classroom community, set expectations for the year, and build relationships. These three first grade teacher tips will help you start the year off right.
First Grade Teaching Tip #1: BE PREPARED
Have your classroom organized and have supplies prepared.
Before the first day of school, spend some time organizing school supplies into desks or bins that are labeled. Have workbooks, folders, and anything else students will be using regularly, prepared ahead of time. If you can photocopy something now, do it! Doing these things before will save you so much time when you are feeling exhausted after the first few days.
To grab these rainbow chevron labels for free, click HERE.
Have personal things and places in the classroom labeled with student names.
Whether you use desks or tables, cubbies or lockers, or book bins or bags, try to label them for your students ahead of time. This will make them feel special and extra excited to see that they have places to call their own in the classroom.
Have a bulletin board ready with spots on the wall to hang student’s BEST work. I use a pre-made “Wow Work” bulletin board that has frames or colored cardstock and student names.
Help your students feel like you’ve been excited and waiting for them!
First Grade Teaching Tip #2: WELCOME ACTIVITIES
Plan and have welcome activities ready for the first week.
Plan some fun icebreaker games and welcome activities that will help you, the teacher, and your students learn each other’s names and get to know one another. Fun games will break the ice and make everyone feel excited and welcome in your class. It’s a great way to take away anxiety and worries in students. Even if you don’t use all the activities you have planned, it’s better to have extra activities than to run out.
It is important to give children time to get to know each other through play. Encourage them to explore the classroom and the new exciting materials that they can use. They will begin to build relationships with new people who share similar interests. Playtime is also a great way to start building their problem-solving abilities.
School usually starts when it is nice and sunny outside. Take them outside to read and play before the weather changes and there are more inside days. If you can manage it, go on a beginning of the year field trip. Create an environment for learning, but at the same time organize activities to have fun together. This will help students build and strengthen friendships, make connections, and bond with each other.
Create name art to decorate the classroom.
A creative idea for a back to school bulletin board is to have students make rainbow name art. Creating a bulletin board like this is another way to make students feel special. They will see their names posted for all to see and they will feel important.
It is important to make students feel special because starting a new grade, with a new teacher and students, and a new environment can be a scary thing for many.
First Grade Teaching Tip #3: CLASSROOM MANAGEMENT
Choose some management strategies that fit who you are.
It is important to have a sense of your classroom management strategies before school begins. If you are a new teacher just starting out, try to have a few things that you are ready and willing to implement. Research the many management techniques out there and choose what fits your philosophy and reflects who you are as an educator. Then have some materials ready to implement those strategies.
Ask yourself…
How will I handle good and bad behaviour?
Will I use rewards? If yes, which type?
How will I handle supplies? books? attendance? a schedule?
Do I want a system that is positive?
How can I get and keep my students’ attention?
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Thanks for linking up! These are perfect tips to start the school year in first grade!
xoxo
Thanks for the fun linky Jen!
Having the room prepped, organized, and decorated is the best way to start the year! Nothing worse than running around looking for materials when your brand new class is watching. When you are organized the day flows and helps keep the stress away 🙂
Absolutely. You get to actually enjoy the days when things are prepared rather than feeling flustered.
These are so important! I love the tip about welcome activities!
Welcome activities are so important. Taking the time to sit in a circle and introduce yourself and the kids too is so meaningful.
It's so true, regardless of the grade you teach, if you put in the time preparing before school starts, you will have a smoother start. I find I can focus on my students more that first week instead of scrambling afterschool each day trying to prepare for tomorrow. I can look at THEIR work instead of clerical stuff.
Also, I'll have to do the name rainbows this year; the first grade teacher next door to me did it and I was totally impressed. Thanks for the reminder!
The rainbow art is really fun for kids and makes such a beautiful display.
I love the banner on your bulletin board!!!
Thanks Lauren!
Elyse,
I love your name art. I bet the kids absolutely love to make those and see them on the walls. Do you leave it up all year?
Kristen
Where the First Graders Are
Hi Kristen. I usually move them from a main bulletin board and I put them on the wow work board or to keep in their work portfolios.
Elyse 🙂
These were great tips Elyse, and I loved seeing all of the pictures from your classroom. I am sure your firsties and their families feel comfortable and welcome when they walk into your classroom! Thanks for sharing!
Emily
Polka Dots Please
Thanks so much Emily! I try my hardest to make it that type of classroom for sure.
Elyse 🙂
Thank you so much for these tips! I'm entering my first year as a first grade teacher, so this really is a great help for me!
-Jenn
Thanks Jenn! Hope you have a wonderful year!!
Elyse 🙂