Back to School Checklist:
1. Desk- class list, lesson plan book, pens, pencils, tape, stapler, paperclips, stickers, awards, folders, paper, clipboard
2. Closet organized
3. Centers organized
4. Room Displays- classroom news, Circle Time, bulletin boards, center labels, toy labels, birthday chart, welcome bulletin board
5. Desk name tags
6. Cubby name tags
7. Sub folder with emergency lesson plans
8. Parent welcome letter
9. Students books and supplies
10. File folder system (i.e parent communication, school memos)
Bulletin Board Ideas:
1. “Chicka Chicka Boom Boom!
Look Who’s in Our Room!”- Decorate board with palm
tree. Put each child’s name in a coconut on tree. Use leis
as border.
2. “Kindergarten is Tee-rific!”- Each child writes
his/her name on a tee-shirt pattern and decorates it.
Hang tee-shirts on a clothesline.
3. “Kindergarden is the Place to Bee!”- Put childrens’ names
in bees around a hive.
4. “Our Kinder-garden”- Take photo of each child and put
in the center of a flower that the child decorates. Write
child's name on stem.
5. “The New Crop Is In”- Place children’s photos in apples
and hang on tree.
6. "Leaping into a New School Year"- Write child's names
on frogs and display around large lilypad with class
name or grade written on it.
Books:
Miss Bindergarten Gets Ready for Kindergarten by Joseph Slate
The Kissing Hand by Audrey Penn
Chrysanthemum by Kevin Henkes
Froggy Goes to School by Jonathan London
Kindergarten Kids by Ellen B. Sensi
First Day Hooray! by Nancy Poydar
Look Out Kindergarten, Here I Come!
by Nancy L. Carlson
If You Take a Mouse to School by Laura Numeroff
The Night Before Kindergarten by Natasha Wing
Clifford’s First Day by Norman Bridwell
When You Go to Kindergarten by James Howe
My Teacher's My Friend by P.K. Hallinan
Little Critter's This is My School by Mercer Mayer
Countdown to Kinergarten by Alison McGhee
The Teacher from the Black Lagoon by Mike Thaler
The Night Before Kindergarten by Natasha Wing
Welcome to Kindergarten by Anne Rockwell
Songs:
Hello Song ( Frere Jacques tune)
Hello, (student’s name), hello, (student’s name)
How are you? How are you?
We're so glad to have you,
We're so glad to have you,
Here at school, here at school.
Hello Song (Three Blind Mice tune)
Hello, (student's name),
Hello, (student's name),
How are you, how are you?
We're glad you're here to learn and play
We know we'll have some fun today.
We love school every day.
And so will you!
Who is Here Today?
( Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star tune)
Let's see who is here today.
Who has come to join our play?
Everyone sit close at hand.
Say your name and then you can stand.
Let's see who is here today.
Who has come to join our play?
*Children stand and say their names.
If You're Happy at School
(If You're Happy and You Know It tune)
If you're happy at school clap your hands. (clap, clap)
If you're happy at school clap your hands. (clap, clap)
If you're happy at school and you really want to show it,
If your happy at school clap your hands. (clap, clap)
...stamp your foot...
...turn around...
...shout hurray...
School Song
(The Wheels on the Bus tune)
The name of my school is ______,
________, __________.
The name of my school is _______.
That's the name of my school.
...name of room
...name of teacher
...name of principal
First Day Activities:
1. Acrostic Name Game- Toss a beachball to a child. Child says his/her name and what they like before passing ball to next child. (i.e “I am Renée and I like reading.”)
2. Make a class constitution regarding class rules. Students sign their names at bottom.
3. Read The Kissing Hand. Create “The Kissing Hand” class book. Have each child trace his/her hand and glue a heart in the middle of it. Glue handprint on paper. Have child answer the following question below the hand:
“(Name) felt (emotion) on the first day of school."
4. Read Chrysanthemum. Graph what letters student names start with.
5. Read Miss Bindergarten Gets Ready for Kindergarten. Answer how we got ready for kindergarten in the morning and create class book.
6. Take a "Gingerbread Man Tour" of the room to look for the Gingerbread Man and become familiar with centers. I hid the following clues in each center:
Library- I’ve run off to look at a book.
Come to the
Housekeeping- I’ve got a growl in my tummy.
Look for me where the food is yummy!
Science- Magnets that stick sure give me a kick.
Come to the
And you can see
What interesting things there are to pick.
Math- Clocks make sure we won’t be late.
I’m hanging out between one and some color
shapes.
Fine Motor- Puzzles and lacing beads
Are my next clue
To give you a lead.
Computer- Computers are fun.
They teach you a ton.
Come and look for me at the classroom one!
Dramatic Play- I’ve run off to make friends
With some puppets and dolls.
When you find me in the
You can too!
Art- Find me in the place
Where you draw and paint.
I’m running out of breath
And boy, do I feel tired!
Writing- I’m surrounded by pencils and chalk.
When you come to the
We’ll be able to talk!
After the children found the Gingerbread Man in the
7. Make September self-portraits for portfolios.
8. I begin to individually give students assessments to see if they can write their names, identify letters, numbers, shapes, and colors.
9. First day of School Handprints- Place poem under handprints:
Here are my hands with ten fingers in all.
My first mark in school to hang on the wall.
As years go by I'll remember and say,
"My hands and I had a great first day!"