The First Day Back to School with FREE Scavenger Hunts

The students are coming!! Classrooms are ready. Class lists complete. Now…what to do to greet them back to school. Some are anxious, others are nervous and many are just plain excited to be back so making everyone comfortable on that first day is so important! I have three resources I like to change up yearly for greeting students on the first day. They are easy to use and provide plenty of activities, games and materials for a full day.

One of my favorite is “First Day Hooray!” by Nancy Poydar. I especially like this because it introduces several of the school helpers the students are going to meet along the way and each one in the story is a little nervous or anxious that everything be just right on that first day.

The resource is filled with activities perfect for the literacy portion of your day. You will find many differentiated choices for word work and wonderful vocabulary for posting. The resource also includes a data collection activity for how the students felt on the first day of school. There are two choices depending on the level of your class. You can spend time talking about emotions and then have students draw the must have picture of “This is me on the first day”! You will love the interactive mini book for students to create and take home that will provide parents with information about their child’s class. I even snuck in differentiated math games for students to play during math time. Download for FREE the scavenger hunt for students. I read the story for Guided Reading and then take the class on a tour of the school. There are many other choices I think you will enjoy as well.

Another favorite FIRST DAY favorite is Froggy Goes to School by Jonathan London.

Again this resource is filled with activities perfect for the literacy portion of your day. You will find many differentiated choices for word work and wonderful vocabulary for posting. The resource also includes a data collection activity for how the students felt on the first day of school. There are two choices depending on the level of your class. You can spend time talking about emotions and then have students draw the must have picture of “This is me on the first day”! Or how about practice printing their first name just like Froggy did? You will love the interactive mini book for students to create and take home that will provide parents with information about their child’s class. You are going to LOVE the Froggy craft. I like to cut t he pieces out ahead of time so all the students have to do is put them together and paste as I demonstrate. He will be adorable decorating your room. Download for FREE the scavenger hunt for students. I read the story for Guided Reading and then take the class on a tour of the school. There are many other choices I think you will enjoy as well.

And an “oldie” but certainly still a “goodie”…The Kissing Hand by Audrey Penn.

This resource also is filled with activities perfect for the literacy portion of your day. You will find many differentiated choices for word work and wonderful vocabulary for posting. The resource also includes a data collection activity for how the students felt on the first day of school. There are two choices depending on the level of your class. You can spend time talking about emotions and then have students draw the must have picture of “This is me on the first day”! You will find an adorable handprint craft for students to take home to their parents to help them tell about the story. You will also find a mini book about their first day and a little science for nocturnal! Download for FREE the scavenger hunt for students. I read the story for Guided Reading and then take the class on a tour of the school. There are many other choices I think you will enjoy as well.