9 Simple Activities for the First Week of School to Build a Positive Classroom Community
Share This:
As the school year begins, one of the most important things you can do as an elementary teacher is to build a positive classroom community. Creating an inclusive and welcoming environment where all students feel valued and comfortable sets the tone for a successful year! Use these 9 simple activities for the first week of school as fun ways for everyone to get to know each other.
- Classroom Scavenger Hunt
- All About Me Activity
- Friendship Bingo
- Beach Ball Toss
- Self Portrait Drawing
- Who Am I?
- Memory Game
- Getting to Know You Chain
- Would You Rather…?
Why the First Week of School Matters
Spending time on community-building activities at the beginning of the school year is non-negotiable!
Students learn to trust each other and cooperate as they participate in engaging games and activities right from the start. They also feel more at ease, with less anxiety, when they feel comfortable with their peers (and YOU!).
Intentionally choosing activities that highlight diverse interests and backgrounds encourages inclusivity and helps all students know they belong. Students are also more likely to participate and stay motivated throughout the school year when they feel connected to their classmates.
As you are thinking about planning for the first day of school, extend your thoughts a little further by adding these super simple “getting to know you” activities to your schedule for the week.
9 Activities for the First Week of School
Remember, these activities don’t all need to be crammed into the first day. Pace yourself and spread them over the entire first week— or even the first two weeks of school! Be flexible and make adjustments depending on the needs of your students and other exciting plans you and your school have.
1. Classroom Scavenger Hunt
Engage your students with a fun classroom scavenger hunt! Create a list of items or features around your classroom. In your scavenger hunt, include questions that encourage students to learn more about their classmates too!
- “Find someone who loves reading.”
- “Locate the classroom library.”
- “Find the spot where you’ll turn in morning work.”
- “Find someone who shares your favorite color.”
This activity helps students familiarize themselves with their new environment and each other!
2. All About Me Activity
Next is an All About Me activity! Give students materials to create a page or poster about themselves. They can include information about their interests, favorite activities or foods, and family. Find a done-for-you page in the Getting to Know You Back to School Activity Bundle.
Allow time for students to share their creations with the class. Encourage students to pay careful attention as their classmates present so they can learn about what makes everyone so unique.
Then, proudly display the completed projects around your room. This activity is a wonderful (and easy!) way to decorate your classroom while quickly building the classroom community.
3. Friendship Bingo
Friendship Bingo is another simple getting-to-know-you activity perfect for the first week of school!
Create bingo cards with various common traits or experiences. Keep diversity and inclusion in mind in this step of planning! When you call out one of the traits of experiences, students mingle to find a classmate who matches each square.
Bingo Ideas:
- Has a pet
- Loves pizza
- Like the beach
- Has brown hair
Keep things easy for yourself and download the done-for-you Friendship Bingo page in the Getting to Know You Back to School Activity Bundle!
4. Beach Ball Toss
Next in the line up– beach ball toss!
Write getting-to-know-you questions on a beach ball. Students toss the ball to each other and answer the question nearest their right thumb when they catch it.
This activity is a great way to get kids moving while they build strong relationships with their classmates.
5. Self Portrait Drawing
Self portraits are another fabulous activity to create a positive classroom community as you all get to know each other.
Allow each student to create a self-portrait to be displayed in an art-style gallery display in the classroom with the words “Welcome To Our Classroom”. You can participate in this activity too by drawing your own self portrait– your students will love it!
Find ready-to-print frames and portrait templates in the Getting to Know You Back to School Activity Bundle.
6. Who Am I?
In this Back to School activity, students get to know fun facts about their friends.
How to Play:
- Students write 3 clues about themselves on a card or you can gather 3 clues about each student from their All About Me books.
- You read the clues aloud to the class.
- The students guess who each clue is about.
The only downside this activity is that you might have kids begging to play again and again!
7. Memory Game
To play this fun memory game, first have students sit in a circle on the carpet.
The first student says their name and something about themselves. They can share something serious, name something they enjoy, or tell a silly fact.
The next student repeats the previous student’s information before adding their own. Continue around the circle until everyone has had a turn!
8. Getting to Know You Chain
Next, create a Getting to Know You chain with your students. Print the strips on any color cardstock that you want to match the theme of your classroom or let your students pick their favorite colors!
Each student writes something about themselves on a strip of paper. Let students practice communication skills by sharing their facts outloud. Then, connect the strips to form a paper chain to display in the classroom for more fun decor.
9. Would You Rather…?
Finally, play “Would You Rather…?” with your students!
Pose fun questions like:
- “Would you rather be able to fly or be invisible?”
- “Would you rather have four hands or four feet?”
- “Would you rather eat hot dogs or tacos everyday?
You can also use premade questions from the Question of the Day resource.
Getting-to-know-you activities for the first week of school are perfect opportunities to build a positive classroom community and environment. Take advantage of done-for-you resources to keep your prep and planning time down to a minimum, and soak up every last minute of your well-deserved summer break!
Find more Back to School resources to make the start of your school year a breeze!
Let me know if you have any questions about anything you see here. Don’t forget to pin this post to refer to it later!
Other posts you may enjoy:
Top 7 Successful Ways To Make Students and Families Feel Welcome This School Year
Most Important Classroom Routines and Procedures: What to Teach and How to Teach It
The Importance of Using Emotional Regulation Strategies in the Classroom
MAKE MORNING ROUTINES IN YOUR CLASSROOM FUN AND ENGAGING WITH THESE
Free Morning Meeting Songs & Greetings
The perfect way to get students energized and ready to go in the mornings!
Diane Romo
Thank you for being here! I love sharing ideas with other teachers! If you are looking to enhance your teaching and build a positive classroom community, you have come to the right place!
