What can I do on the first day of school in kindergarten to 4th grade?
What can I do on the first day of school in kindergarten to 4th grade?
On the first day, teach routines before content: how to enter, where things go, how to ask for help and how to line up. Fill the time between with short, low-pressure activities such as a name game, a read-aloud, a drawing about summer and a simple craft. This page covers what tends to go wrong, a five-block plan for the day and a set of printable first-day crafts.
See the first-day craftsSpend the first day teaching and practicing routines: how to enter, where to put things, your attention signal, bathroom and water rules, and lining up. Between routines, run short activities that need no prior skills, such as a name game, a read-aloud about starting school, a drawing of summer and a simple craft. Keep the pace brisk, end with a calm closing circle and send something home that starts a conversation with families.
Ready-made material
Back-to-School and End-of-Year Crafts Bundle, Grades K–4
6 resources in one download: $39.99 instead of $59.94 bought separately.
The first cover is the main resource; the others are related options. Open any cover for the full contents and price.
Back-to-School and End-of-Year Crafts Bundle | 6 Printable Projects | Grades K–4
SEL Art Activities Bundle | 6 Calm Drawing and Painting Projects | Grades K–4
Elementary Sub Plans & Emergency Lessons Bundle | 50 No-Prep Lessons, Daily ELA, Math Warm-Ups & Escape Room | Grades 1–5
Christmas and Winter Crafts Bundle | 6 Printable Art Activities | Grades K–4
Why it is hard
What goes wrong on day one
First days go wrong in predictable ways. The most common is overplanning content. A teacher prepares a reading check and a math pretest, and by mid-morning a room of six-year-olds has run out of sitting still. The opposite problem is underplanning: long gaps where students wait while the teacher handles forms, and those gaps are where the first behavior issues start. Routines taught by explanation alone do not stick. Telling kindergartners how to line up is not the same as practicing it four times, and second graders who were never shown the attention signal will not respond to it on day three. Emotions run high too. Some kindergartners cry at drop-off, some fourth graders arrive anxious about friendships, and a few students are new to the school. Activities that put a child on the spot, such as standing up to share in front of everyone, make this worse. Finally, the end of the day is easy to forget. Dismissal on day one is hectic in many schools, so a day that runs out of time sends everyone to the door stressed.
What works
Moves that make the first day run smoothly
These moves keep students busy, teach the routines you will rely on all year and leave room for nerves.
- Practice each routine three or four times right away, including your attention signal and lining up.
- Use name games with movement, such as passing a ball and saying the next person's name.
- Put a quiet morning task on every desk, like a coloring page or a drawing prompt.
- Choose a read-aloud about starting school and talk about feelings without asking anyone to share alone.
- Keep a simple craft for the afternoon, when attention for sitting and listening drops.
- Start the dismissal routine early and walk through it once before the real bell.
Step by step
A five-block first-day plan
Times are flexible and depend on your schedule. Kindergarten may need shorter blocks and more movement than Grade 4.
- Block 1: Arrival and morning taskGreet each student at the door, show them their seat and hand them a quiet drawing task. This gives you time for parents and late arrivals while the room stays settled.
- Block 2: Meet and routinesCircle up for a name game, then teach and practice your attention signal, voice levels and how to ask for help. Keep each explanation short and the practice frequent.
- Block 3: Read-aloud and talkRead a book about starting school and ask how the characters felt. Students answer with a thumbs signal or by drawing a face, so nobody has to speak alone in front of the class.
- Block 4: Craft and reflectionAfter lunch, run a simple first-day craft. Older students write one sentence about their summer or a goal for the year; younger ones draw or dictate to you.
- Block 5: Closing circle and dismissalLeave plenty of time. Review what the class learned, practice packing up and lining up for dismissal, and send the craft home as a conversation starter for families.
Ready-made option
Printable crafts for the first days
The Back-to-School and End-of-Year Crafts Bundle ($39.99, parts bought separately $59.94) covers the craft and reflection part of the day for Grades K–4. For the first week you have the School Cone Craft, a Back-to-School Garland Craft, a First Year of School Craft and a Summer Holiday Reflection; the Pop Art Garland and Carnival Mask suit the last weeks of the year. If you want calm art for the first tiring afternoons, the SEL Art Activities Bundle ($39.99) fits, and the Elementary Sub Plans & Emergency Lessons Bundle ($69.99) is worth having in place for Grades 1–5 before the year starts.
Honest limits
What these crafts will not do for you
The crafts fill one part of the day; the routines, seating plan and dismissal system are yours to build. The bundle holds six single printable activities, not a first-day lesson plan or a classroom management program, and no paper, glue or coloring supplies are included. If your school has first-week expectations, such as screenings or a social-emotional curriculum, check the crafts against them, since no standards alignment is claimed. Use is licensed for your own classroom; ask Teach Lessons before sharing with your grade team. Within 7 days you can exchange the bundle for store credit of equal value, not cash.
Good to know
More teacher questions
Should I teach academics on the first day?
A little, framed as routine practice. A short read-aloud, a counting game or a quick drawing-and-writing task shows students what learning looks like in your room. Save formal assessments for later in the first week or two, when students are settled and you get a truer picture of what they know.
What do I do with crying kindergartners?
Expect it and plan for it. Greet the child warmly, give them a job such as handing out crayons, and keep the parent goodbye short. Most children settle once the day has a rhythm. Keep a quiet corner with a book or drawing task, and let the family know at pickup how the day went.
How do I learn names quickly?
Use names constantly. Name tags on desks and shirts, a name game in the morning and a photo of each student with their name all help. Say each name when you hand something out, and use the closing circle to try naming the whole class from memory.
What is a school cone?
A school cone is a German tradition: children starting school receive a large paper cone filled with small treats and supplies. The School Cone Craft in the bundle brings that idea into the classroom as a paper craft, and it opens a short talk about how children in other countries start school. It suits kindergarten and Grade 1 well.
Do these crafts match state standards?
No alignment with any state or national standards is claimed. The crafts practice fine motor skills, following steps and reflection, which suit the first days, but check them against your state's kindergarten or elementary expectations and your school's plans for the first week, then adjust as needed.
What should I send home on the first day?
Something students made, plus one short note with practical information: your name, how to reach you and what to expect tomorrow. A craft or drawing gives families a specific question to ask, such as what did you make today, which tends to get a better answer than how was school.
Plan routines first, crafts second
Write out your routines for the day, practice your attention signal yourself, then add the activities that fill the gaps.
See the first-day crafts