Preschool First Day of School Activities
Introducing the Young Child to the Early Childhood Classroom
Aug 19, 2009
The first day of school can be a daunting time for children, parents, and teachers. Help ease the transition by planning some well constructed first day activities. Choose a variety of projects and exercises that will give each child the opportunity to shine in his or her own special way. Additionally, plan an opener that includes the parents or family members. A parent-child activity may help both the child and the parent to feel more comfortable with this big step towards independence.
Parent and Child Activity Opener
This type of activity is most useful in more structured school-like settings. For daycares or child care centers that do not require a specific drop off time, bringing all of the parents in at the same hour may be tricky. It may be helpful (in terms of classroom planning and for the comfort of the parents) to send a brief letter out before the beginning of the school year notifying the parents about this activity and the time in which it will occur. This will provide the opportunity for introductions and a description of what will happen on the first day of school.
There are many different ways to plan a parent-child activity opener for the first day of school. The following provides a brief list of possible suggestions:
- Hold a parent and child preschool breakfast.
- Conduct a parent-child tour of the classroom and school. Make this fun. Point out places and items that are of interest to both the parents and the children.
- Make a parent and child art project such as portraits of the first day of school. Have the parent draw the child, and the child draw the parent. Use crayons or another non-messy material as many parents may be dressed in business attire. Ask both the parent and the child to work together. Display the end result in the classroom for the children to see.
Child Centered First day of Preschool Activities
Once the parents have left, many of the children may feel sad or unsure. If this is an entirely new class the children will not know each other and may need a proper introduction. Additionally, the children may feel overwhelmed in a new classroom full of new toys, books, and other objects. Try a variety of first day activities to reduce any school anxiety.
Music Activities
Songs and other music oriented exercises are a fun way to introduce the class to each other while beginning simple lessons.
- Introduce Myself Songs: There are many introductory songs freely available in teacher’s resources online and in print. Do a web search for preschool first day of school songs or friend songs. Try looking for a song that encourages each child to say his or her name.
- Musical Instrument Parade: Allow each child to select a musical instrument. Next, have each child say his or her name while showing the instrument. After each child has said his or her name, have a class parade with the instruments.
- Sing a Class Song: Find a song that can be called the class song. It may be something simple such as the alphabet song or more elaborate. Ask the children for suggestions. If there are too many suggestions, combine several songs into one unique piece of music.
Art Activities
Plan a group art project that will encourage all of the children to work collaboratively.
- Collage: Create a large group collage that represents the current season or school. Allow the children to take turns with the different art processes. For example, some of the children can cut and tear paper while other glue. Half way through switch the groups.
- Wall Mural: Hang a large piece of butcher paper on a wall. Give the children crayons and have them create a wall mural design.
- Nametags: Write each child’s name on a large sticker. Give the children markers and ask the class to create individualized name tags. Have a show and share afterwards.
Pretend Play Activities
Encourage imaginative play and introduce the children to school on this first day.
- Play School: Set up a pretend classroom. Give the children turns playing the role of teacher.
- Puppet Play: Stage a very simple puppet play based on a story book.
Choose a variety of activities that will accommodate all of the children in the classroom. Start with an introductory parent-child activity, and then move into more child centered exercises. Include everyone, and give shy or nervous children some time to warm up to the idea of school.
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