Whether you are teaching your kindergarten students in person or virtually, this post is full of ideas for engaging Back to School activities your kindergarten students will love! They will give you the confidence of knowing you are providing them with meaningful resources that will help work on important kindergarten skills.
The beginning of kindergarten is hard enough as it is without throwing in all this unknown! I set out to figure out ways to make the start of the school year a little less daunting while also creating comfort, fun, and structure for our brand new kindergarten students.
I thought about what would be the most helpful for me each month, and started putting some ideas together. I am so excited to share about these back to school activities with you! They are designed to be used in the classroom, or for distance learning if need be.
Here’s a look at what you can expect from each monthly bundle:
Monthly Morning Work
Each month, you will have access to printable morning work. Your students can work on the pages independently at their desks or you can create packets to send home. The Back to School morning work includes
- name writing practice,
- letter recognition,
- counting practice,
- and other important beginning of the year skills.
These activities are a great way to get your students in the groove of school. It also gives teachers and parents great information and data as we can use them as informal assessments. Don’t you just love multi-purpose morning work?!
Monthly Math & Literacy Centers
I know how important hands-on learning is for kindergarteners. It is tricky enough to figure out how to best utilize centers, especially if our students aren’t able to share manipulatives and supplies. Here’s what I came up with to help solve those problems:
Centers at your seat
8 math & literacy centers that your kiddos can take back to their seats and work on independently. They incorporate minimal manipulatives and can be laminated so they can be easily wiped down after use. Have your students wipe down their own centers to instill responsibility and encourage proper hygiene and care of classroom supplies. Control the germs and create independent learners all at the same time!
Boom Cards
8 Boom Card Decks that help your students work on important beginning of the year skills either at home or in the classroom. Boom Cards are digital centers that are engaging and self-correcting. The immediate feedback is so helpful when learning a new skill.
I created a set of Drag & Drop practice to help get the students used to using this technology. Practicing these routines and procedures is key at the beginning of the year because it will set you up for all of your Boom Card learning to come throughout the year. It will also help cut down on questions if students do have to complete their work at home without you there. All the instructions for setting up a Boom account and using the cards are included in this FREE download!
Printable centers
Cut and paste printables for practicing math and literacy skills while also working on fine motor. The beginning of the year in kindergarten is such a crucial time to build those fine motor skills and muscles. These back to school activities will help you see which students may need more fine motor practice or additional OT services. These printables can also be sent home if needed. They are the same concepts as the hands-on centers and Boom Cards, so your students will be able to really hone in on these skills. Practice and repetition are your best friend at the beginning of kindergarten and beyond!
Monthly Craft
Each monthly bundle will also include a fun learning craft. Crafts aren’t just for fun and decoration though! They cover SO many important skills, including direction following, spatial awareness, fine motor skills, creativity, and more. Plus, they make the classroom walls really fun and engaging. 😉 Here’s a look at the Crayon Name Craft that is included in the Back to School bundle.
Your students will have a blast with this craft. They will gain a sense of pride knowing that their name will get to be displayed for all to see. Whenever we hang crafts in the classroom or hallway, I like to take my students on a tour. I point out each person’s project and what is so special and unique about how they made it. Their little eyes seriously light up when we do this and it makes them feel like a superstar.
Fun Bonus Activities
Once I started planning out these monthly activities, I couldn’t stop! I have ideas for STEM, sight word practice, reading fluency, and more! This name writing book from the Back to School bundle is perfect for the start of the year. It is completely editable so you can quickly and easily create a book for each student in your classroom.
Name writing practice is something we work on a lot in kindergarten, especially that first month of school so this book would be great to add in!
You can find all of these activities mentioned above in my Back to School Activity Bundle!
