School kids activity: 21 Fun Classroom Games And Activities For Kids

21 Fun Classroom Games And Activities For Kids

Add curiosity and creativity to your classroom and keep engaging students.

Image: Shutterstock

Fun classroom games for kids are a great way to keep them engaged and learn creatively. If you have a classroom full of hyper-energetic and mischievous kids, getting them to focus and pay attention is a difficult task. However, introducing them to some fun games may be a creative way to involve them in the lessons and activities.

If you are looking for some games that children will enjoy playing in the classroom while also gaining knowledge, find below our curated list of classroom games that you can use. In addition, some of these games specifically focus on improving their language, art, and memory skills.

Fun Classroom Activities For Kids

Education is a serious business, but kids just want to have fun. So here are some fun ways to educate the children, seriously!

1. Buzz

There’s no buzz word here. Only a buzz number or letter.

Image: Shutterstock

Buzz is an excellent game for younger kids who need to recite long lists such as a series of numbers, letters of the alphabet, and days of the month.

Number of players: Ten or more

You will need: A little preparation

How to play:

1. Pick a series that you want the kids to list out – numbers from one to 100, prime numbers, or any other series of words or numbers they have access to.
2. Decide what the buzz word or number is going to be. For instance, you can decide that every fourth number or letter is going to be the buzz word. You could also choose words starting with a specific letter or numbers divisible by a particular number.
3. The word ‘buzz’ will replace the figures or letters.
4. Get the kids to start reading the items on the list or the series in order, while replacing the chosen letter number with buzz.

For example: 1, 2, 3, buzz, 5, 6, 7, buzz, 9,10,11, buzz…

Anyone who misses replacing the buzz word or number is out of the game.

2. Blind artist

Image: Shutterstock

This game is played in pairs and engages a child’s imagination and ability to describe things.

Number of players: Four or more

You will need: Sheets of white paper, pencil, pen or sketch pens, drawings or images

How to play:

1. Pair the children, but do not let them face each other.
2. Give one child a picture or an image.
3. The second child has to recreate the picture while his partner describes it, without revealing what it is.

The idea is to see how accurate the drawing can be, when recreated without seeing.

3. Don’t answer

When asked a question, the ideal thing to do is answer. But not when you are playing this game, which older kids and teens will enjoy playing.

Number of players: Ten or more

How to play:

1. One student starts by asking another student a random question. For example, “What is your one precious possession?”
2. But the student who was asked shall not answer. The student standing left to him or her will respond, whether or not they know the answer.

The game gets hilarious when students get imaginative and creative with their answers. ‘Don’t answer’ is ideal for high school students.

4. Crazy train

Ideal for primary and kindergarten kids, the crazy train is a choo-choo train with added fun.

Number of players: Ten or more

You will need: Space to play

How to play:

1. Line up the kids to form a human choo-choo train.
2. Then shout-out commands such as ‘slow’, ‘fast’, ‘slow-motion’, ‘turn right’, ‘move backward’, and ‘stop’ randomly to make the train go ‘crazy’!

Younger children will love playing this one.

5. Four corners

Image: Shutterstock

Four corners is a simple game of chance that can energize students and keep them awake after the lunch hour.

Number of players: 12 or more

You will need: A room with four corners and enough space for a group of students to stand

How to play:

1. Choose one student to be ‘It’. Blindfold and send ‘It’ out of the classroom for a while.
2. Divide the rest of the class into four groups of four students each.
3. Ask each group to pick a corner. Name the corners A, B, C, and D.
4. Once the students are in place, ‘It’ calls out a corner and all the students standing there are out of the game.
5. The four members of the last group standing will pick a corner each and ‘It’ continues to eliminate them all until only one student is left.

6. Bleep

Bleep is a memory game that prevents children from using certain words.

Number f players: Ten or more

You will need: Reading material

How to play:

1. Give the students a list of forbidden words. They can be anything such as colors (red blue, green, and so on), play, of, man, food, apple, the, and more.
2. Choose reading comprehension material with these words in it and ask the kids to read one sentence each.
3. Kids have to bleep each time they hear a forbidden word.

7. Jumping the line

This is an energizer that can be played towards the end of the day and is a great game for revising the day’s lessons.

Number of players: 10-15

You will need: Sticky tape or chalk, set of True/False questions, space to play

How to play:

1. Make a straight line using the chalk or the sticky tape.
2. Mark one side of the line as True and the other as False .Ask the children to stand on the line.
3. Ask a question – if the kids think it is true, they jump to the True side. Otherwise, they must jump to the False side.

Kids who make a mistake have to go back and sit.

8.

Blindfold conversation

This game is an interesting way to make children listen and focus on the voice of another person.

Number of players: Ten or more

You will need: Cloth for blindfolding and space to play

How to play:

1. Make space in the room and ask kids to form a circle.
2. Pick one student to be ‘It’ and blindfold her or him.
3. Spin ‘It’ and ask him or her to point. Whoever ‘It’ points at must talk to ‘It’ in a funny voice, without revealing their name.
4. ‘It’ has to guess the name of the student by asking a series of questions.

If ‘It’ rightly guesses who the student is, the student becomes ‘It’.

English Or Word Games For Classrooms

Reading and writing aren’t the only activities or tools for learning a language. There are some fun games as well, which can be used to review and improve a child’s vocabulary, grammar, and speaking skills.

9.

Dictionary deception

Dictionary deception is a rather challenging game that compels kids to think about a word’s meaning. It is great for developing high school students’ vocabulary.

Number of players: Six or more

You will need: Sheets of paper, pens, and a list of words

How to play:

1. Pick a word that none of the students have heard before.
2. Write the meaning of the word on a sheet of paper. Ask the students to write down what they think the definition of that word is.
3. Collect the sheets and read them out one by one – each time you do, the class has to consider the meaning and vote.
4. Students get one point every time their definition gets a vote and also if they have written the right definition.

The student with the highest number of points wins.

Some words you can use include Aplomb, Brackish, Acumen, Chicane, Diffident, Epiphany, Facetious, Fiduciary, Filibuster, Hubris, Incognito, Jejune, Kowtow, Laissez-faire, Lexicon, Nihilism, Nomenclature, Oligarchy, Paradigm, Pecuniary, Quotidian, Sanguine, Soliloquy, Tempestuous, Totalitarian, Unctuous, Usurp, Vortex, Wrought, and Xenophobe.

10. Board race

Image: Shutterstock

Board race is a team building that also works on the child’s vocabulary.

Number of players: Six or more

You will need: Board and two different colored markers

How to play:

1. Divide the class into two teams. Give each team a pen.
2. Draw a line in the middle of the board, dividing it into two parts, one each for each team.
3. On one side of the board, write down a word.
4. Following the relay method, each team must write words relevant to the theme of the keyword.
5. The team with the highest number of words for a word scores one point.

11. Chain spelling

This is like interlinking two unrelated words, based on their spellings.

Number of players: Six or more

How to play:

1. Write any word on the board.
2. The first student has to take the last four or three letters of that word and form a new word.
3. The second student does the same, and the chain continues until a student is unable to form a word.
4. The student who fails to form a word or misspells it is out of the game.

Avoid -ing or -ion words. You can increase the complexity of the game by restricting them to a particular theme or topic.

12. The mime

The mime is a fun game to revise verbs or action words. It can be played with primary or middle schools kids.

Number of players: Ten or more

You will need: A list of action words

How to play:

1. Write down a list of action words such as gardening, walking the dog, dish washing, eating, or reading on small pieces of paper. Put them in a bag.
2. Divide the class into two teams.
3. The student has to enact that word while the other students try to guess what the word is.
4. The team that guesses the word correctly gets a point and the team with the maximum points, wins.

13. Sentence race

Sentence race is a vocabulary review game that works best with higher classes with more than ten students.

Number of players: Ten or more

You will need: List of 10 vocabulary words, 20 pieces of paper, pen

How to play:

1. Divide the class into two teams.
2. Pick ten or more vocabulary words and write each word on two pieces of paper. You will have two bundles of vocabulary words.
3. Each team gets a bundle and a marker or chalk.
4. Divide the board into two sections, one for each team.
5. When you call out a word out from the list, one student from each team runs to the board and writes a sentence with the word in it.

The team that writes the maximum correct and meaningful sentences with the chosen words, wins.

Memory Games For Kids

Memory games are fun. They compel you to try and recall and reinforce any information that the brain has received. Here are a few you can try in the classroom.

14. Card recall

This memory game involves the use of flashcards to recall something from the short term memory.

Number of players: Ten or more

You will need: Flashcards on chosen subject

How to play:

1. Divide the class into pairs and place different sets of flashcards on the table.
2. Each student takes three flash cards from the table and counts to ten, as he or she shows it to the partner. He then places them face down.
3. The partners have to recall what the three cards are. If they succeed, they get to keep the cards.

The student with the highest number of cards wins the game. This game can also be played at home, with two or more people.

15. I’m going on a trip

This is a memory game that involves making lists. Variations of this game can be played by changing ‘on a trip’ to ‘to the market’.

Number of players: Eight or more

How to play:

1.  Write the statement “I’m going on a trip and bringing __________” on the board.
2. Ask the first student to fill in the blank with whatever he or she is bringing. For example, ‘I’m going on a trip and bringing a suitcase’.
3. The remaining students repeat the sentence with the list of things mentioned by the other students and also add what they are going to bring on the trip. For example, ‘I’m going on a trip and bringing a suitcase, a hat, a pair of sunglasses and ….’.
4. The students must remember the items mentioned by the others. If they miss even one, they are out of the game.

16. What’s missing?

A simple game that works well with younger children, ‘What’s missing’ helps the children try and recall things they have seen recently.

Number of players: Four or more

You will need: Flashcards

How to play:

1. Pick up three to five cards each and show it to the class, for a few seconds.
2. Turn the cards away, shuffle them and show only two of the cards. Ask the class what cards are missing.
3. You can have two volunteers to show and hold the cards. In that case, you could also ask which card the person was holding before.

This game may seem too simple for higher classes, but the younger ones will enjoy exercising their memory.

17. Picture this

Picture this is suitable for students in high school or middle school. It involves paying attention to details.

Number of players: Two or more

You will need: Two or more images with a lot of detail

How to play:

1. Pick a couple of pictures from the Internet – have at least three to four images, with at least one image that can be memorized easily.
2. Start by showing the simpler image to the class. Let them see it for a couple of minutes and memorize it. Ask them to notice the details carefully.
3. Take the image away and ask them questions such as – ‘Was there anything red in the picture?’ or ‘Where was the man with the beard standing in the room’ depending on the image and the details.

Note that the idea is to help children jog their memory to recall something and not pose difficult questions. So pick questions about a few evident details that most kids notice, along with a couple that only a few observant ones do.

Art Games For Classroom

Children have to pay more attention to what they are doing in an art class. And while they learn how to do that, they can have a little fun too, with these games.

18. Pass the drawing

Yes, pass the drawing. Not the salt or the butter! This game works with all age groups.

Number of players: Eight or more

You will need: Drawing paper, pencils or sketch pens

How to play:

1. Give each student a sheet of paper and a color pen.
2. Set the timer to one minute and ask the kids to draw anything they want using their color pen.
3. When the timer dings, pass the paper to the next person and continue the drawing on the paper they get.

Pass the sheets around for three or four rounds and see the result. It could be a collaborative masterpiece for all you know.

19. All about me hats

With this game, everyone can be a mad hatter. The game encourages creativity using mundane things, or even things considered useless.

Number of players: Five or more

You will need: Hats of different shapes and sizes, stickers, decorative paper and pins, old scraps of fabric

How to play:

1. Get as many hats as there are students in the classroom.
2. Ask the students to pick a hat.
3. Set a timer for 30 minutes and ask them to decorate the hats in a way that best suits them.

They could also spell their names on the hats to wear them to a class party.

20. Art bingo

Bingo is played for money. But art bingo is played for fun.

Number of players:

You will need: Letter sized paper, pens or pencils

How to play:

1. Give each student a letter-sized sheet of paper. Get them to fold it in half, four times. When they unfold it, they will have 16 blocks.
2. They can draw lines along the folds or creases to separate the blocks.
3. Create a word bank of 40 words with the help of your students. Number them and write them on the board.
4. Ask the students to pick any 16 words from the board and write it at the bottom of each block. They can illustrate the object in the remaining space in the block.

Write numbers one to 40 on slips of paper and put it in a bag. Pick the numbers randomly to play bingo. Students have to mark the corresponding words, and one who marks all the words first wins.

21. The combination man drawing game

This is an engaging art activity that you can try at beginner level or even advanced art classes. The game works well with kids who can draw human shapes and combine two shapes to form a new one.

Number of players: Six or more

You will need: Papers, color pens or pencils

How to play: Six to eight

1. Each person gets a sheet of paper and pencil.
2. The students begin by drawing the head and the neck or a man, an animal, a robot, or even an alien. Fold the paper backward at the neck, such that only the bottom of the neck is visible.
3. Pass the paper to the next person, who will draw the torso of any person or creature. They will fold it again at the end of the waistline, and pass it on.
4. The last person will draw the legs and the remaining body to complete the combination man.

In the end, unfold the paper to see the resultant picture – we guarantee there will be laughter!

These classroom games for kids will help keep the children excited for school as they can play and try different games. These games are suitable for learning and help them know their peers better and form a good bond. Plan the games well and incorporate them into their regular class schedules wisely to ensure that they take these games as fun learning experiences and not as distractions.

Do you know of any classroom games for kids? Let us know about them here.

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Harshita is a graduate in commerce and holds a PG Diploma in Patent and Copyrights Law from NALSAR University. She has also pursued CA and has more than three years of internship experience in auditing. Her love for travelling has taken her to various parts of the world, and writing the travelogues was what brought out her love for content writing…. more

40 Back-to-School Activities & First Day Icebreakers 2022

LibbyBratt.com

The first day of school is right around the corner, and back-to-school time always full of excitement and jitters. Everything is new: There’s new school supplies, new daily routines and schedules, new teachers and new classmates. So, after they’ve snapped their big back-to-school photo and found their way to their classrooms, what should they actually do on the first day of school?

These fun back-to-school activities are sure to calm the nerves, break the ice and get everyone ready for a year of learning. Some are designed to get kids to open up and talk about themselves, so classmates and teachers can get a better sense of who they are. Others set the expectations for the class and introduce new rules, learning styles and other classroom procedures. Some begin the teaching process right away, with different hands-on learning activities that launch them right into the subjects they’ll be tackling throughout the year. And some are just fun back-to-school craft projects designed to give kids a fun take-home on their first day. But whether they’re in preschool, elementary school, middle school or high school, there’s a back-to-school activity here that’ll get the year started off on the right foot.

Reading Confetti

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Craft Stick School Bus

Let them bring home something fridge-worthy on the first day, like this picture frame that cleverly uses craft sticks to make a school bus. The school picture fits perfectly in the windows.

Get the tutorial at Reading Confetti »

LibbyBratt. com

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Student Survey

If you’re looking for a first-day-of-school activity for middle schoolers or high schoolers, The Daring English Teacher suggests running a back-to-school student survey. It’s a quick way for a teacher to get to know new students.

Get the survey at Teachers Pay Teachers »

The Partiologist

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Paper Clip Bookmarks

This craft is so easy yet it’s something they can actually use. Kids can choose colors or ribbons that make it feel personal to them.

Get the instructions at The Partiologist »

Happy Tot Shelf

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All About Me Caterpillar

Start with a photo for the “caterpillar” face, and then let kids answer questions for each segment. This is a fun one to do year after year to see how the responses change.

Get the printable at Happy Tot Shelf »

RELATED: Fun Learning Activities for Preschoolers

Scaffolded Math

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Pennant Glyph

Scaffolded Math and Science offers an activity that’s a classroom decoration and get-to-know-you project in one. These math-themed pennants come with instructions like color the stars based on your favorite class (red for math, yellow for English, and so on) or color the heart based on your birth month. They look so great hanging all in a line!

Get the instructions and pennants at Teachers Pay Teachers »

Amy Stults/Teaching With Jennifer Findley

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Get-to-Know-You Jenga

Jenga is fun on its own, but with a few tweaks it can also be a good icebreaker. This colorful set comes with different questions to answer based on what color block gets pulled.

See more at Teaching With Jennifer Findley »

FatCameraGetty Images

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Guided Meditation

After the past couple of years, schools have shifted focus to include more social-emotional learning to help kids with stress and anxiety. Starting off the year with guided mediation might help them ease their first-day nerves. You can try a five-minute morning meditation, or try a ten-minute version specifically for anxiety.

Happiness Is Homemade

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Kindness Clips

Get kids in the habit of lifting each other spirits! With this activity, kids can put positive messages on clothespins, then clip them to each other’s backpacks for a mood boost.

Get the tutorial at at Happiness Is Homemade »

For the Love of Teachers

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STEM Challenge

Get them started on their STEM skills right away by challenging them to make a name tag that meets certain criteria. They’ll be measuring, designing and engineering in no time!

Get the tutorial at For the Love of Teachers »

AHigherClass

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AHigherClass

Sensory Path

$180 AT ETSY

Let them wiggle their nerves away! A sensory path has designated spots for different movements, from hopping on one foot (the candy-striped circles here), balancing on a line (the train tracks), pushing against a wall (the hot air balloons), and so on. You can DIY your own, or buy themed sets of decals online.

Around the Kampfire

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Set Goals

Keep their eyes on the prize with a goal-setting activity, which challenges them to write down something they’d like to accomplish this year. Teacher Linda Kamp has her kids write them in self-portraits that decorate the classroom and, in Olympic years, she gives them gold medals to glue on, too.

Get the template at Teachers Pay Teachers »

Mrs. E Teaches Math

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Sort It Learning Styles

There’s a high chance that students have never been asked the ways they learn best. This sorting activity from Mrs. E Teaches Math gets kids thinking about their own learning styles, and lets the teacher take a classroom temperature, too.

Get the activity at Teachers Pay Teachers »

Stay Small Art Club

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Apple Tag

Students are known to bring an apple to the teacher on the first day of school, but this activity lets them make their own, either for their desks or a bulletin board. Some tissue paper and watered-down glue make for a fruitful activity.

Get the tutorial at Stay Small Art Club »

Mrs. Strawberry

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Photo Magnets

Not only are photo magnets a cute memento of the first day of school, they’ll help everyone in the class learn each other’s names.

Get the tutorial at Mrs. Strawberry »

Teaching in Paradise

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Beach Ball Questions

Get brains and bodies working in tandem with this activity. Whoever catches the ball has to answer the question that their thumbs land on!

Get the tutorial at Teaching in Paradise »

Buggy and Buddy

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Self-Portrait Paper Dolls

Another way for the class to get to know one another is to create a group “portrait” of paper dolls on a bulletin board. Everyone gets to showcase their style through their dolls’ outfit.

Get the tutorial at Buggy and Buddy »

Jewel’s School Gems

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Emoji Code

Being greeted with a welcoming note is nice. Having to decipher your own welcoming note from a secret code is even more fun! (You can even buy this one if you like it.)

Get the tutorial at Jewel’s School Gems »

RELATED: Fun Science Experiments for Kids

SteinDesignLine

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SteinDesignLine

Grow With Me Tee

$30 AT ETSY

If they’re in pre-K or kindergarten, give them a class shirt that’ll last with them through the ages. They can make a handprint on the first day of every new school year, and see how much bigger they are each time.

Charity Mika

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Get-to-Know-You Sculpture

In this activity, certain attributes are represented by certain features in a sculpture. Does a student love books? They can add a green zig-zag. Play sports? Give them a black arch. Every sculpture will be unique — just like every artist.

Get the tutorial at Charity Mika »

kali9Getty Images

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Write a Letter to Themselves

Tell them to write a letter to a very special pen pal — themselves. They can include private thoughts on their hopes, fears and anxieties for the next year. Deliver the letter on the last day of school, and they can see how much has changed over the course of the year.

Teachers Without Tears

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Class Rules

Kids will be more likely to follow the rules if they have a hand in shaping them. On the first day, it might be helpful to establish the class rules and brainstorm examples of following them. (This teacher recommends reading Do Unto Otters first to get the ball rolling.)

Get the tutorial at Teachers Without Tears »

MALLOCDESIGNS

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Student Scavenger Hunt

Have a first-day-of-school party where you can play a modified version of “Find the Guest” Bingo. In searching for classmates who can hula hoop, write with their left hand and bike to school, your students will get to know each other better. You can come up with your own attributes that will best fit your class.

Running Press

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Running Press

Summer Memories

$9 AT AMAZON

Read some of the funny poems in What I Did on My Summer Vacation, then go around the room and have the kids take turns either talking about or drawing their own summer adventures.

Big Dot of Happiness

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Big Dot of Happiness

First Day Photo Booth

$16 AT AMAZON

Take photos of your students with these silly props, then print out the photos and pin ’em to your classroom bulletin board. They’ll have fun looking at the pics all year.

Courtesy of Surviving a Teacher’s Salary

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DIY Backdrop

A crayon frame makes for a colorful accessory that every student will want a turn photographing. Bring it back out for the last day of school, too!

Get the tutorial from Surviving a Teacher’s Salary »

Courtesy of Miss Klohn’s Classroom

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Sticky-Note Expectations

Ask questions on a giant sheet of paper, and have students “fill in the blank” on Post-It notes that they can stick on the page. Beware: This teacher went through 600 notes on the first day!

Get the tutorial from Miss Klohn’s Classroom »

Courtesy of Genia Connell

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“D-ice” Breakers

Break your students up into small groups, then have them roll dice and answer creative questions like the ones on the printout this teacher made.

Erin Castillo, #okayteacher

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Mental Heath Check-In

Back-to-school season can bring up a lot of anxiety and negative feelings. Erin Castillo of #okayteacher came with a great way to start talking about mental health in her classroom. She invites each of her students to write their names on the back of a sticky note and put it on poster board in accordance with their feelings; it’s a discreet and non-verbal way of figuring out who needs some extra help.

Preschool Tool Box

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Preschool Toolbox

“All About Me” Coloring Page

$8 AT ETSY

Kids love talking about themselves, so they’ll get a kick out of filling out these worksheets with their current faves. It’s also fun to do it again at the end of the year and see how the answers have changed.

Courtesy of Proud to Be Primary

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Guided Drawing

Set up an easel in the front of the room and guide your students step-by-step through making a drawing. It’ll serve as a first-day-of-school souvenir to bring home to Mom and Dad.

Get the tutorial from Proud to Be Primary »

21 Exciting Back to School Activities for Kids of Different Grades

Can you believe it’s already time to start thinking about back-to-school activities? It seems like just yesterday we were all celebrating the summer break. Regardless of how you feel about the return to school, one thing is for sure: it’s a fresh start for everyone.

Are you looking for some fun and creative activities to do with your kids as the new school year approaches? Well, you’ve come to the right place!

Back to School Activities

For Preschoolers and Kindergarteners

For Elementary Students

For Middle School Students

FAQs

Back to School Activities for Preschoolers and Kindergarteners

Here are some activities that are perfect for little ones who are just starting out on their educational journey:

1. Make a Personalized Backpack

This is a great way to get your child excited about going back to school. Help them pick out a new backpack, and then let them decorate it however they want. They can use fabric paint, markers, stickers, and anything else they can think of.

2. Create a “First Day of School” Crown

This is a fun and easy way to commemorate the first day of school. All you need is some construction paper, scissors, and glue. Just help your child cut out the crown shape and then decorate it however they want. They can add their name, the date, or anything else they want.

3. Paint a Picture of Their Classroom

This is a great way to help your child feel prepared for the first day of school. Go on a walk to their school and then have them paint a picture of it when you get home. It will help them feel like they know the place before they even step foot in it.

4. Make a “Back to School” Countdown Chain

A countdown chain is a fun way to help your child feel excited about the return to school. Just cut out strips of paper and write down something different that they can look forward to for each day (i.e., “1 more day until I get to see my friends again!”).

5. Have a “Back to School” Themed Breakfast

Start the first day of school off right with a special breakfast. You can make pancakes in the shape of pencils or cut fruit into the shape of apples. Get creative and have fun with it!

6. Back to School Photo Shoot

This is a great way to document your child’s growth from year to year. Dress them up in their first-day-of-school outfit and take some pictures. Then, do the same thing next year and compare the two sets of photos. It’s sure to be a cherished memory.

Back to School Activities for Elementary Schoolers

Here are some activities that are perfect for elementary school kids who are just starting to get used to the idea of going back to school:

1. Have a Back-To-School Picnic

What could be more fun than having a picnic in the park? Pack some lunch and snacks, and head outdoors for an afternoon of family fun. This is a great way to enjoy the last few days of summer weather, and it’s also a great way to get into the back-to-school spirit.

2. Make a Back-To-School Memory Book

One of the best ways to commemorate the back-to-school season is to create a memory book. This can be as simple or as elaborate as you want it to be. You can include photos, drawings, and essays about your favorite memories from the past school year.

3. Start a New Tradition

Why not start a new tradition for the back-to-school season? This could be something as simple as reading a book together every night before bed, or it could be something more elaborate like setting up a homework station in your living room. The possibilities are endless!

4. Go on Scavenger Hunt

This is a great way to get the kids excited about school. Head outdoors for an afternoon of fun searching for items that represent the back-to-school season. Some ideas include leaves, acorns, apples, pencils, and textbooks.

5. Make a School Supplies List

One of the best ways to get ready for school is to make a list of the supplies you will need. This way, you can make sure you have everything you need, and you won’t forget anything important. Not to mention, it’s also a lot of fun to go shopping for school supplies!

6. Make a Time Capsule

A time capsule is a great way to preserve memories from the school year. Have your child collect special items throughout the year, such as photos, drawings, tickets stubs, and newspaper clippings. Then, have them put everything in a container and seal it up. This can be a fun project to do near the end of the school year, and then you can open it up together in future years.

7. Setting Up a Goal Board

A goal board is a great way to keep track of your child’s goals for the school year. Have them write down their goals and then hang the board in a prominent place where they can see it every day. This will help remind them of what they are working towards and will help keep them motivated throughout the year.

Back to School Activities for Middle Schoolers

Here are some activities that are perfect for middle schoolers who are getting ready to head back to school:

1. Create a Study Schedule

Help your middle schooler get into a good study habit by creating a study schedule for them. This will help them stay on track and ensure they are getting all their work done.

2. Write a Letter to Your Teacher

Start the school year off on the right foot by writing a letter to your teacher. In the letter, explain what you hope to accomplish this year and thank your teacher for all they have done for you in the past. This is a great way to show your appreciation and set the stage for a productive year.

3. Design a New School Year Calendar

Why not get creative and design your own school year calendar? This can be as simple or as elaborate as you want it to be. You can include photos, drawings, and quotes about the coming back-to-school season. It will be a great way to keep track of all the important dates and events.

4. Get Online Learning Materials Ready

If your child is starting school this year, it’s essential to get online learning materials ready ahead of time. This way, you will have everything you need, and you won’t have to worry about last-minute preparations. There are also different types of online learning games available on SplashLearn, which can keep kids entertained and engaged while they are learning.

5. An Autobiography Project

This is a great way to get your child thinking about their school year. Have them write an autobiography, starting with the first day of school and ending with the last day. This is a great project for older kids who can reflect on their year in school.

6. Make a Homework Station

One of the best ways to make sure homework gets done is to create a designated homework station. This could be as simple as a desk in your child’s bedroom, or it could be something more elaborate like a special area in the living room. Ensure the station is stocked with all the supplies your child needs, and make sure it’s a quiet and comfortable place to work.

7. Have a Reading Marathon

Reading is a great way to get in the school spirit! Not only does it help improve your child’s literacy skills, but it can also be fun. Whether you choose to read fiction or non-fiction books, set a goal for how many books your child can read in a day or week.

8. Start a Journal

A journal is a great way to document your child’s thoughts and experiences during the school year. Encourage your child to write in their journal every day, or at least once a week. This will be an excellent way for them to reflect on their year and look back on all the memories they made.

Let’s Go Back to School!

Back to school is a time for new beginnings. It’s the perfect time of year to try out something you’ve never done before or do more of what you enjoy doing. Whether it be painting, reading books, or making your own calendar–there are so many different ways kids can get creative and have fun with these back-to-school activities. We hope this list gives you some good ideas to get started!

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

What should I do if my child has a hard time adjusting to school?

If your child is struggling to adjust to school, it’s important to talk to their teacher and find out what might be causing the problem. There may be something going on at school that is making them feel uncomfortable or stressed out. You can also try working with a therapist to help your child cope with any anxiety or adjustment issues.

What are the best ways to keep my child motivated throughout the school year?

One way to keep your child motivated is to set goals for them and help them track their progress. You can also create a positive environment at home where your child feels supported and encouraged. Finally, make sure they have plenty of time to relax and enjoy themselves outside of school. This will help them recharge and stay motivated throughout the year.

20 Back-to-School Activities for Kids of All Ages

Can you believe it? It’s already time to go back to school! Another thing it might be hard to believe after the year we’ve had is that kids are going back to in-person teaching. This means that things are slowly going back to normal! However, kids need more time to adjust and feel comfortable in this new environment after spending most of the time home this past year. This is why preparing awesome back-to-school activities can be the perfect beginning of the new school year!

In this article, we’ll share some fun back-to-school activities for kids of all ages, so regardless of what grade you teach, you can find the ones that work best for your students. Now, let’s get started!

Back-to-School Activities for Preschoolers

Preschoolers’ social development was probably the most affected during the pandemic. The reason for this is because they never established close relationships with other kids. Therefore, it’s not surprising that most of the activities are focused on children getting to know each other and interacting in a playful way. 

Passing the Ball

Passing the ball is a powerful team-building activity that even adults use when working in groups. However, due to its simplicity, we believe it would be the perfect ice-breaker activity for preschoolers on their first day of school.

All you need is a soft ball that kids can easily throw from one to another. The challenge is that they need to say the name of the classmate to which they’re throwing the ball. For instance, “I’m throwing the ball to Lily!”

This way they can all remember each other’s names from the very beginning, the purpose being to feel more comfortable and safe in each other’s presence. 

All About Me Caterpillar

Another fun back-to-school activity for preschoolers is making them say something about themselves in a fun way. Each child receives a caterpillar made from four or five green paper circles glued one after another. In the first circle, glue a small photo of the student, while in the following circles white their name, their favorite color, their favorite food, and what they want to play the most. 

Once you collect caterpillars from all students, create a big board where you’ll pin them. Then, hang the board on a wall, so all the students can see it all the time. 

Alphabet Activities 

Preschoolers still haven’t learned how to read, but they’re familiar with the letters of the alphabet. And, even if they’re not, playing fun activities and games based on the alphabet is the perfect way for them to learn. Plus, alphabet games and activities are the perfect back-to-school activity as it’s not too challenging nor intimidating.  

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Memory Matching Games

Memory matching games are always welcomed, regardless of the subject. That’s one of the reasons why we love them – they are very flexible and easily adjustable to different circumstances. However, as a back-to-school activity for preschoolers, we love them because they can introduce a friendly competition among kids, improve their memory, and familiarize them with school items. 

To play, make matching cards – one card with a picture of a school item, such as a ruler, and another with the name of that item. Make as many as you want. Then, mix the cards and arrange them on the desk, face down. Ask kids to pick two cards – if the cards match, they receive one point, if the cards don’t match, they lose their turn, and another student guesses. The winner is the student with the most points. 

Drawing Activities

We can’t really finish this list without suggesting some form of art crafts or art activities. After all, they’re perfect for helping children feel more comfortable, expressive, and open with other students. As a back-to-school activity, you can ask preschoolers to draw and paint their name, their family, their pet, favorite school item, and so many other things. After all, drawing is an activity that never fails. 

Back-to-School Activities for Elementary School Students

Elementary school students are also very young to begin with curriculum-based activities from day one. Keep a chill and playful atmosphere with the following back-to-school activities for elementary school students. 

Autograph Hunt!

Hunting for an autograph not only sounds cool, but it will help students feel appreciated and socially more close to their classmates. The activity consists of children drawing a table with a couple of boxes in which they write their favorite activities, interests, or exciting things they’ve done in the past. Then, they show each other the table. If the other student has done the activity, they leave an autograph inside the box. This way, kids will know the classmates they have most in common with, so it’ll be easier to socialize with them later on. 

Do You Know Your Neighbour? 

Another activity for kids to get to know each other is called “Do you know your neighbor?” To play, you first need to randomize children’s seating arrangement. Then, ask them to get to know the classmate sitting next to them by engaging in a conversation for 10 minutes. Then, ask them to present their new friend in front of the whole class with the information they now know about that student.  

Writing “I am..” Poem

Ask kids to write a short poem or text beginning the sentences with “I am… ” Through this poem or text, they need to present to the class the most important characteristics making them who they are. 

Setting Goals

Even though teaching has not started yet, kids can still form long-term goals for the upcoming year by writing a short paragraph explaining what they want to master (knowledge and/or skills) and why. Then, tell them that you’ll take all of the writings and keep them until the end of the year, which is when you’ll give them back. This way, they’ll see whether they’ve accomplished their goals and reflect on how the year has changed them. 

Summer Memories

This one is a classic, but still worth covering. It’s a simple writing activity where kids write a short essay about their summer experiences and memories, then they read it in front of the class if they are comfortable. 

Alternatively, you can also ask the student to simply share their experience orally, and not by writing an essay. Choose the alternative you think will best fit your students’ abilities and skills. 

You can also encourage them to write or think of happy memories, no matter how trivial they might seem. 

Back-to-School Activities for Middle School Students

Middle schoolers are filled with energy and social drive that makes it a considerable challenge to keep their attention longer than a few minutes. This is why playful back-to-school activities are very important for middle school students. Diving straight into the material from day one might backfire, making them disinterested and impatient, which is why we recommend the following activities. 

Vocabulary Exercise: Describing My Personality

There’s still a way for kids to learn without them even realizing it. For instance, through this back-to-school activity, you can enrich kids’ vocabulary by asking them to describe themselves or their best friend in new words. Bonus: make it a game, the student who uses the newest words, wins a reward.

However, when we say new words, we mean some high-end descriptive adjectives that kids don’t often use. Give them a vocabulary pool of words with their definitions and ask them to find words that best fit their personality (or their best friend’s). 

What Do I Remember?

This is an activity that gives teachers the chance to evaluate students’ retained knowledge from the past year, without giving them a test or stressing them out with a formal quiz. 

Sit in front of the students and ask them to share what they remember most about the past year. Do not limit them, but simply encourage them to share anything they feel is worth remembering. This can be a joke, an activity that made an impression on them, a specific lecture, a field trip, or maybe something else.  

How I Spent My Summer Vacation

Just like the “Summer Memories” activity for elementary school students, “How I spent my summer” is a writing activity that asks students to write about their summer, but in a more elaborate way. Instruct students to include skills they’ve learned, new knowledge they’ve gained, new hobbies they’ve taken, places they’ve visited, or more personal experiences if they’re comfortable sharing. 

Rhyming Riddles 

Is there a better way to fill the classroom with laughter than challenging kids with a joyful brain game, challenging their creative thinking? They’ll have fun while working on their cognitive development, the best of both worlds. 

Here are a few examples of a rhyming riddle for kids: 

The sound of my voice can bring you to tears without a single word touching your ears.

I have a tongue but cannot talk.

I regularly go for walks.

Yet, despite all this, I have no legs.

No, not even a peg.

My Personal Journey

Finally, the last back-to-school activity for middle schoolers is creating a personal journey based on their interests, hobbies, talents, and other important things they find important. Ask them to write down the things they enjoy doing, the questions that cause curiosity, and the skills they would like to develop. Then, with your help, ask them to write a step-by-step plan on how to improve their knowledge or skills regarding the things they’ve written down. 

Back-to-School Activities for High School Students

How do you grab the attention of teenagers? It’s not easy, but the following activities might help you make them more interested in the matter at hand. After all, many of the activities involve group work, which for them is a great opportunity for socializing.

Would You Rather?

“Would you rather” is a popular party game, which is why we believe it would be appealing to high school students. However, to make it more educational, ask questions that pose a moral dilemma, or a dilemma concerning an upcoming topic. Encourage kids to elaborate their opinions and even develop a debate with other students who might think differently. This would result in a very educational and productive discussion, and that’s the perfect beginning of high school. 

Back-to-School Stations

Another back-to-school activity for high school students is to divide them into groups and have them take a look around the classroom materials and set up, trying to make predictions about the upcoming lessons. Additionally, ask them to pick a book, textbook, or other educational material (topic overviews) and choose a topic they want to explore more in-depth, then write a presentation when that topic is covered. 

Writing Assignment: How I’ve Changed?

For high school students, this writing assignment should be a more abstract, reflective task that focuses on their identity as a central topic. Teenagers are in their formative years, where their most important job is figuring out who they are and what they want from their life. This is why asking them to write an essay on changes and how their feelings or opinions have changed is an extremely beneficial assignment for their self-development. 

Anonymous Questionnaire

Building a positive learning environment and setting good classroom principles that all students will respect is not an easy job. This is why it’s a great idea to start the year by preparing anonymous questionnaires and asking students to fill them out as honestly as they can because it’s only for feedback and improvement.

This type of evaluation questionnaires are given at the end of the course, but doing one at the beginning is probably even more useful. Ask students what they expect, what they want to learn about, what type of teaching style they prefer, what bothers stem most, on what level is their previous knowledge on the subject, and how they feel about the subject in general. Using this information, you can choose to structure the upcoming lessons accordingly. 

Setting Up a Career Goal

Finally, the last back-to-school activity for today is asking kids to set up a career goal. Of course, this is not something decisive as when they have to make a decision at which college or university they’re going to attend, but more of a reflective activity and practice plan that forces students to think about the future in a more serious way. Regardless of what they choose, make them write down how they envision themselves after 10 years – what skills or knowledge they possess, why they are good at their job, what makes them happy, etc. 

Before You Go

We hope that these activities will help you prepare students for learning. After all, it’s important to acknowledge that new beginnings are hard and there might be psychological barriers that keep kids on their toes. Spending time to make them feel comfortable with each other and you as a teacher is a productive time that will pay off throughout the year.  

And, if you ever need help through the year with resources to accompany your lessons or awesome activities such as these ones, don’t hesitate to visit our website and blog. 

On our website, you’ll find thousands of worksheet packs organized by subject area and specific topics, so you’ll easily find what you’re looking for. 

On our blog, you can read dozens of other articles describing educational activities for kids in the classroom or a homeschooling setting. Whatever you need, we’ve got your back!

17 Fun First Day of School Activities to Try This Year

Whether you’ve been teaching for years or it’s your first day as a full-time teacher, the first day of school is usually accompanied by some anxiety — no matter how prepared you might be.  

It’s the same for students. Uncertainty about friends, teachers, and schoolwork is enough to make even the most extroverted students a bit nervous.

With that in mind, you should always consider that first day of school activities can stimulate introductions, get students talking, and set the tone for successful classroom management.

Get inspired by these 17 fun, creative first day of school activities and try them out yourself. They’re easy, free, and guaranteed to ease the tension on a busy, hectic first day of school.

Plus, we’ve added some of our favorite remote- and social distancing-friendly activity ideas toward the end.

1. Prodigy Math

Try Prodigy Math — a curriculum-aligned game-based learning platform for grades 1 to 8 — to engage your class while reinforcing lesson content and teaching essential skills.

Borrowing hyper-engaging elements from video games, students use Prodigy Math to compete in math duels against in-game characters. To win, they have to answer sets of skill-testing math questions. It’s a great way to get kids excited about learning on the first day of school and beyond.

Prodigy uses adaptive learning and differentiated instruction principles to personalize learning.

Use it on the first day of school to get valuable student insights, pre-teach upcoming concepts and understand learning progress all year round.

Plus, there’s a Placement Test that starts gathering insights as soon as students start their first math battle, and automatically runs every January and August. 

The Placement Test determines the math content students see in-game and places students at the grade level that’s right for them. It’s the baseline that all their other math work in Prodigy builds on.

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2. Find a friend

The “Find a friend” game is a fun activity designed to help students become comfortable with their new classmates. To play, students must first receive worksheets containing a list of topics — such as sports, foods, games, and so on — from which they must pick their favorites.

Image source: First Grade Schoolhouse, Teachers Pay Teachers

Distribute the worksheet to students, and allow five minutes or so for everyone to indicate their favorite categories with a pen or pencil. You can create your own worksheet or access free printables such as the one above.

Then, have students find fellow classmates fitting the description in each box. This will give them a natural talking point as they meet one another — helping them find what they have in common and sparking friendly interaction.

Note that:

• Students can list each classmate only once on the worksheet
• Students should spell names correctly; when they find a friend to add to their sheet, they should ask the friend how to spell their first name
• You can use this chance to have students show you their best handwriting, setting a good precedent for the school year

3. “Who’s new?” word search

Use a free word search generator such as Discovery Education’s puzzle maker to create a word search using the names of your students as the hidden words. Print copies to place on each desk.

Students will enjoy searching for their names along with those of their classmates. After 10 minutes or so, students naturally begin helping each other — kindling conversation and facilitating introductions.

4. Thanks for the compliment!

This lighthearted, confidence-boosting icebreaker encourages students to share compliments about one another.

To start, every student gets a blank piece of paper taped to their back. Then, each classmate thinks of a compliment to write down on the back of every other student.

After the entire class is finished, have students remove their papers and read all the compliments they received in front of the class.

Review with your students what a compliment is (and isn’t) to be sure all compliments are appropriate.

5. Let’s decorate

Invite students to help decorate the classroom — sending the message that their opinions are valued, their voices are heard, and you welcome their presence.

Split the class into four groups and designate each group to a wall. Distribute materials such as markers, posters, tape, and pieces of chart paper. For a personalized touch, have each group come up with one common goal they wish to accomplish in your class, and to summarize it in one word.

Next, have students write their words in big letters on the chart paper, ensuring each group has a unique goal.

Once the class is finished, hang them on each designated wall, encouraging your class to embrace the responsibility of making sure they all achieve the goals they set for the end of the school year.

6. “Would You Rather” Questions

Lead, guide, and stimulate healthy debate among students with a set of questions that are sure to get the classroom talking.

Consider a few examples of “would you rather” questions, such as:

• Would you rather play outdoors or indoors?
• Would you rather see a firework display or a circus performance?
• Would you rather go skiing or go to a water park?
• Would you rather everything in your house be one color or every single wall and door be a different color?
• Would you rather visit the international space station for a week or stay in an underwater hotel for a week?

To keep the class on the same page, consider preparing a few questions on a printable such as the one below.

7. Group contracts

Write group contracts containing guidelines, and have everyone sign them to foster effective student group work and good behavior in the classroom.

Group contracts — an important feature of cooperative learning— should be based on expectations students and teachers have for one another.

You can collect the class’s thoughts by talking about what the ideal group member does, and how he or she behaves. Once you’ve come up with the contract, brainstorm with students to come up with consequences for breaking expectations.

Image Source: The Creative Colorful Classroom

For example, in the flexible seating contract above, students agree to use the learning space appropriately. If they break the contract, students agree “that my teacher will move me to a spot that will better meet my needs.”

8. Student surveys

Use surveys to collect and assess information about a broad range of topics that will help you get a feel for your new students and guide them to success this school year.

Consider asking questions about preferences for seating arrangements, group work versus individual work, and noise levels in the classroom.

Use this information to get a better sense of trends in the classroom. See if you can use the information to differentiate instruction, assessment, and evaluation to improve the learning environment.

One of the qualities of a good teacher is the capacity to use different teaching strategies — especially ones that are responsive to different students’ unique learning preferences.

For example, consider taking a survey of how students like to learn, asking the following yes or no questions:

Endless engagement. Adaptive content. Standards-aligned.

Join millions of teachers using Prodigy to make math and English fun, differentiate instruction and help students love learning!

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9. Classroom scavenger hunts

Send your students on a classroom scavenger hunt, helping them to get to know each other and their new learning space.

Provide a print-out of classroom items to look for, leaving a space for students to write a brief description of where they found each item.

The completed scavenger hunt sheets can serve as an easy reference for students in the first weeks of school to ensure they know where to find everything in your classroom.

You can make the list of items yourself, or use a free printable such as the example below.

Image Source: The Creative Colorful Classroom

10. Two truths and a lie

Encourage students to write down three statements about themselves, with one of the statements being false.

After giving students five minutes or so to write their sentences down, have them read them out loud one by one — and enjoy the entertainment as fellow students try to guess which of the statements is a lie.

This activity also serves as a simple, early way to get a gauge of the skill levels of your new students: As your new students write out their sentences, you can walk around and see which students need help might need help with written communication.

As they read out their sentences, you can also gauge verbal communication skills.

Be sure to give students an example by sharing your two truths and a lie first. Students always love learning about their new teacher too!

11. Class time capsule

Create individualized time capsules on the first day of school. Fill them with items such as personal letters about what students plan to accomplish throughout the school year.

Letters can include expectations, clubs they would like to join, and desired grade point averages.

You can also take pictures of your students on the first day, print them out, and put them inside the time capsules.

On the last day of school, return each student’s time capsule and allow them to see how much they have learned, grown, and achieved throughout the school year.

12. Tall Thomas

Encourage students to think of an adjective to describe themselves. The adjective must suit the student and must also start with the first letter of their name — for example, “Tall Thomas,” “Funny Frankie,” or “Smart Sam. ”

Encourage students to try and memorize every name to add a skill-testing element to the activity.

Have the class stand in a circle, and then have one student state his or her new nickname. Then, have the next student try to name the previous name before saying their own name.

Make sure to keep the activity lighthearted and fun. Feel free to stand in the circle and join the fun to further engage with your students!

13. Don’t answer

Ask your class to stand in a circle. Have one student engage with another classmate, and pose the other student a question about his or her personality. To clarify, give students a few examples: “What is your silliest habit?” or “What is your pet peeve?”

However, explain that the student who is asked the question may not respond — with the student to their left answering for them. Note that the answer doesn’t have to be right and that each student can make their answers as imaginative or creative as possible.

14. Draw a Self-Portrait

Provide a self-portrait worksheet such as the one below as an easy beginning-of-year activity. When everyone is finished, have each student present their self-portrait to the class as a formal introduction to their colleagues and to yourself!

15. Be unique

Have everyone stand in a circle. Encourage each student, one by one, to say something they believe to be unique about themselves. For example: “My name is Jason, and I have two brothers” or “… and I speak three languages.” If another student also has two brothers or speaks three languages, they must sit down.

The goal is to stand as long as possible and therefore to share very special things about yourself that no one else typifies.

16. Six word story

Get students to explain what they did over the summer using only six words, writing the statement down as a complete sentence on a piece of paper.

Then, have students exchange papers with a classmate, with that colleague also adding a comment comprised of only six words. You may choose to rotate the papers to adjust the length of the story to your preference!

17. The question web

This activity helps students learn interesting facts about one another. Have your students stand in a circle. Next, take a ball of yarn or string and hold on to the end of it while passing the ball to another student.

Ask this student an interesting question such as “If you could travel anywhere in the world, where would you go and why?”

Once they have answered the question, have them pass the ball of yarn to another student in the circle and ask them a question. When all your students have had their turn, explain that the web they created represents the uniqueness of your classroom — and that their participation makes the classroom a special place for learning and creativity.

First day of school activity ideas for remote learning or social distancing

Create your own virtual background

If possible, have older students create their own virtual background on whatever video conferencing tool you use. They can even make it themed to a favorite hobby, video game, book, movie, etc.

Create a Google Classroom banner quilt

Have your students collaborate on a blank Google digital classroom quilt square or add their names to a Google Classroom banner template to use in your traditional or online classroom.

Set up a fun Kahoot quiz

Kahoot! is a game-based learning platform that makes it easy to create, share and play learning games or trivia quizzes in minutes. Whether you make the quiz about yourself, fun facts about your school or students, or even subject-based questions, your class will have a blast.

Go over online learning best practices

This doesn’t scream “fun” but, at the start of a school year, it’s always a good reminder to review classroom rules — especially with the challenges that learning online poses.

This could include things like routines and procedures for online learning, how to get the teacher’s attention, turning the camera or microphone on and off, changing video backgrounds, or anything else that’s relevant to your specific class.

Final Thoughts: first day of school activities

It’s important to pair fun and kindness with clear and firm expectations — so think of the first day of school as your chance to demonstrate your ability to conduct activities that are both enjoyable and orderly.

See which activities on this list appeal to you most, and try them out yourself as a memorable back to school introduction!

And whether it’s with Prodigy Math or any of the other first day of school activities listed above, we encourage you to get involved, too! Play with your students.

It’s a perfect way for you to truly learn about your new students and for them to learn about you!

Prodigy Math makes it easy to engage students all year long with fun, adaptive math practice. Get teacher tools for differentiation, assessment and gathering insights when you sign up for your free teacher account today!

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10 First Week of School Activities Your Students Will Love

The first week of school is always a challenge. The kids have been playing and swimming for three months. How are you going to keep their attention for more than 5 minutes? Here are 10 of my favorite first week of school activities.

The first week of school is all about getting to know your students and getting them back into the school routine. You need activities that will get them up and moving and keep them engaged.

10 First Week of School Activities

*This post contains affiliate links and I will be compensated if you make a purchase after clicking on my links. I only recommend products that I use and love.

#1 – All About Me Bags

My students receive an All About Me Bag when they meet me at our Popsicle and Packet night the week before school. It has a note on the front telling them about the treats that are inside. It also instructs them to decorate the bag and put three things in it to share the first week of school.

The students bring the bag back on the first day of school, and we start the day by sharing 5 bags. Each student tells about the three items they brought. Then, they ask for 3 questions or comments from their classmates. This helps us get to know each other and make connections.

We share 5 bags each morning for the first week of school. By the end of the week, everyone has shared.

Download the Beginning of the Year Bag Letter at the bottom of this post. Just click “Make a Copy,” and you will be able to edit your name, grade level, and start date.

#2 – MINGO

All kiddos love playing BINGO. We start the year with a game of MINGO, where the students have to find classmates who fit certain characteristics.

This activity gets the kids up and moving and talking to each other. When they find someone who has done an activity, that person has to sign the paper. The goal is to fill the whole MINGO board.

You can download the MINGO board I use for free from Children Heart Books on TPT.

#3 – Back to School Unlock the Box Mystery

An Unlock the Box Mystery is the perfect way to get your students up and moving the first day of school. We all know how hard it is for them to sit still for long periods of time!

Put a treat into a locked box and challenge your students to solve the clues and unlock the box. To solve the clues, your students will have to explore the classroom and get to know their new classmates.

Find everything you need for the Back to School Unlock the Box Mystery in the Teach Without Tears TPT Store.

Get more tips for engaging your students with Unlock the Box Mysteries.

#4 – Classroom Rules

One of the most important things to do the first week of school is to establish the classroom rules and practice them. In the past, I’ve read the book Do Unto Otters, and the students helped me write the rules.

This year, we have four school rules – Be Kind, Be Responsible, Be Respectful, and Be Ready to Learn. I’m still going to read the book. Then, the students are going to make a list of what each of those school rules looks like.

#5 – All About Me Writing

Another way I get to know my students is through an All About Me writing assignment. The students answer questions about their favorite things and draw pictures of themselves.

These make a great display for Meet the Teacher Night or any time parents are coming to school.

I got my All About Me writing sheets from Really Good Stuff. They don’t have the exact same one anymore, but the one I linked is similar.

#5 – Me Quilt

The Me Quilt is an activity I’ve done since my first year teaching. It shows me how well my students are able to follow directions. The Me Quilt is a glyph where students have to listen to directions, find the correct item, and color it the correct color to tell about themselves.

This activity very quickly shows me who is able to follow directions. I know to keep an eye on those kiddos who are 3 steps behind me and those that keep asking me to repeat the directions.

I got this activity from another teacher my first year, so unfortunately, I don’t have a link to it.

#6 – Reading Interest Inventory

In addition to getting to know my students’ favorite foods and hobbies, I also like to start getting to know them as readers. I have them complete a Reading Interest Inventory so I can find out what types of books they enjoy and how they see themselves as readers.

We are starting Lucy Calkins Units of Study this year, so the Reading Inventory will let me help them select good-fit books for their book boxes.

Download my Reading Interest Inventory from my Teachers Pay Teachers Store for free.

#7 – Numbers About Me

For math the first day, we get to know each other with numbers. I start by writing 5 numbers on the board that tell about me. Then, the students have to guess what the numbers mean. For example, they need to guess that 315 is my address.

Then, the students get a piece of paper and write 5 numbers about themselves. They trade papers with a partner, and the partner guesses what the numbers tell about them. This is a really fun activity, and it helps us get to know more about each other.

#8 – Marshmallow STEM Challenge

Team building activities are so important at the beginning of the school year. The students need to be able to work together, even when the activity is challenging. I love STEM activities, and the Marshmallow Toothpick Bridges Freebie from Meredith Schaar is so much fun!

The students use mini marshmallows and toothpicks to build a bridge. Then, they have to see how many pennies their bridge can hold. It’s very challenging, and the students really have to work together to find a way to build a bridge that stands and holds weight.

#9 – First Day Jitters

My favorite beginning of the year read aloud is First Day Jitters. I read it every year. The students love finding out that teachers can be nervous on the first day of school, too. It leads to a great discussion of ways to overcome our fears and have a great school year.

#10 – School Rocks Game

At the end of the first week of school, we play the School Rocks Game. I put students into groups of 4. To play this board game, the students roll a die and choose a card. Each card asks a question about school. This game is a great way to review your classroom rules and expectations.

You can download it for free from Dots-n-Spots store on TPT.

Watch this video to see how I set up for the first day of school and organize these activities.

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The essence of the concept of “independent activity of students” in teaching schoolchildren

Bibliographic description:

Konovodova, Yu. A. The essence of the concept of “independent activity of students” in teaching schoolchildren / Yu. A. Konovodova. – Text: direct // Actual issues of modern pedagogy: materials of the II Intern. scientific conf. (Ufa, July 2012). – Ufa: Summer, 2012. – URL: https://moluch.ru/conf/ped/archive/60/2536/ (date of access: 05.10.2022).

Professional activity of a modern teacher
should be aimed at organizing the educational process,
when students are actively involved in independent work
obtaining knowledge.

Independent activity directly affects the personality
student, creating opportunities for its development, i.e. opportunities for
the emergence of neoplasms in the personality, new mental qualities
or their new levels, for the formation of abilities, interests,
needs, desires, emotions. The important point is that these
neoplasms refer to qualitative changes in personality as
of an integral system, affecting not only changes in individual
components, but also the system of their interconnections. This is what determines the meaning
independent activity as an essential component in the system
learning process.

In literary sources, significant
attention is paid to the category “activity”. How
philosophical category “activity” reflects
a specific human form of relation to the world around,
the content of which constitutes its expedient change and
transformation in the interests of people [10]. Also from a philosophical point of view
It is emphasized that the concept of “activity” is already in itself
itself includes the goal, means, result and the process itself.

In philosophy, activity is understood as external and internal
human activity, regulated by awareness of the goal. Activity
includes: goal, result, means and the process itself [1].

The category “activity” has been studied in detail in psychology
A.N. Leontiev, S.L. Rubinstein, K.K. Platonov and others

Activity as a substance in itself captures the individual and
is reproduced by itself [8], i.e. the student is involved in the process
activities.

The famous psychologist A.N. Leontiev in the structure of activity singles out
components such as the actual activity (simple
activity), action and operation. Under simple activity
is understood as “… such an activity that does not fall apart
to action.” At the same time, the motive, subject and goal are simple
activities always match. The motive is the needs of the individual,
that encourage action. “Activities without a motive are not
happens” [4]. Action differs from action in that the goal
or the expected result does not match the motive. Action feature
is that it can “move from one activity to
another”, while being relatively independent.

The next structural unit of activity is the operation.
Operations are processes whose goals are not in themselves,
but in the action of which they are an element, i.e. action
is made up of operations, and activity is made up of actions. If clearly
understand the relationship of the structural elements of the activity, then the educational
the process goes from the teacher’s management of operations to the management
actions, and then to the management of student activities.

One of the central ideas of S.L. Rubinstein is
activity concept of the psyche, consisting in the fact that “reflection
real life is mediated by concrete human activity”
[7]. The author develops the meaning of activity from the positions that in it and
through it, a person realizes his goals, intentions and ideas in a transformable
them reality, i.e. psyche and activity are one and that the psyche
is formed only in activity “manifesting itself in activity,
consciousness is formed in activity” [7].

Thus, in psychological theory, the subject performs
activity. Education, from this point of view, is a system
successive activities, and the activity itself
motivated process by the student of certain means
to achieve their own or externally set goal [8].

The theory of formation and organization of independent educational
activities developed in the studies of teachers: A.P. Belyaeva,
V.V. Davydova, P.I. Pidkasistogo, G.I. Schukina and others

In the studies of P.I. Pidkasistogo [5] the effectiveness of the lesson is put,
first of all, depending on the activation of independent
activities of students, from the correct relationship of activities
students in the lesson. In his experimental studies, he proceeds
from the position that students during their studies at school should not
only to acquire a certain amount of scientific knowledge, but also to learn
buy them on your own. These two sides of the learning process
organically linked. Cognitive independence
is formed with a deep and meaningful assimilation by schoolchildren of the basics
sciences, mastering the skills of working with a book, working in a laboratory, and
also by applying the acquired knowledge in practice. Among the means
development of students’ independence, great importance is attached to
those that are directly related to the forms and methods of teaching.
As well as elucidating their comparative effectiveness: the combination
presentation of knowledge by the teacher and independent work of students;
comparative efficiency and ways of combining reproducing and
creative, independent works, frontal and individual types
classes of students in the classroom, individual creative work.

According to G.I. Shchukina, activity
characterized in the following aspects: activities are carried out in
collective, activity develops from reproductive to creative,
thereby changing the student’s position in it from object to subject.
Independent learning activity most fully characterizes
the learning process, being a special, necessary for society
activity [9].

An analysis of the works of these scientists showed that in pedagogical science
independent learning activity is interpreted as purposeful
activities focused on the assimilation of knowledge and skills. Special
interest in this is the implementation of self-study
activities of students in the learning process.

P.I. Pidkasty believes that the main structural components (goal,
motive, content, objective actions and result) in an independent
activities are expressed specifically; they become deeply personal
meaning becomes relevant and meaningful to the student. characteristic
is, first of all, the active attitude of the student to the goal of the upcoming
work that is done independently. In some cases, the goal
is deeply realized and “assigned” by the student that
is absolutely necessary, since it projects the expected
results, in others – the student joins the goal-setting (on
based on the analysis of the situation), thirdly, he himself sets a goal and in
carries out its activities in accordance with it. Goal transformation into
the motive of activity causes those internal impulses that
characterize the activities of students in the performance of the task. brightly
a pronounced motive of activity mobilizes cognitive abilities
student, his will, emotional sphere [5]. The most typical and
specific for independent activity are motives
self-control and independence, which are manifested, first of all,
in the desire of the student to complete the task without outside help,
satisfy their cognitive needs, approve their
individuality.

The most important component of independent cognitive activity
students, which form the basis of its structure, are independent
subject actions that the student performs without the help of a teacher. He
he himself chooses the ways of fulfilling these tasks that are adequate from his point of view.
actions, performs many operations, controls them in
accordance with the intended purpose. These actions are varied
their content and focus and are carried out on the basis of different
teaching aids, which ensures their diversity and
objectivity.

Educational, developmental and educational value
independent activity lies in the fact that it requires
solving each problem of a complex of mental, practical and
organizational actions.

In independent activity more than in other types
cognitive activity processes of self-regulation are expressed, one of
characteristic manifestations of which is self-control. Whatever
no matter how active the teacher’s guidance was, the correct results of the work
cannot be achieved if the student does not control his own
actions.

As P.I. piddly, independent
activity always ends with some result. it
completed exercises, solved problems, written essays,
completed tables, constructed graphs, prepared answers to
questions, feelings. And since to these results the student
comes on its own, their value and significance is realized more sharply
compared to those mined in joint work [5].

Teachers N.M. Rosenberg, E.N. Dutko, I.M. Nosachenko to the main
The signs of independent activity of students include the following:

a) focus on independent assimilation of knowledge, methods of solving
educational and practical tasks, including activity planning,
finding ways to achieve the goal, the ability to implement
self-control and adjust the work based on its results;

b) management by the teacher;

c) the possibility of organizing and conducting individual, group and
frontal forms of work [6].

Teacher and psychologist L.V. Zharov [3] stand out
three levels of self
activities: copying, reproducing and creative, depending on
how the student is able to use the acquired knowledge.

Let’s briefly describe the content of each level.

Low level. The student can perform actions on the finished sample
(copy). According to L.S. Vygotsky, imitation is
property of a developing personality, on the other hand, a way
knowledge of reality. L.S. Vygotsky wrote to imitate
the child should be able to move from what he can to
what he does not know [2].

The middle level (actively searching) is characterized by freedom
application of knowledge in a standard situation. Purpose of work, educational task
put forward by the teacher, but the student can plan its solution himself.
Performing exercises, examples, outlining the text, the student exposes
material of partial reconstruction, the essence of the issue is able to reveal with its own
words without copying the textbook or teacher’s story.

High level (intense – creative). Apprentice successfully
applies knowledge in a new, non-standard situation, i.e. observed
transfer phenomenon.

A personal development-oriented learning strategy encourages
conduct in the class differentiation of students according to the levels of independence and
purposefully develop these levels.

Each of these levels objectively exists. Program –
the maximum for any creatively working teacher is to bring
as many children as possible to a higher level of independence.

Entering the system of the learning process, independent activity
indirectly affects the process of self-education, determining its quality,
by stimulating the development of such personality traits as
introspection, self-regulation, initiative, creativity, and
also forming general techniques and methods for implementing independent
cognitive activity, its methodology, without which
self-education is ineffective and unsystematic.

In addition, in the process of implementing interconnected activities
teacher and student, the opportunity for which is provided during
independent learning activities of the student, develops and
the student’s perception of himself as a subject, not an object, is formed
educational process, which qualitatively affects not only
process of self-education, but also largely determines the process
education outside of school.

The influence of independent activity on the development and formation
personality of the student is a universally recognized fact in modern
pedagogical science.

References:

1. Big philosophical dictionary. p. 381.

2. Vygotsky
   L.S. Development of higher mental functions / ed. A.N. Leontiev,
   A.R. Lurie, B.M. Teplov. – M .: publishing house of the APN RSFSR, 1960. –
   500 s.

3. Zharova L.V. Teaching independence: A book for teachers.
   – M.: Enlightenment, 1993. – 205 p.

4. Leontiev A.N. Activity. Consciousness. Personality /
   Alexei Nikolaevich Leontiev. – 2nd ed., erased. – M.:
   Meaning; Ed. Center “Academy”, 2005 – 352 p.

5. piddly
   P.I. Independent cognitive activity of schoolchildren in
   learning. – M, 1980.-240 p.

6. Rozenberg N.M., Dutko E.N., Nosachenko I.M. Independent work
   students with educational texts. – Kyiv: Vishcha school, 1986. –
   159 p.

7. Slastenin V. A. Psychology and pedagogy /
   V.A. Slastenin, V.P. Kashirin. – 5th ed., stereotype. –
   M.: Publishing Center “Academy”, 2007 – 480 p.

8. Khutorskoy A.V. Activity as content
   Education // National Education 2003 – №8 С.107-115.

9. Schukina G.I. The role of activity in the educational process. –
   M.: Enlightenment, 1986. – 144 p.

10. Yudin E.G. System approach and principle of activity –
    M.: Nauka, 1978. – 392 p.

Project activities of students (pupils and students)

Within the framework of various types and areas of vocational guidance, students of the children’s technopark “Naukograd” develop various projects.

Work on projects is carried out under the guidance of teachers who have extensive experience and are themselves entrepreneurs, winners of competitions or employees of our universities.

The project of students of the Children’s Technopark “Naukograd” (Moscow) – a residential module on the lunar surface

replenish your personal professional portfolio, both with projects and victories in competitions.

The initial stage of the engineering project of students of the Children’s Technopark “Naukograd” MFUA (Moscow) – Mobile Autonomous Hospital – The project, which received the gold medal of the International Salon of Inventions “Archimedes-2021”

How Technopark “Naukograd” can help

Children’s technopark “Naukograd” provides its students with the following opportunities:

• to use the large technical base of the technopark for the development of projects;
• work individually and in teams under the guidance of teachers;
• work of school classes (and teams from schools) within the framework of the “Study Day in the Technopark” project;
• training skills and knowledge according to WorldSkills standards from experts.

Project of students of the children’s technopark “Naukograd” – Cartoon “Colonization of Mars” – finalist of the International Animated Film Competition “Multprom”

“Satellite building and geoinformation technologies” of the All-Russian competition of research and design work for schoolchildren “Aerobatics” 2020/21

Some projects of students of the children’s technology park “Naukagrad” (2020-2021)

Event / Achievement	Project name	Direction	Type of training
2021 / XXIV Moscow International Salon of Inventions and Innovative Technologies “Archimedes-2021” / Gold medal and victory in the nomination “The best invention of scientific and technical creativity of youth”	Mobile Rapid Deployment Autonomous Hospital Project	Engineering	Teamwork of schoolchildren within the framework of the project “Study Day in the Technopark”
2021 / International competition of scientific and technical animated films “Multprom” / Finalists of the competition (top 25 out of 250 participants), special prize of the competition	Journey to Mars Project (animated film)	Cartoon	Group work within training courses
2021 / International children’s scientific and educational project “School patent – a step into the future” / 1st place in the direction “Works of architecture, urban planning and gardening art”	Architectural project – Cottage “Dominus”	Architecture	Individual work within the framework of training courses
2021 / Summer Career Guidance Camp for Children	Complex project “Factory for the processing of garbage collected from the surface of the sea” (conceptual layout, engineering solutions, brand design, thematic animation film)	Architecture, engineering, animation, design	Teamwork within the framework of a career guidance camp for children
2021 / International children’s scientific and educational project “School patent – a step into the future” / 3rd place in the direction “Works of architecture, urban planning and gardening art”	Architectural project – “Dream House”	Architecture	Individual work within the framework of training courses
2021 / All-Russian competition of research and design work for schoolchildren “Aerobatics” 2020/21 / 2nd place in the direction “Satellite construction and geoinformation technologies: Terra Notum”	Space Station Crew Life Support System Project	Space engineering	Individual work within educational courses
2021 / Summer Career Guidance Camp for Children	Complex project “City and transport of the future” (conceptual layout, engineering solutions, brand design, thematic animation film)	Architecture, engineering, animation, design	Teamwork within the framework of a career guidance camp for children
2021 / Summer Career Guidance Camp for Children	Complex project “School of the Future” (conceptual layout, engineering solutions, brand design, thematic animation film)	Architecture, engineering, animation, design	Teamwork within the framework of a career guidance camp for children
2021 / FIRST® LEGO® League / Regional Winners	Project “Sports horizontal bar”	Robotics, programming	Group work within training courses
2021 / FIRST® LEGO® League / Regional Winners	Universal Robot Project	Robotics, programming	Group work within training courses
2021 / Career guidance meeting of talented children from Russian regions	Conceptual layout and visualization of the habitation module on the lunar surface	Architecture, engineering	Teamwork as part of a career guidance gathering
2020 / Rukami Moscow International Cyberfestival of Ideas and Technologies / Project recommendation for implementation	Audio-visual project “24”	Design, video production	Group work within training sessions
2020 / Competition “Young technicians and inventors” within the festival Mosmethod / Winners of the category 14-18 years old	Sea Launch Project	Engineering	Teamwork within training courses
2020 / Olympiad “Engineers of the Future”	Project – “Interactive alphabet” (interactive book for younger students / creating a mobile application on Android)	IT programming	Individual work within the framework of training courses
2020 / Youth architectural competition “Library in Kondrovo” / 1st place in the nomination “Corporate identity”	Architectural interior project, identity rebranding (the project is recommended for implementation)	Architecture	Teamwork within training courses
2020 / Creation of a museum archive of the history of the formation of the MFUA	The project is the creation of a virtual model of the educational building “Kaluga”, which houses the technopark “Naukograd” of the Moscow Federal Law Academy inside the Minecraft game. Creation of a series of videos describing the history of the formation of the MFLA.	Design, IT, VR+AR, programming, video production	Teamwork with experts
2020 / All-Russian festival “Drivers of the development of a modern city” / Special diploma of the festival	Adolescent Social Work Poster Series Project	Design	Individual work within training courses

Research activities of students

• Khairullina Aisylu Adibovna

Sections:

General pedagogical technologies

Different children study in a modern school. Each student has their own interests
abilities, desires, opportunities. But despite this, we, teachers, must give
knowledge to all children, to teach them the basics of understanding the world around them, to educate them in
each student a comprehensively developed personality capable of self-determination and
self-realization. Therefore, every teacher is in constant search of new
methods and techniques of training and education, new forms of conducting training sessions,
conducive to improving the quality of the educational process, fostering interest
to the subject being studied, to the learning process, the development of cognitive and creative
abilities of children..

organization of research activities of schoolchildren.

Research activity of schoolchildren is the activity of students
under the guidance of a teacher, associated with the solution of creative research
a problem with an unknown solution in advance and assuming the presence of main stages,
characteristic of research in the scientific field.

Organization of research activities of schoolchildren allows
develop students’ cognitive interests, independence, culture
educational work, allows you to systematize, generalize, deepen knowledge in
a certain area of ​​the subject and teaches them to apply in practice.

The product of the research activities of schoolchildren is
creative research work. There are five types of creative
research papers:

Abstract – works based on the collection and presentation
information on the chosen topic. The essence of abstract work is the choice of material from
primary sources that most fully cover the chosen problem. Specificity
the abstract lies in the fact that it does not contain detailed evidence, comparisons,
reasoning

Experimental – creative works written on the basis of performance
an experiment described in science and having a known result. Job data
are rather illustrative in nature, suggest an independent interpretation
characteristics of the result depending on the change in the initial conditions.

Design – creative works, which are based on the achievement and
a description of a pre-planned result for solving a problem,
meaningful to the project participants.

Descriptive – creative work aimed at observation and
qualitative description of a phenomenon. Job data can have an element
scientific novelty. A distinctive feature is the lack of quantitative
research methods.

Research – creative work done with the correct
scientific point of view of the technique, having obtained using this technique
own experimental material, on the basis of which the analysis and
conclusions about the nature of the phenomenon under study. The peculiarity of such work is
the uncertainty of the result that research can give.

All creative works have common elements:

1. All works are performed using literary sources, but
   performing abstract works, literature analysis is the main
   the content of the work, and when performing design, experimental,
   descriptive, research works analysis of literary sources
   acts as a literature review of data on the phenomenon under study.
2. In the methodological plan, all types of work are structured for setting
   problems, the actual material and conclusions.

A distinctive feature of research work from other types of creative
works is:

1. Practical methodology for the study of the selected phenomenon.
2. Own experimental material.
3. Analysis of own data and conclusions arising from it.

There is a certain algorithm for performing research work –
technological chain, which includes four stages:

Philosopher, educator Sophocles said: “Great things are not done suddenly”. To
achieve high results, improve the quality of education, teach the child the basics
knowledge of the world requires a long painstaking joint work of the teacher, student and
parents. The main task of the teacher is not just to transfer knowledge to the student, but to teach
to train him. And this is largely taught by the organization of research
schoolchildren’s activities.

2.07.2012

What does the educational activity of younger schoolchildren develop and what does not develop? It is not customary, however, to ask what this system of education cannot develop, the development of what age-related potentials it hinders. Putting the question in this way, I want to emphasize the danger and responsibility

choosing the direction of development , which adults make for the child, placing him in one or another educational institution, that is, offering him a completely specific (note: not determined by the child) subject of joint activity and an equally specific type of educational relationship.

Declaring its goals and intentions, i.e., denoting the direction of development of its pupils, each domestic psychological and pedagogical school, in the self-name or self-definition of which there is the word “development”, swears allegiance to the ideas of L. S. Vygotsky. All these schools proceed from a single premise about the potentially universal and universal nature of man [19], but they interpret the relationship between learning and development in their own way. A constructive result of the simultaneous existence of different schools, deriving their genealogies from a single theoretical source, was a non-linear representation of the zone of proximal development, and, consequently, the relationship between learning and development. It became obvious that different psychological and pedagogical schools intend to lead the child from the same point of actual development in different directions, using their own specific educational technologies for this. But the same child cannot be led both to the left and to the right at the same time.

Of course, the choice of a possible direction of a child’s development is a matter of purely value and is not verified in the scientific categories of truth or falsity. The disputes raging today between adherents of various areas of developmental education or education often flare up on the sovereign and untouchable territory of the value self-determination of each psychological and pedagogical school. Meanwhile, the question of the merits of one or another technology of developmental education and the compatibility of the best elements of different technologies is correct to raise only where the directions of development chosen on value grounds basically coincide. Within the scientific community, all of us – the creators and designers of educational systems – are obliged to be responsible for the consistency of the declared goals and the means of developmental education used. Precisely specifying the goals of education, that is, honestly saying what a certain educational system develops and what does not develop, is our duty to teachers and parents who choose this or that educational system, based mainly on what its authors promise.

All these eternally difficult problems of choice are doubly difficult for those whose personal and professional development took place under Soviet rule, because in the USSR the problem of choosing the direction of a child’s development through the choice of the educational system did not exist. In all schools of a vast territory, a single general education school reigned, which quite successfully, of course, with a certain percentage of defects, fulfilled the main state order: it molded the type of thinking and personality that the totalitarian regime demanded – conscientious and diligent workers who did not have independence and initiative in accepting decisions, people committed to the goals of the team and uncritical in relation to the leaders.

Emerged in line with the Vygotsky school in the late 1950s, the Elkonin-Davydov system, one of the most influential “new” educational systems, until recently could not receive wide social recognition and remained a purely academic study of the age-related capabilities of children of primary school age [3]. In terms of its values, this educational system was essentially dissident, because it contradicted the social order of the state and, moreover, sought to develop in its pupils qualities that were dangerous and inconvenient in the Soviet community: independence of judgments and actions, independence from authorities, criticality towards one’s own and other people’s actions, initiative in setting new tasks, the ability and inclination to transform existing modes of action if they conflict with the new conditions of action.

Based on the concept of psychological age as a space of children’s opportunities, only partially realized by the education system, D. B. Elkonin formulated the hypothesis that the level of intellectual achievements, which, under the then existing (and prevailing to this day) system of primary education, is demonstrated only by gifted children of 6-12 years old, becomes available to the majority of younger schoolchildren when teaching a different type [16]. It was about the ability of gifted children, after the first attempts to solve a new problem, to single out its most essential conditions and then, focusing on them, solve all problems of the same class “from the spot”, practically without errors [1]. D. B. Elkonin suggested that if, at the very first step of teaching a new subject, an adult helps children to do what the gifted do without outside help: to identify and fix the connections that are most significant for this subject, then most of the younger students can form the ability to reflect , which, with spontaneous development, is considered the lot of the elite. To transform this hypothesis into a theory of learning activity as a form of development of the theoretical consciousness of junior schoolchildren [5], a forty-year experiment was required, conducted under the guidance of V.V. learning and a new system for diagnosing its developmental effects [10].

The main novelty of this system of education lies in the idea of ​​VV Davydov that the introduction to a subject should begin with the discovery by children of the most general properties of this subject. Students discover these common properties as a result of actions to transform the original subject of study in its sensually perceived form and fix it in the model. Further study of the subject unfolds as concretization, enrichment of the original general concept when meeting with new facts [4]. The movement from the general to the particular, or, in the terminology of W. F. Hegel, “the ascent from the abstract to the concrete” occurs in situations where children encounter contradictions between the knowledge fixed in the model and a new fact. The resolution of these contradictions leads to the enrichment of the original concept.

I will illustrate this general position on the example of teaching Russian spelling to children. It has the following general law: there are sounds that can be designated by letters by ear (act according to the rule “what I hear, I write”), and there are sounds for which several letters “argue” and which are risky to write by ear. These sounds form orthograms, and the choice of a letter when writing an orthogram presents an orthographic task. There are several dozen such classes of spelling problems, private ways to solve them children are taught for 6-8 years; and this is what the traditional teaching of spelling in the Russian school boils down to.

In the Elkonin-Davydov system, before teaching children particular ways of solving certain classes of spelling problems, they are taught the general way of setting any spelling problem [8]. In the 1st grade, even before studying specific types of orthograms, children discover the very existence of a spelling as a problem of choosing a letter and learn to ask (adult, dictionary, reference book) about each spelling unknown to them. If it is possible to teach a child systematic “spelling doubt”, which is based on the ability to separate known and unknown spellings, then it is possible to ensure error-free writing long before knowing all the specific spelling rules. A special check [13] showed that at the end of class III 92% of the students who studied according to the Elkonin-Davydov system were able to write an extremely complex dictation without errors precisely because they were able to ask all the necessary spelling questions. Only 24% of the students who studied according to the traditional system coped with this task.

Such a difference in the ability of children to independently set new spelling tasks is determined primarily by the way they learn. Some children knew the general concept “spelling”, on the basis of which one can recognize any, even for the first time, spelling, think about choosing a letter, ask an adult for the missing information and not make a mistake, other children knew only particular methods for solving certain classes of spelling problems, and in unknown cases, they acted at random, unaware of the possibility of making a mistake.

Now let’s do a thought experiment. Let us invite all these children to further improve their literacy on their own by providing them with excellent reference books, self-study books and the schedule of work of teacher-advisers. Which group of children will be in a better position? Of course, the one that knows how to independently determine what they do not yet know, what to ask the consultant about, what to look for in the handbook, that is, they know how to set new learning goals. In other words, education according to the Elkonin-Davydov system forms ability to teach yourself on your own . Reflexive in nature, the ability to separate the known from the unknown and to make an assumption about the content of the unknown (but not yet the ability to independently look for ways to test the stated hypotheses) is the level of educational independence that is available to most 10-11-year-old schoolchildren who studied in elementary school according to the system Elkonin – Davydov [10].

The works of VV Davydov describe in detail the subject and structure of children’s learning activities aimed at finding and developing common methods for solving problems. Therefore, here I will allow myself to very briefly name only the most essential characteristics of educational activity; At the same time, the focus of consideration will not be a practical question: how it is organized, but a semantic question: why is it organized in this way.

1. Why and how is the educational activity of younger students organized?

When a child first sits down at a desk, he already has his own concept of number, word, social norms – everything that they are going to teach him at school. The child’s naive, worldly concept is significantly different from the adult, teacher’s, but the child is unaware of this. Because of this, situations of multi-subject interaction often arise in the classroom, when children and adults use the same term to name different objects. If the teacher, sharing the goals and values ​​of the creators of the system of educational activities, sees in the child not tabula rasa , and the person with whom it is necessary to negotiate the general grounds for joint action , i.e., to build a common concept (common both for the class of tasks and for all participants in joint educational activities), then he has to almost simultaneously solve the following pedagogical tasks:

I. To create a situation in which the child discovers: a) his own, as a rule, non-normative, idea of ​​the phenomenon under discussion, b) the existence of other ideas, other points of view, c) the insufficiency of his idea for solving a new problem, or to defend your own opinion. If the teacher manages to present to the children the sides of a conceptual contradiction through the clash of their own points of view, then educational task , aimed at introducing a new concept, can be considered set, that is, emotionally captured by children. It is clear that the formulation of the educational problem is achieved only through the organization of discussion in which the teacher helps the children to fix all the expressed points of view and see the internal logic of each of them. It is also clear that in elementary school the setting of a learning task should be carried out primarily in the form of objective and game actions that provide a sensory-figurative basis for emerging concepts, and not only in the form of verbal disputes [7], [18].

II. To give the child a tool for retaining and analyzing a sensually elusive abstraction before its verbal description. This tool is schemes and other sign-symbolic means that describe both the subject of study and the method of its transformation [12]. Schemes, which in the practice of educational activity are used primarily as a means of obtaining and storing new knowledge, are at the same time a written monument of the discoveries made by children; the scheme is what the most dramatic event of educational activity is molded into – the search for a solution to the educational problem. The schema built by a class as a result of the acutely experienced drama of ideas and the struggle of opinions, even if it is exactly similar to the schemas built in a hundred other classes, is copyright work; pointing a finger at it, the child says: “We discovered it ourselves. And now I have the right to use this discovery as the basis of my action.” It is not necessary to imagine the scheme, which is the first language for the student to describe his knowledge and ignorance, as dry theoretical jargon, alienated from the speaker, devoid of sensuality and emotionality. Such a language of schemes can become if it turns from a means of educational communication into its ultimate goal, if the student builds a scheme in order to complete the task of the teacher and earn his praise, and not in order to solve a problem that is significant for him or express his point of view .

III. To make the task meaningful, for this the question should be asked not by the teacher, but by the children. The transition from the relationship “asking teacher – answering student” to the relationship “asking student – teacher helping the child to formulate his question and find an answer to it” – this is the main condition for educating a younger student as a subject educational, and not performing activity. The most difficult pedagogical task of a teacher who builds learning (and not any other) activity is the task of self-change: the teacher has to overcome the stable illusion that the child is learning when he finds the right answers to the teacher’s questions. The child learns when he asks himself, he himself builds hypotheses about the unknown and seeks to test them (for example, with the help of a teacher who organized the situation of asking and searching for the unknown). Answering questions not asked by children is, unfortunately, the single principle of constructing most traditional curricula and manuals, the general way teachers work in most schools and universities. If it is possible to educate a student who asks the teacher, and not only answers the teacher’s questions, then such a student develops the ability to learn – independently set new learning goals and independently find means to achieve them [14].