Preschoolers first day of school: 5 Preschool First Day Activities to Set Your Year up for Success –

5 Preschool First Day Activities to Set Your Year up for Success –

Is there anything more fun to plan than preschool first day activities? The first day of school is one of my favorites, but it can also be one of the most stressful days of the year! if you are looking for some first day of school preschool activities, this is the post for you! 

Are you planning for the first day of preschool? Let’s do it together and set your school year up for success!

Raise your hand if you teach reading and writing! ✋ Class books are one of my favorite tools for writing workshop time. They really help preschool and Kindergarten students get excited about learning to read and write. I’ve put together a set of my favorite printable class books totally free for you! These class books can be used throughout the school year and focus on skills like letter and number recognition, sight words, environmental print, and more! I know you’ll love writing and creating these books with your students!

I will never forget my first day of teaching. At around 8:15 a.m. all of the teary parents finally left my classroom and I realized that I was in charge! ME! Yes, twenty-one-year-old, first-year teacher ME. All of these parents actually left their real-life precious children in my care to love and teach. What an honor and a terrifying moment! I’ve had a few first days since then, but I’ll never forget how that first year felt. This post is for teachers looking for first day of preschool ideas! Here are a few activities to help get you through that first day of preschool! 

First Day of School Preschool Activities 

Make a first day of preschool printable journal.

The first day of preschool is the best day to begin teaching students your routines and procedures to set them up for success the entire school year! One important part of the day is writing workshop! This printable journal is just for preschool students to use the first week of school. It’s super simple and supports students drawing pictures to share their thoughts and ideas rather than words. This preschool printable journal features over ten different pages to print and choose from. Pages are included for students to draw their classroom, teacher and themselves on the first day of preschool. I recommend choosing one page a day for students to complete during writing time. Please remember that drawing is writing too!

This journal can be used for your writing time throughout the first week of preschool! Please remember that drawing is writing too!

Take a tour of the school. 

One of the best parts of being a preschool teacher is that you are often a student’s first introduction to school. What a special job! That being said, everything is new and unfamiliar to them. Where is the bathroom? Where can they get a drink of water? It’s going to be so beneficial to take your students on a tour of the school and show them some of the places they will be visiting frequently like the cafeteria or the gym. Even if your students won’t be traveling around the school independently, it will still help them to feel more confident being familiar with the building.

Taking a tour of the school is a great thing to do on the first day!

I created an around-the-school passport to make learning the school fun for preschool students. You can learn more about this resource here. 

This All Around the School Passport is a fun activity for the first day of preschool and helping your students learn their way around the school!

Read a book about the first day of preschool. 

Books are always a win! Most preschool children love listening to a story read aloud! Here are a few of my favorite first day of preschool books. Some of these books are specifically about starting preschool, others are just about the first day of school and would be appropriate for preschool or even Kindergarten or First Grade students too. 

Create a first day of preschool photo booth.

Oh how I love precious first day of preschool pictures! It’s one of my favorite days on social media because I just love seeing all of the kids dressed up and excited for a wonderful school year.  

A bulletin board I created to go with my photo booth for the first day of school!

Setting up a photo booth is a great first day of preschool activity. If you can, set up a little photo area outside of your classroom door so parents can snap pictures before entering your classroom! This will really help with the flow of traffic on that crazy first day of preschool! You can make a simple first day of preschool sign for your students to hold for the picture or even purchase some inexpensive photo props like these. Don’t forget to take a class picture later in the day too!

If you are planning to make end-of-year photo albums or an end-of-the-year slide show for your students, you will definitely want to have pictures from the first day of preschool too! When I taught at a Title One school many of the parents were unable to drop their children off on the first day of school. It really meant a lot to these parents to see a picture of their child on the first day, so don’t forget to take a few to share with parents who might not be able to be there on the first day of preschool too. It will mean a lot to them! 

Plan a first day of preschool independent activity. 

I know, nothing is really an independent activity when you teach preschoolers. But, try to plan something that your little ones will be able to complete on their own or with little direction and guidance.  I find that it’s really helpful to have an activity like this when students arrive. That way you are able to greet students and answer any quick questions that parents have while your students are busy. This can even be just playing! Here are a few ideas:

Play dough can be a great activity for the first day of school!

• Put out a few buckets of math manipulatives like counting bears or cubes for students to sort and play with at their tables.
• Set out a coloring page with some crayons.
• Put a can of play dough at each student’s spot for play. This was my go-to when I taught, but I know it makes some people cringe.

More Tips and Resources for the First Day of Preschool 

Numbers to 10 Q-Tip Painting
Using Show and Tell to Teach Phonics 
How to Make Meaningful Class Books

Don’t forget to download your set of free printable class books and start writing and reading with your students! They are focused on the skills preschoolers and Kindergarten students need to know like number and letter recognition! If you want to learn more about class books check out this post, How to Make Meaningful Class Books with Preschool and Kindergarten Students.

I hope you have a wonderful first day of school and that you are able to use some of these preschool first day activities with your students!

25 First Day of School Activities for Preschool

The first day of Preschool is quite the big day for both kiddos and adults. It’s important to have enough choices for students to keep them comfortable. These first few days can be overwhelming. It’s an entirely new environment for your little ones. Include plenty of activities that make them feel welcome but also give them the space to take everything in and explore.

Along with that, it’s important to provide parents with some crafts that they can keep as keepsakes. As we said, the first day is pretty hard on adults too.

Without further adieu, here is a list of 25 First Day of School activities that will make your first day successful!

1. First Day Lacing

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A post shared by Multinational School Bahrain (@mnschoolbahrain)

Finding different activities that can easily be done at students’ seats is perfect for the first few weeks of school. Try this shoe-lacing activity on the first day of preschool! It will engage students and could also build a community for students to help one another.

Learn more: Instagram

2. Meet My Worry Monster

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Building a classroom environment that fosters students’ feelings is vital on the first day of school. This is the perfect story for preschool classrooms everywhere. Create a feeling of relaxation and understanding with this circle time activity.

Learn more: Instagram

3. First Day Tracing

The first day of school is an exciting time, so having different worksheets planned for students is a great idea. It will show parents what skills you’ll be working with throughout the year. While also helping students get into their new learning routine.

Learn more: Facebook

4. Gluing Scraps

The first few days of school should definitely focus on different engaging activities. Gluing scraps is one of those activities that are perfect for students getting into the classroom setting. Using a sheet of paper and some cut-up colored paper, let your students get to work and use their imaginations in all the best ways.

Learn more: Facebook

5. Mr. Potato 5 Senses

Creating a Mr. Potatoe head is a great idea for preschool teachers on the first day of school. Students will have so much fun learning about their five senses and creating a great picture to send home.

Learn more: Facebook

6. First Day Handprint Crafts

Eager parents are all over the place when it comes to their babies first days of preschool. Therefore, creating a keepsake for parents should be somewhere in your lesson plans on the first day.

Learn more: Facebook

7. Magnet Fishing

Having enough activities going on throughout the classroom during arrival time is essential. It will give all of your preschoolers a place to go throughout the classroom and set up before circle time. Magnet fishing is a very attractive game for students of all ages!

Learn more: Facebook

8. First Day Name Activity

@themhoffers Easy name activity for start of preschool year! Help those kids learn their names! #preschoolactivities #easykidsactivities #fyp #toddleractivities ♬ original sound – Cyndi – Themhoffers

A first day of school name activity is important for building rapport with students. Students will feel much more comfortable and confident when they feel included! Using bright colors and stampers is a great way to engage your students and start working with their names.

Learn more: Tiktok

9. Back to School Coloring Banner

@friendsartlab Available in our Etsy shop! #fyp #backtoschoolactivity #backtoschoolideas #backtoschoolhaul #backtoschoolactivities #coloringpagesforeveryone #coloringpagesforkids #firstdayofpreschool #firstdayofprek ♬ original sound – friendsartlab

Okay, so I introduced a color mat into my classroom a few years ago, and the students loved it! This one is may be a bit intense for preschoolers, but there are so many other options out there. Even turn it into a desk coloring activity and cover the entire desk with a sheet of paper and as students arrive at school.

Learn more: Tiktok

10. Mindfulness Jars

@littlehandslearning #mindfulness #mindfulnesschildren #mindfulnessforkids #earlyyearseducation #earlyyearsideas #firstdayofschool #dadlife #startingschool #gentleparenting #schoolreadiness #schoolready #readyforschool #parentingadvice #parentingtip #parentingtips101 #primaryschool #preschooler #preschoolideas #startingschool2022 #schoolmum #mummybloggeruk ♬ Colors – Stella Jang

These are so much fun for students of all ages! Use your student’s favorite colors and create a few different jars and place them throughout the classroom. These will help with any first day of school preschool jitters that may arrive.

Learn more: Tiktok

11. Color Mixing

@learningthroughplay8 Colour mixing invitation in the Tuff tray #ideasforkids #preschool #eyfsteacher #eyfsactivities #fyp ♬ We Found Love – Ultimate Dance Hits

A brand-new school year calls for some brand-new learning! This activity for students is perfect for working together and creating different colors! It’s always calming to work with paint and bright colors.

Include this activity in different stations. It will give more choices that students will appreciate through the first day.

Learn more: Tiktok

12. Fingerprint Paintings

@friendsartlab 🍎+ 🎨 = ♥️ #applecraft #appleactivity #backtoschoolactivity #firstweekofschoolactivites #appletheme #preschoolart #prekart #fyp ♬ original sound – friendsartlab

This craft is so much fun for preschool students. They’ll love getting their fingers paint covered on the first day and bringing home these adorable school crafts. Crafts like this are great on the first day because they’ll give kids the space to get messy and have some fun.

Learn more: Tiktok

13. First Day Sight Words

@lovelylittlemelodies Hi everyone! This week’s theme was “ABCs”, so I came up with this little chant for our group! Chant is original lyrics by me (Jessica Gelineau MT-BC). Song is one I’ve picked up along the way. I hope that you enjoy! If you use one of the songs or activities please make sure to let me know how it goes! This one was a hit in my groups this week 😊 #music #musictherapy #musictherapist #earlychildhood #earlychildhoodtherapist #earlyintervention #earlychildhoodmusic #earlychildhoodsongs #daycareteacher #preschoolmusic #preschoolteacher #preschool #prekteacher #prek #prekmusic #preksongs #preschoolsongs #toddlers #toddlersoftiktok #toddlersongs #babies #babysongs #nurseryrhymes #parents #parentsoftiktok #parenting #childrensmusic #childrensmusician #circletime #circletimefun #circletimewithmissjess #chickachickaboomboom #childrensbooks #earlyliteracy ♬ original sound – Miss Jess | Childrens Songs🌈✨

Do your students know their sight words already? Some might, some might not. That’s where stations come in handy. This is a great way to assess the different levels that students may be on. Work with students closely on this activity to help and guide them throughout the entire duration.

Learn more: Tiktok

15. Dinosaur Chant

@lovelylittlemelodies Dinosaur Chant for Circle Time! *Lyrics written by myself. Please feel free to pass along but give me credit in any handouts, thank you😇* #circletime #circletimewithmissjess #music #musictherapy #dinosaur #dinosaursarecool #dinosaurs #earlychildhood #earlychildhoodeducation #earlyintervention #preschool #preschoolactivities #prekteacher #prektips #toddlersoftiktok #parentsoftiktok #parenting #infants #infantsongs ♬ original sound – Miss Jess | Childrens Songs🌈✨

Turn their first day into a day at school with dinosaurs! Having a dinosaur chant ready for the first day will help to get kids engaged and excited about the school theme this year! Whether you have mini books to accompany the chant or little dinosaur figures, your students will be engaged!

Learn more: Tiktok

16. Painting Ice

@friendsartlab It’s a sensory bin and art project in one! #icepainting #icepaint #processart #processartforkids #artforkids #artactivities #prekart #prekactivies #fyp #preschoolart #toddlerart #toddleractivities #preschoolactivities ♬ original sound – friendsartlab

The first few school days can be quite warm, depending on your location. If it’s still warm and you really want to get your kiddos outside, try this sensory table! Using ice and paint brushes, your student will love fun activities like this to cool down their little hands.

Learn more: Tiktok

17. Caterpillar Names

@sandboxacademy Kids love things about them #momof2 #toddlermom #nameactivity #preschoolteacher #preschoolactivity #prekmommy ♬ original sound – Emily | Preschool Activities

A first day of school sign that uses student names is always a great introduction to the classroom. These adorable caterpillar name charts are perfect for the classroom. Allow parents to provide the introduction to school by helping children find their names.

Learn more: Tiktok

18. Ice Cream Color Matching

@craftymoms Summer fun activities 🍦 #earlyyears #finemotorskills #prektips #montessorimom #TikTokTaughtMe #LearnOnTikTok ♬ AIN’T GONNA STOP – Carol Kay

It’s important to have enough activities planned for students to gain a better understanding of classroom expectations. Work in different styles of activities to get children used to using different classroom materials as well as understanding the classroom management.

Learn more: Tiktok

19. First Day Stations

The moment we have all waited for is here, the first day of school for 2022-2023. At John Robert Lewis Early Childhood Center, Superintendent of Schools Dr. Fitzhugh and Board Member Armstrong visited a preschool class filled with activities for our young learners. #GoodtoGreat pic.twitter.com/i2PJVmvSJP

— Orange Public Schools (@ops_district) September 7, 2022

Here are four different stations that can be easily set up for the first day. Learning activities and play activities are vital to making sure students enjoy the first few days. This will help to set the expectations of students for the rest of the year.

Learn more: Twitter

20. Water Play

First day of preschool. Purposeful Learning Activities for Young children. Also know as PLAY! pic.twitter.com/mLWh47hFU2

— Michelle Barton (@MrsBartonPreK) August 28, 2015

Fun hands on activities, like water play, are fun for children of all ages! Water tables can include different letter recognition objects and even drops of food color to make it more exciting. Water play will help students to take time to themselves or interact with others.

Learn more: Twitter

21. What Was Your Favorite Part? 

first day of preschool craft activities | BACK AT IT – BACK TO SCHOOL CRAFT – https://t.co/Ksj8TUnpmc pic.twitter.com/mk7ii4vrH6

— We Know How to Do It (@how_do_it_com) June 20, 2017

End school with individual questions. A language activity on the first day will enhance future learning experiences. Students will feel both loved and appreciated that teachers took the time out to ask and learn about how their first days went.

Learn more: Twitter

22. My First Day of School

Read-alouds are great because they engage all children! Online books like this one can be used in the physical classroom as well as the digital classroom. This is an adorable story that will help students feel a little bit more comfortable on their first day.

Learn more: Youtube

23. First Day Song

Can’t go an entire day without a first day of school song! Include this in your first day circle time activities plans because students will greatly appreciate it! Parents will also love learning it from their students after school.

Learn more: Youtube

24. Fun With Play

Let your students play! The first day of school activities should include an exploration of your student’s new classroom. Coming into a classroom filled with all kinds of toys and exciting things can be overwhelming. Therefore, it’s important to give students enough time for free play and exploration.

Learn more: Youtube

25. Daniel Tiger Goes to School

Sometimes when students are arriving at school, it’s beneficial to have a video going. This will help shy students feel more comfortable. Daniel Tiger is always a great choice because he fosters so many different aspects of learning and imagining as a preschooler.

Learn more: Youtube

First time in 1st grade: scenarios for the holiday

What should a child know and be able to do before going to school? Requirements, questions and advice to a future first-grader

What are the admission requirements for a first grader?

The official list of questions for preschoolers to which the child must know the answer before
school does not exist. According to the Law of the Russian Federation “On Education”, admission to the first
the class of state and municipal educational institutions is prohibited to carry out on
competitive basis.
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Every child aged 6.5-8 who has no health contraindications has the right to enroll
to first class. However, at the request of the parents, the school may accept the child at an earlier or
later age. The reason for the refusal can only be the lack of vacant places in it.

In total, are all the requirements for admission to grade 1 conditional? Not certainly in that way.
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To help parents figure out what to teach their child before school, we
prepared this review.

Knowledge and skills that will be useful to a first grader

Educational institutions that prepare children with outstanding abilities,
often they test and interview those who want to learn from them. Some schools post on the site
criteria for a child’s readiness for school, and teachers expect a certain level of preparation
children. In the school chosen for admission, it is also worth clarifying what the child usually asks
psychologist, whether written testing is carried out.
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Most often, the necessary knowledge and skills are divided into 4 blocks: “General development”, “Logic and
thinking”, “Reading and speech”, “Mathematics”.

It is useful to independently test a preschooler according to the main criteria in any case. We
collected questions and tasks that will help the future first-grader gain self-confidence,
and you – peace and a sense of accomplishment.
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Questions for general development.

“The world”

To understand whether an older preschooler has basic knowledge for his age, take a walk with him
on the following questions:

1. Me and my family

– What is your name? State your last name and patronymic. nine0026
– How old are you? When’s your birthday?
– Give the name and patronymic of your mother, your father. Who do they work?
Do you have a brother or sister, how old are they?
What is your home address and phone number? What city do you live in? What is the name of your country?
What other countries can you name?

2. Nature

What phenomena of nature and weather do you know? What is the difference between snow and hail? Thunder from lightning?
Name the colors you know.
Think about the plants you know. Name the types of trees and flowers. How are trees different from
bushes? What fruits can you name? What about vegetables? Berries? How are fruits different from vegetables and
berries? nine0026
– List the animals you know. What about insects? How are animals and birds different? birds and
fishes? How to distinguish wild animals from domestic ones? Name migratory and wintering birds, birds of prey and
herbivores. Why are they called that?

Riddles from LogicLike will help you check your knowledge:

• about live and
  inanimate nature; nine0009

• pro wild and
  pets;
• about birds.

Thematic tests around the world

• Who are the animals?
• Wild and
  pets
• What are the plants?
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• What are the birds?
• Who
  such fish?
• Insects.

3. Time and space

Name the parts of the day in order. How is day different from night? What is more: a minute or an hour, a day
or week, month or year? nine0026
List the days of the week in order. Name the spring, summer, autumn, winter months of the year. How much
months in a year? How many days in a month? And in a week? How many hours in a day?
What object is needed to measure time? Talk at a distance? Watch the stars?
Measure weight? Know the temperature?
– Show me where is “right” and where is “left”.
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4. Professions

Name a few professions. What specialist teaches children? Healing people? Writes poems? Who
composes music? Does he paint pictures? Building houses? Does he drive cars? Sewing clothes? plays in movies and
theater?

5.

Arts and sports

– What kinds of sports do you know? What sports require a ball, skates? nine0026
What famous writers and poets do you know?

6. Safety rules

– In what places and at what color of the traffic light do you need to cross the road? How would you do if
is there a traffic light nearby?

7. Motivation

– Why do you need to study? Why are you going to school?

Focus on the issues that caused the child difficulty. Didn’t remember the wild ones
animals? It’s time to look into the encyclopedia together or go to the zoo. Didn’t work the first time
explain how to cross the road? So, you need to consider the rules of the road
for pedestrians in practice.
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To decide
tasks, click Start classes!

To decide
tasks, click Start classes!

To decide
tasks, click Start classes!

Introduce your child to the online platform
LogicLike to increase his cognitive interest and set him up for a positive attitude
to study.
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Reading and speaking

By the age of 6-7, the child should easily memorize and retell small texts (3-5 sentences),
read short sentences and understand their meaning. Also, make up your own stories.
pictures and willingly share thoughts on a given topic. Question, exclamation, statement – senior
a preschooler already understands intonations and knows how to express them.
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Also, the future first grader is recommended to know the alphabet; be able to distinguish letters from sounds, vowels
from consonants; find the desired letters at the beginning, middle, end of the word; choose words for a given
letter divide words into syllables.

In the article “How to teach a child
read” we share ideas on how to competently approach the issue of developing reading skills
with a preschooler and where to start classes.
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Maths

By the first grade, the child has the first serious ideas about mathematics. He can
count from 1 to 10 and vice versa, compare numbers of the first ten, solve simple problems with
unit subtraction and addition.

Ability to solve simple mathematical problems for
preschooler is not mandatory, but will definitely help the first grader feel
confidently.
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See also: How to teach
preschooler addition and subtraction in mind?

It is not difficult for him to compare a pyramid with a ball in shape, length, width, height.

If your child does not fit the descriptions above 100%, this does not mean at all that he does not
ready to go to first grade. Your task is to help the preschooler develop key abilities,
ignite the desire to develop and learn new things.