For students, the end of summer gives way to the excitement of back to school time. Searching for the perfect pencils, books, notebook paper, and new fall clothes, adds to the anticipation of the first day of class. The new school year is marked by the tumbling autumn leaves along with the familiar smiles of friends who have been away all summer. Back to school time means the renewal of old friendships and the development of new ones.
One sure sign of back to school time is the appearance of advertisements in the stores, on television, and in newspapers. The stores announce sales on everything from notebook paper to sneakers. At times, almost everyone seems to be caught up in the fervor of back to school days. Teachers are busy buying supplies, setting up the imaginative décor of their classrooms, and reviewing lessons. Parents occupy themselves with helping their children gather the proper materials for school and helping them adjust to a new sleeping routine. The soon-to-be students are planning what to wear and packing everything they'll need to make a great impression on the first day of class.
Teachers play a large role in setting the tone for an academic year. In other words, a warm smile from a teacher on the first day of school can go a long way to ease the anxious feelings of students. In addition, a teacher who decorates his or her classroom with a theme is creating an inviting atmosphere for students to walk into. Furthermore, activities on the first day of school that are designed to get students acquainted with one another and convey a teacher's expectations are also effective tools that help to start the school year off right.
For some ideas and resources that may be useful for teachers during back to school time, please visit:
- Instructions for a Fun Back to School Project: Find the materials and instructions needed for young students to make a back to schoolbook.
- Student Nametags and Classroom Welcome Signs: A list of useful printables for teachers that includes a welcome sign for the classroom door, notes of welcome to the kids, and more!
- Back to School Name Tags, Decorations, and More: Discover a gathering of name tags, behavior charts, and postcards that are useful to teachers.
- Greeting Cards for Back to School Time: Peruse this list of greeting cards for teachers to give to students including some that relate to back to school time.
- Alphabet Decorations for a Classroom: Each letter of the alphabet is creatively decorated in a collection that includes the finger signs for the letters.
- Fun Back to School Songs: Discover some back to school songs for young students to enjoy.
- Ways for Classmates to Get Acquainted: Several ideas of how students can get better acquainted on the first days of class.
- Imaginative Ideas for Back to School: Try these back to school ideas that help to introduce classmates to each other.
- Songs for Back to School: Look at these school songs and plays including a finger play for back to school time and a song to welcome kindergartners.
- Ideas for Back to School Activities: Contains directions for a word search and tips for an imaginative bulletin board in a classroom.
- Activities for the First Few Days of School: Find a collection of classroom activities that will help break the ice for students and start the year on a fun note.
- Fun Games and Activities for Back to School: Read a list of ideas for back to school activities for kids.
- Various Activities and Ideas for Back to School Time: Peruse the gathering of ideas that are helpful as a teacher learns about his or her students.
- Creative Ideas for First Day of School Activities: Among this collection of back to school activities is a quilt project and students sharing information about themselves.
- Back to School Clip Art: Checkout the colorful back to school clip art for classrooms.
- Graphics with a School Theme: Features a variety of graphics that are related to school and schoolwork.
- Back to School Safety Tips: A teacher can share these back to school safety tips with her students.
- Safety Reminders for Back to School: Discover a list of reminders to share with children who are returning to school.
- Advice to Keep Kids Safe When They Return to School: Whether a child walks to school, rides the bus, or is driven in a car these safety tips will be useful.
- Schultute, a Back to School Tradition: Learn about a sweet back to school tradition in Germany.
- Back to School Traditions in Kazakhstan: Find out what kids and their families do to celebrate the first day of school.
- A Variety of Resources for Teachers: Checkout a gathering of resources for teachers that are separated into categories including back to school activities and clip art.
- Book Lists for Elementary Teachers: A list of books for elementary students that is divided into categories. Some examples of the categories include books about family, science, and some beginning reader titles.
- Fun Back to School Books: Discover a collection of several books that prepare a child for back to school time.
- Reading Is Fundamental: Checkout this list of books for a young reader to enjoy at the beginning of the school year and beyond.
- A Selection of Clip Art with a School Theme: Look at this gathering of clip art that relates to the different aspects of school.
Written by Michael S. Atwood