Planning activities for first day of preschool can be a rollercoaster! We want them to have fun, but also not get too crazy. There are a million procedures they need to learn. We have to plan for the student that is ready to do the dang thing! And plan for the student that is going to cry most of the day. The first day of preschool is exciting and stressful 100% of the time!
Have you ever had a “crash and burn” first day of preschool? I would like to say it’s all because of those crazy kids but the chances are…us teachers could have run the day in a way that set everyone up for success. Preschoolers are still babies! For many of our students, they have never been in this kind of setting. Some of them are coming from homes that don’t provide a lot of structure. They might not have siblings, so sharing and caring is a new concept for them. Problem solving skills are low and coping skills are sometimes non-existent! We have to think through all parts of the day and anticipate what things could happen. I have a few first days under my belt and some tried and true first day activities that will set you up for the best first day of preschool ever!
Tip #1: Have welcome activities ready to go right away.
The morning routine and activities set the tone for the rest of the day! This is the first opportunity of the day to set our kids up for success!
Setting our students up for success in the morning looks like having activities planned in the morning that will keep their attention for more than 30 seconds! Morning activities will work on skills that preschoolers need to be working on and improving, but they should also be something that students can do on their own.
In my experience, coloring pages just don’t do the trick at this age. Occasionally you will have a couple of students that have mega fine motor skills and love to color every inch of a page but usually, it’s 4 scribbles and they’re done! This leads to students wandering around, getting out toys, and eventually behavior issues! Plus, it gets them into bad habits right from the start!
So what kind of morning activities for first day of preschool should we be planning?!
Put together a back-to-school playdough tray! I would stick to one color of playdough (unless mixed up playdough on the first day is your style!), crayon or pencil mini erasers or manipulatives, basic shape cookie cutters, bus counters, plastic alphabet pieces, buttons, rollers, playdough cutters, and scissors, etc. Watch out for students that might put small things in their mouths!
So much imagination and creativity and fine motor skills and hand strengthening aaaaand it will hold their attention!
Another great attention holder is any type of sensory play! For a first-day activity, I would keep it very simple and something easy to clean up. If they haven’t been exposed to sensory tubs before, they are probably going to be very easily entertained! A water tub sitting on towels on the floor with cups and scoopers is sure to be a hit! Keep out of the way of high-traffic areas to avoid any falls!
Tip # 2: Have a “first day of preschool” craft at some point during the day.
This can look different depending on how many students you have and whether or not you have an aide in your room! I like to do a take-home handprint page on the first day. It’s fun for the students to get their hand painted, it’s fun for the parents to have that keepsake. Paint can be scary BUT…it doesn’t have to be! Just think through all of the things that can happen and take the steps to avoid the negatives!
- When I am by myself without an aide, I usually call over 2-3 students at a time to the table, while the others are playing in centers. They all sit down at the table and wait their turn. We have to get that waiting muscle working right from the very beginning! I do one student’s hand at a time. Keep baby wipes handy so they can immediately wipe off their hand when their handprint has been made. Then they go back to their play center and I call over the next group of students.
- When I have had an aide, we do these as a small group activity. Split the students into equal groups and do one student at a time around the table. This is a great time to build relationships with students and for them to get to know each other as well!
Tip # 3: Plan lots of play and wiggle time!
Preschoolers are still babies! Their bodies are not ready to sit for extended periods of time! Do they need to begin learning how to sit still? Absolutely yes! The first day of school however, is probably not the time to expect them to sit for long periods of time. Some of your students may not have ever had to do this! Expecting them to sit for 10 minutes is setting them up for failure and setting you up for frustration! Set them up for success by giving them lots of chances to move around and be preschoolers!
We want students to have fun and be happy but also, they are here to learn new things! One way to do this is on the first day of school is to weave transition practice, clean up practice, etc, in between play times! I would keep the toy options to a minimum to avoid mass chaos! Use this play time to practice working with timers and transitioning to new activities or areas of the room.
Combine Movement and Learning!
One fun, movement activity for the first day and week of school is a hunt around the room.
This activity could be done several different ways even continuing further into the school year with different academic skills, but for the first day students can hunt for a specific area of the room. For example, “tiptoe to the block center”, “crawl to your cubby”, etc. This gets them familiar with the room as well as getting some energy out and working those gross motor skills!
For a back to school hunt the room activity click here!
On the other side of letting the littles get all of their wiggles out…there is a good chance that you will have some students that are scared and don’t want to move or participate. This is ok! The main first day goal is to keep the kids safe, happy and wanting to come back the next day! Have some low-key quiet activities available to help the quieter students feel happy and secure as well!
Tip #4 Plan easy activities for first day that they can do on their own, won’t take a lot of academic skill, or clean up time, etc.
I know, you want to get them learning right away and do all of the cute crafts and projects! I promise you, there is time! The first day of school is not the time to learn all of the new things. You will have so many things to do and pay attention to, you don’t need to be helping every child spell their name correctly or wash their hands because they played with slime. I know it’s super cute to have a name craft on the first day where they glue pieces with their name letters into place but students don’t have the skills or attention span for this type of activity on the first day!
Some easy activities for first day of preschool could be plastic animals and blocks, play together as a group and then practice cleaning up together. Partner games such as rolling the ball back and forth with a friend while music plays, or group parachute activities are sure to be a hit!
Tip #5: Create a first day of preschool “Ask me about my day” sticky note for parents.
Ok, this last one isn’t necessarily an activities for first day of preschool but more of a teacher hack! Picture this, you’re at parent pick-up and Sarah’s mom says to her, “what did you do today?” And inside you are BEGGING Sarah to remember something…ANYTHING that happened that day. Spoiler alert…Sarah does not usually remember anything that we did during the day. 😉
A few years ago I started using large square name tags, at the top I wrote, “Ask me about…” and then listed two or three things that I had planned for the day. At the end of the day, I stuck it on the back of the student’s shirts and sent them on their way. This note gives parents a conversation starter with their littles and helps to jog the memory of the oh-so-forgetful ‘Sarah’.
As always, decide what activities for first day of preschool fit best into your classroom and schedule! There are so many options for ways to fill your first days and weeks! I hope these ideas help you to have the best first day of preschool!
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I love the idea of putting the sticker prompts on the back of the students! What a fun way for parents to feel connected!
Thanks!
Thanks so much!