Hey, teacher! 👩‍🏫 The first week of school is always so exciting and fun -- but I know how stressful it can also be as a teacher! There is SO much to think about and so many procedures and routines you have to teach -- but you also want to make sure the kids are excited to come to school!

I’ve used the same Back-to-School plans for the past few years because they strike the perfect balance between fun and purpose. We spend plenty of time getting to know one another, but we also focus on building the foundation for a successful year. From day one, my students learn that our classroom is built on respect, kindness, and responsibility. I want every child to feel safe, valued, and confident enough to take risks while also understanding that we have high expectations and are here to learn. We laugh, we have fun, and we work hard. Morning Meeting is the time we use to share our wins and things we learned from and it's also a time for us to reflect on real events that happen in our classroom. Having a morning meeting is SO important -- and it doesn't have to be fancy. Just authentic conversations with you and your students!

I use my Google Sheets Digital Lesson Planner to map out my lessons for the week.

This year is especially meaningful because my daughter is in the upcoming third-grade class (she won’t be in my classroom, though ☹️). Watching this group grow over the years has reminded me just how important it is to intentionally build a classroom culture from day one. Those first few days aren’t just about learning routines—they’re about teaching kindness, respect, empathy, and what it means to be part of a classroom family. When students understand how their words and actions affect others, everything else falls into place. That’s why I make community-building lessons a priority from the very beginning.

We play lots of team-building games -- including 4 Corners (Get to Know Me Edition), a cup tower challenge, and a Back to School Escape Room throughout the week. Even playing something like Telephone can get your students cooperating! I also found this video on YouTube that has a lot of free suggestions that you could have your students play together. I find that the more team building games you can play the first week, the better! There will be authentic scenarios in which you can use as teachable moments when your students play these games. I always REALLY make a big deal of students who play fair, take turns, and listen to one another and if there is a disagreement and students don't really know how to navigate it, I facilitate. Perfect ways to demonstrate acceptable social behavior when students play games together!

We dive right in to instruction closer to the end of each day with a really fun Back to School math intro by Not So Wimpy Teacher. She is fabulous and her math activities are so great!

I make sure to build in LOTS and LOTS time for procedures. I do not want my students to feel like they are sitting through a lecture while I am teaching my procedures, so we get the most important ones out of the way first (coming into the classroom in the mornings/what to do, restroom procedure, and how to sit on the carpet/carpet expectations), and then throughout the week as they naturally come up, we go over the others. I put together a master list of procedures I teach over the course of the first two weeks and I use this every year to make sure I cover everything. Click to make a copy for yourself!

Early next week, I am going to share my very specific Day 1 plans to get you some ideas of exactly how my day goes! With some very specific non-negotiables that I always prioritize on that first day.

I hope this was helpful -- and remember, it's never too early to start planning for Back to School! 😉

Did you miss the other posts of this series? Don't worry! Check them out below:

​Part 1: Meet the Teacher Night Tips​

​Part 2: Affordable Student Gifts for Meet the Teacher Night​

​Part 3: Classroom Management​

Thank you for being here!