The time has come...
Here are some tips and ideas for the first day. I'd always try to plan too many things to do for fear of running out!
(This is for Infants but some of the ideas would work for all class levels)
Make a list of what you need or want to do on the first day and write it down. There will be so much going on you won't remember everything!
If a child hands you money, take note immediately of who it is and what they are paying for.
Routines
Decide before you even see the children what their routine is going to be (in as much as is possible!)
Prayers: in the morning? Before/ after breaks? Home time?
Belongings: Where do they put their coats? Is there somewhere specific you want them to keep their pencil cases/ school bags/ lunch boxes?
Toilet: What do they need to do to tell you they need to go to the toilet? Ask in Irish/ English? Make a signal of some kind to you? Have a pass of some kind that they can take or move to show they have gone to the toilet?
Play time: Is it free play or structured play? What will the routine be for tidying up and starting work?
Break times: Do they eat before/ during/ after yard time? Do they line up going out/ coming in ?
Jobs: Will you have group leaders? Different areas of responsibilities (E.g. Collecting/ giving things out, keeping the library tidy etc) (This may not be something you have decided on Day 1 but definitely one to be thinking about)
Classroom management: Are you going to use a rewards scheme of some kind? Classdojo? Golden Time?
Homework: Do they have a folder? Do they hand it up/ take it out at a specific time of day? What's the procedure for marking homework, packing bags?
Home time: Do they line up? Get their coats etc before or after the bell rings? Is there an order to the way you want them to move from their desks?
It may seem like a lot to be thinking about but the sooner you can introduce these things, the faster the children get used to them and the easier your life becomes!
Playtime
I will have free play for the first few mornings to give the children a chance to settle back in and get used to their new surroundings and after that Senior Infants will do structured play/ Aistear.
Collect Books
Make sure that the child's name is on the outside of the front cover and pick a child from each table to collect that book and bring it to you/ put it on the shelf. Take note if any children are missing any books. You might find it'll be easier to note it quickly then rather than searching through 30 of them when the children are gone home trying to figure out whose book is missing!
News
The children will be bursting with news after their summer holidays so I would try to do this early in the day. I always ask them to think of their 3 favourite things from their holiday that they want to tell as we can't listen to a blow by blow account of their entire holiday! On the first day I would usually split the news and do some in the morning and finish it after break because they will find it very difficult to sit and listen to the entire class all in the one go!
Writing
I find that really they can only do so much sitting and listening so they are ready for a written activity of some kind. I'm going to do an All About Me worksheet that I found on Twinkl but there are many variations out there depending on what class you're teaching!
Rules
Discuss what the rules for the year will be. Write them down on a chart or make a note to make a display of them later so they are always visible to the children.
Games
There are lots of ice breaker games and activities you can play.
The Name Game
Ask each child to introduce themselves with an adjective in front of their name starting with the same letter as their name. E.g. Magical Michelle, Elegant Ella etc. It would be lovely if you could do this with the children in a circle so the children could introduce themselves and do some little action or movement that the other children would then copy as they greet Elegant Ella!
2 truths , 1 lie
The children love this game. They must stand up and tell the class 3 facts about themselves, 2 of which are real and 1 is fake. The class must guess which is the lie!
Saying Nursery Rhymes in different voices.
The Junior classes love this activity. I've used it with 2nd and 3rd and they thought it was hilarious. You pick a nursery rhyme and say it in a voice. E.g. Say it as if you're scared/ as if you're a teacher/ as if you're really excited etc. The children will provide plenty of ideas for voices i'm sure!
Books
Assuming all the books have made it to school, I might try and do a page of Maths or handwriting or something with them. They are usually so excited to be starting their shiny new books that they'd only be delighted to do something!
Religion
There are some really lovely prayers online for the beginning of the school year. I really like this one from Enjoy Teaching English.
Here are some tips and ideas for the first day. I'd always try to plan too many things to do for fear of running out!
(This is for Infants but some of the ideas would work for all class levels)
Make a list of what you need or want to do on the first day and write it down. There will be so much going on you won't remember everything!
If a child hands you money, take note immediately of who it is and what they are paying for.
Routines
Decide before you even see the children what their routine is going to be (in as much as is possible!)
Prayers: in the morning? Before/ after breaks? Home time?
Belongings: Where do they put their coats? Is there somewhere specific you want them to keep their pencil cases/ school bags/ lunch boxes?
Toilet: What do they need to do to tell you they need to go to the toilet? Ask in Irish/ English? Make a signal of some kind to you? Have a pass of some kind that they can take or move to show they have gone to the toilet?
Play time: Is it free play or structured play? What will the routine be for tidying up and starting work?
Break times: Do they eat before/ during/ after yard time? Do they line up going out/ coming in ?
Jobs: Will you have group leaders? Different areas of responsibilities (E.g. Collecting/ giving things out, keeping the library tidy etc) (This may not be something you have decided on Day 1 but definitely one to be thinking about)
Classroom management: Are you going to use a rewards scheme of some kind? Classdojo? Golden Time?
Homework: Do they have a folder? Do they hand it up/ take it out at a specific time of day? What's the procedure for marking homework, packing bags?
Home time: Do they line up? Get their coats etc before or after the bell rings? Is there an order to the way you want them to move from their desks?
It may seem like a lot to be thinking about but the sooner you can introduce these things, the faster the children get used to them and the easier your life becomes!
Playtime
I will have free play for the first few mornings to give the children a chance to settle back in and get used to their new surroundings and after that Senior Infants will do structured play/ Aistear.
Collect Books
Make sure that the child's name is on the outside of the front cover and pick a child from each table to collect that book and bring it to you/ put it on the shelf. Take note if any children are missing any books. You might find it'll be easier to note it quickly then rather than searching through 30 of them when the children are gone home trying to figure out whose book is missing!
News
The children will be bursting with news after their summer holidays so I would try to do this early in the day. I always ask them to think of their 3 favourite things from their holiday that they want to tell as we can't listen to a blow by blow account of their entire holiday! On the first day I would usually split the news and do some in the morning and finish it after break because they will find it very difficult to sit and listen to the entire class all in the one go!
Writing
I find that really they can only do so much sitting and listening so they are ready for a written activity of some kind. I'm going to do an All About Me worksheet that I found on Twinkl but there are many variations out there depending on what class you're teaching!
Rules
Discuss what the rules for the year will be. Write them down on a chart or make a note to make a display of them later so they are always visible to the children.
Games
There are lots of ice breaker games and activities you can play.
The Name Game
Ask each child to introduce themselves with an adjective in front of their name starting with the same letter as their name. E.g. Magical Michelle, Elegant Ella etc. It would be lovely if you could do this with the children in a circle so the children could introduce themselves and do some little action or movement that the other children would then copy as they greet Elegant Ella!
2 truths , 1 lie
The children love this game. They must stand up and tell the class 3 facts about themselves, 2 of which are real and 1 is fake. The class must guess which is the lie!
Saying Nursery Rhymes in different voices.
The Junior classes love this activity. I've used it with 2nd and 3rd and they thought it was hilarious. You pick a nursery rhyme and say it in a voice. E.g. Say it as if you're scared/ as if you're a teacher/ as if you're really excited etc. The children will provide plenty of ideas for voices i'm sure!
Books
Assuming all the books have made it to school, I might try and do a page of Maths or handwriting or something with them. They are usually so excited to be starting their shiny new books that they'd only be delighted to do something!
Religion
There are some really lovely prayers online for the beginning of the school year. I really like this one from Enjoy Teaching English.
A Google search will take you to many many more! I think it's nice to have something like this as the first page in their Religion copies!
Gaeilge
Bainfidh mé úsaid as puipéad chun dul siar a dhéanamh ar an nGaeilge!
Art
As we move into the afternoon, chances are they are going to be exhausted for the first few days! I have some ideas for nice easy art lessons on my Pinterest.
I usually print out their names in Bubble writing for them to colour on the first day - which I will then stick up as part of a display :)
Google "Free outline fonts" or "bubble writing fonts" and you can take your pick!
Read Aloud
No matter what age they are, children really enjoy being read to whether it's a novel or a picture book for the Infants it can be a lovely way to finish out the day. I love Marley and Me - guaranteed to get some giggles!
Go Noodle
It will take a bit of adjustment for the children to be sitting in their seats again after running around for the summer so if you find they need a break, www.gonoodle.com is your friend! Fantastic child friendly activities, ideal whether you are trying to wake the children up or calm them down!
Good luck to everyone on your first day back!
Be prepared for how absolutely exhausted you'll be by the end of it!!
Gaeilge
Bainfidh mé úsaid as puipéad chun dul siar a dhéanamh ar an nGaeilge!
Art
As we move into the afternoon, chances are they are going to be exhausted for the first few days! I have some ideas for nice easy art lessons on my Pinterest.
I usually print out their names in Bubble writing for them to colour on the first day - which I will then stick up as part of a display :)
Google "Free outline fonts" or "bubble writing fonts" and you can take your pick!
Read Aloud
No matter what age they are, children really enjoy being read to whether it's a novel or a picture book for the Infants it can be a lovely way to finish out the day. I love Marley and Me - guaranteed to get some giggles!
Go Noodle
It will take a bit of adjustment for the children to be sitting in their seats again after running around for the summer so if you find they need a break, www.gonoodle.com is your friend! Fantastic child friendly activities, ideal whether you are trying to wake the children up or calm them down!
Good luck to everyone on your first day back!
Be prepared for how absolutely exhausted you'll be by the end of it!!