Summer time is nearly over, which means that every child is about to return to school. For some students it will be a whole new adventure, because they are about to attend a new school, or have new teachers. In order to make the back-to-school event even more pleasant, we have created a bunch of different back-to-school activities for children of all age. Whether you are a teacher or a parent, feel free to take advantage of some of ideas below. Dear teachers - you can get inspired and create a nice and welcoming classroom for each student and yourself as well! With a little bit of team work and a dash of imagination, everyone can come back to school with a smile and in good spirit. So, are you ready to start the new school year?
Back to School Activities for High School Students
It seems like finding those cool back-to-school activities for high school students might be quite hard. Some teenagers may be a bit rebellious. But there is no need to panic – the key is to find the leverage. Remember that not every high school student is the same. There are those who like to read, others like to play video games, draw or do sports. As a teacher, you can try to engage your students into different high school activities – like outdoor ventures or reading projects. Try not to force anything on youth – remember that curious toddlers or even pre-school children like to try new things more eagerly, and the adolescence has its own rights and habits. You can introduce some outdoor back-to-school activities, where your students might gather outside the classroom, in the open air (if weather allows) and talk about their summer vacation, or plans for the future. Any new faces in the classroom? Make sure to remember about those let-me-introduce-myself activities. Do not forget that despite the older age, some high school kids are still a bit shy and they might need more time to adjust to that whole new situation. What is more, if you are looking for some cool back to school outfits, make sure to check out our piece where we write about awesome back to school outfits for high school students and more!
Back to School Activities for Middle School and Younger Kids
What are some of the most interesting back-to-school activities for middle school students? What do you think about theater or cooking activities? Something to ignite their passion for a particular profession. You can basically conduct those activities with students at any age. Cooking classes can make great back-to-school activities for even second grade children – teach them how to prepare a simple fruit salad or homemade lemonade. If you need some inspirations for back-to-school activities for 4th grade students – say no more! Reading, singing or making different art projects and simple science experiments might be some of the best back-to-school activities for 2nd, 3rd and even 4th grade students. Do not forget about sports ventures, which are highly recommended when it comes to back-to-school outdoor activities.
Back to School Activities for Toddlers
You might be wondering what are some of the best back-to school activities for preschool kids, but what about our dear toddlers? Those young children can easily learn so many new things through playing different games. Reading is always important as well! It helps everyone develop the imagination. Make sure to engage some back-to-school library activities for even younger kids. Perhaps toddlers might seem slightly too young, but a library excursion might turn out to be one of the best back-to-school activities for 3rd grade students. It was proven, that introducing books to babies calms them down and teaches them how to focus on certain things. It looks like back-to-school reading activities might be good for both toddlers and high school kids as well.
Back to School Night Activities
Back-to-school night activities are especially essential for children who are starting new school. Perhaps they are graduating from pre-k and their next step is the exciting 1st grade! It is quite important to come up with different back-to-school icebreaker activities, so that new parents and students get to meet each other and the teachers may introduce themselves to everyone. If you are a teacher who is about to greet some new students and their parents, it would be good to let them know about any back-to-school counseling activities that are available at the school. Some children might need more time to adjust to completely new surroundings. In order to make it easier to everyone, feel free to organize a meet-and-great evening, so that parents and students can come over, chat with one another. Make sure to have some refreshments, like cookies, juice and coffee or tea for the adults. A pleasant evening before the school starts!
Back to School Team Building Activities
Team work is often seen at schools and then later at many job sites. Not everyone likes to work in groups, but it is always good to know how to cope with working with more people. Some back-to-school activities might turn out to be great team building activities. Encourage your students to work in pairs. You can also bring your students closer together by asking them to write a short story about something. One person has to write the beginning, and the second one should come up with the ending, so that they have a coherent story. Back to school writing activities should definitely appear on your list of “top ten school projects”.
Improve Those Skills!
Most back to school activities are designed to make it easier for the kids to return to school and get back on their learning track. Some projects engage talking, others want the children to work on their social skills. If you look at some of the pre-k back-to-school activities, you will be able to notice, that many of them include team work. Children are asked to work in pairs, they sing together or they work manually. Drawing also plays a significant role there. As for back-to-school activities for 2nd grade children or even older students – reading and writing is more common.
As you can see, there are so many different back-to-school activities, that can motivate and help your kid succeed at school. Teachers may use the Internet, where they can find a wide range of different templates and even more ideas for some awesome back-to-school activities. Teachers can start off with encouraging kids to prepare the classroom for the school year. They can all talk about colors, different ornaments or any additional items that might be useful throughout the year. Perhaps students would like a classroom pet, or few new plants? You may find so many interesting ways to encourage the kids to come back to school with a big smile on their faces. There are plenty of back-to-school activities which will strengthen the community. As a teacher – do not forget to connect with parents. Technology is amazing. There are so many helpful apps which will allow you to stay in touch with the parents and show them the results and all the hard work their kids do at the classroom. How cool is that?!