Easy First Day of School Activities for Elementary Students

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Easy First Day of School Activities

The first day of school is filled with so many emotions—for students, teachers, and families! Kids may be excited, nervous, unsure, or a little bit of everything. And by the end of that first day, families are usually eager to hear all about it.

These simple first day of school activities give students a chance to share how they’re feeling, reflect on their first day, and tell their families a little about their experience. With options for younger and older elementary students, you can choose the activities and templates that work best for your class.

First Day of School Feelings Writing

The first day of school is a BIG DEAL! Students can experience all kinds of emotions as they settle into a new classroom, meet their teacher, and get to know their classmates.

This simple writing activity asks students to complete the sentence “On the first day of kindergarten/first grade, I felt…” and add a picture to show how they were feeling.

It’s a nice activity to do during the first day when you want something calm and simple—and the completed pages make a sweet back-to-school bulletin board too.

💚 Grab the First Day of School Feelings Writing Activity

Beginning and End of the First Day

Feelings can change a lot over the course of that very first day!

Students may arrive feeling nervous or unsure and leave feeling excited and ready to come back. Or they may begin the day excited and discover that they’re exhausted by the end!

This first day of school reflection gives students a chance to think about how they felt at the beginning of the day and at the end of the day.

There are different template options for kindergarten and first grade, including sentence starters and emotion choices, so you can choose the one that works best for your students.

💚 Grab On the First Day of School Writing Activity from TPT.

A First Day of School Letter Home

A First Day of School Letter Home

And then come the questions nearly every family asks:

“How was your first day of school?”
“What did you do today?”

And the answers? “Good.” “Nothing.” “I don’t know.” Sound familiar?

Instead, students can take home a letter that actually tells their families a little about their day!

Students complete sentences about different parts of their first day and take the finished letter home to share. There are also first week of school versions, so you can use the activity at the end of the week instead.

With multiple versions and templates for younger students, it’s easy to choose the one that best fits your class.

💚 Grab The First Day of School Letter to Parents on TPT

Simple Activities for a Very Busy Day

The first day of school doesn’t need to be packed with complicated activities. Students are learning new routines, meeting new people, exploring a new classroom, and taking in a LOT of information.

Simple opportunities to write, draw, reflect, and share can give everyone a little breathing room while also creating a special record of those first days together.

And those first-day papers are pretty fun to look back at later in the year, too!