My Favorite Beginning of the Year Activities

The beginning of the school year is exciting, especially for kindergarteners just starting their educational journey. Establishing a fun and engaging classroom environment from day one is key to setting a positive tone for the year. Here are some of my favorite back-to-school activities for a kindergarten class that covers literacy, math, and social-emotional learning (SEL).

Literacy Skills

One key literacy skill is letter and sound recognition. Students should be able to identify uppercase and lowercase letters and connect them to their corresponding sounds. Activities such as alphabet songs, letter tracing, and beginning sounds are excellent ways to reinforce these skills. We also want them to write their letters correctly. After explicitly teaching these skills, here are some of my go-to printables to help reinforce these concepts.

Alphabet Mastery: Letters A to Z

• Activity: Correct formation and letter practice.

Beginning Sounds Sort

• Activity: Help students identify and sort words based on their beginning sounds. This foundational skill supports reading and phonemic awareness.

Word Mapping

• Activity: Teach students to segment and map out words by saying the word, tapping out the sounds, and then writing the corresponding letters. This multisensory approach will help enhance their phonics skills.

Math Skills

In math, counting and cardinality are fundamental. Students need to recognize numbers 1 to 10 and understand that these numbers correspond to specific quantities. Activities like counting books, number songs, and interactive counting games help solidify these concepts.

Numbers 1 to 10 Math Centers

My numbers 1 to 10 math center resource is, hands down, my favorite beginning-of-the-year math center. They are perfect for small group instruction, and they are interactive activities.

Math Sorts

• Activity: Incorporate math sorts to sort numbers.

Shake and Spill

• Activity: Engage students in hands-on activities where they shake a cup of counters and spill them out to count and group them. This activity reinforces showing a number in multiple ways and teaches them how to decompose and compose numbers.

Letters and Numbers Task Cards

• Activity: Use task cards for students to practice building numbers and letters using various tools (pattern blocks, sticks, playdough). This is an easy-peasy literacy and math center.

Social-Emotional Learning (SEL) Skills

As the school year begins, we spend much time on social-emotional skills, not just academics. We want students to make responsible choices to be safe and have positive relationships with their peers. Here are some activities that can reinforce what you are already teaching.

Good Choices, Poor Choices

• Activity: Discuss different scenarios and sort them into good and poor choices. This helps students understand the impact of their decisions and promotes responsible behavior.

Tattling vs. Reporting

• Activity: Teach students the difference between tattling and reporting. I would also have them role-play to distinguish between problems you can solve and ones you need adult support.

Cafeteria, Recess, Bus, Bathroom, and Listening Behavior

• Activity: Sort specific scenarios to emphasize the importance of listening, following rules, and respecting the school environment.

These beginning-of-the-year activities are perfect for morning work, literacy centers, math centers, or as a review. You can use them to supplement any curriculum you use, and students can complete them independently, giving you more flexibility and time for other tasks. Click [here] to purchase and bring these essential skills to your classroom today!

Back-to-School Bundle

To simplify your back-to-school planning, I’ve created a special Back-to-School Bundle that includes all these activities (and much more)!:

• Letters A to Z
• Math Sorts
• Good Choices, Poor Choices
• Beginning Sounds Sort
• Numbers 1 to 10
• Tattling vs. Reporting
• Say, Tap, and Map
• Shake and Spill
• Cafeteria, Recess, Bus, Bathroom, and Listening Behavior Sorts
• Letters and Numbers Task Cards
• Counting Book

These beginning-of-the-year activities are designed to engage your students and make your back-to-school transition smooth and enjoyable. Check them out here!

Best,

Tee