Building a sense of classroom community can do wonders for student learning and behavior. Here are some fun ideas of things to do throughout the year to help this grow.
Guess How Many Jar
Have a jar that goes home with a different student each Friday, to be filled with small objects. Students write estimates over the course of the week and the number is revealed on Friday. There are two options for how to do this:
- Create a list at the beginning of the year so that the jar rotates evenly among students. The items in the jar go home with the student who sent them in before the jar is given to the next student. The winner may receive something from the prize box for having the best estimate.
- Winner takes all! The jar should always be filled with items that are edible or meant to be tossed. Whoever guesses correctly gets to take them home before refilling the jar with new items.
You can use these labels for the jar:
Class Plant
Keeping a class plant (and really emphasizing care of it) can provide children with many of the same benefits of keeping a class pet, without all the extra work for you.
Class Toy Pet
This one is especially fun for preschool-second grade. Have a toy animal that goes home with a different child each weekend. On Monday, the child can share about what the class pet “did” with them. You can have parents email photos of their adventures to share on your screen while children narrate them. This is a great way to get younger children to feel comfortable with public speaking. Children who are old enough to write can also add a page to the animal’s journal, writing in the voice of the pet about its adventures.
While a stuffed animal may be cuddlier (and could be thrown in the washing machine), a hard toy may be more to the liking of parents and your school as it can be wiped down and disinfected more easily.
Joke of the Day
Start each day on a funny note with this list of printable jokes.
Click here for a version to read online.
Lost Teeth
Keep track of lost teeth with these fun envelope labels and tally chart:
Adjectives for Acrostic Poems
A great activity for students to do is creating acrostic poems. These can be used on a card for a birthday, Mothers/Fathers Day, or any special activity. Use this list of positive adjectives to help guide students to write their own acrostic poems.
Morning Meetings
Do you have students share photos from their weekend? Instead downloading photos that parents email to you and creating a slideshow each Monday morning, create a slideshow template, with each page labeled for a different student, that parents can access and add the photo on their own.
Make each morning special by having a different theme. You can even alliterate each days theme. Here are some ideas:
Monday:
Music Monday:
Play music while students free draw or journal.
The student of the week can share their favorite song
All-About-Me Monday:
Students share about themselves on one particular theme.
The student of the week is interviewed.
Mystery Monday:
Have a mystery guest reader or speaker.
Students must guess who the next student of the week is based on their answer to a set of questions.
An item is in a paper bag and students play 20 questions to guess what it is.
Maze Monday:
Have a maze worksheet waiting for students when the come in in the morning.
Tuesday:
Talk About It Tuesday:
Have a question for all students to answer aloud or on a board.
Show and Tell Tuesday:
Have the student of the week share a special object or photo and tell the story behind it.
Have each student bring in an item to share.
Tracing Tuesday:
Students trace a picture, connect the dots, or do directed drawing.
Wednesday:
Wacky Wednesday:
Have a silly assignment for students to brighten their morning.
Would-You-Rather Wednesday:
Give students an option between two funny or crazy choices.
Have the student of the week come up with them.
Word Search/Word Jumble Wednesday:
Have a word search or word jumble worksheet waiting for students when the come in in the morning.
Thursday:
Think About It Thursday:
Have the student of the week list two facts & a fiction for classmates to guess.
Have a riddle up on the board for students to solve.
Have a spot-the-differences worksheet.
This Or That Thursday:
Give students an option between two funny or crazy choices.
Have the student of the week come up with two funny or crazy choices.
Friday:
Funny Friday:
Read a joke to the class.
Have the student of the week read a joke to the class.
Fun Fact Friday:
Write a fun fact on the board.
TGIF:
Have an extra-special activity for students at the very beginning or end of the day.
Teach Grow Sow 