Read on for the very best fall classroom bulletin board ideas for back to school!

Click to jump to…

• Why Are Bulletin Boards So Important?
• Fall Classroom Bulletin Board Ideas
  • Puzzle Piece Bulletin Board
  • Welcome To First Grade Bulletin Board
  • Growth Mindset Bulletin Board
  • Amazing Work To Come Bulletin Board
  • Ready To Learn Bulletin Board
  • Birthday Bulletin Board
  • Positive Affirmations Bulletin Board
  • Friendship Bulletin Board
• Fall Bulletin Board Inspiration

Why Are Bulletin Boards So Important?

Bulletin boards are more than just decorations—they're windows into the heart of your classroom! They can:

• Bring the seasonal spirit into your classroom.
• Support learning and make lessons more engaging.
• Create a warm, welcoming atmosphere.
• Encourage students to participate and show off their creativity.

In this guide, we'll share some awesome bulletin board ideas for fall and back-to-school that are sure to delight your students and make your classroom feel like home.

Fall Classroom Bulletin Board Ideas

During the back to school season, these fall classroom bulletin board ideas play an even bigger role. You'll be welcoming your students to their classroom for the first time, and of course you want them to feel excited about the new school year!

There are lots of ways to do this – from collaborative class bulletin boards, to playful and engaging displays, to craft displays – and I've got a little bit of all of them to share with you!

Welcome Fall Bulletin Board

Use teamwork to welcome fall with this adorable collaborative coloring poster! Each student colors in a square, and then the class has to work together to put all the pieces together. The puzzle then goes up on the bulletin board, creating the ultimate fall bulletin board. (This bulletin board template comes with 10 different picture and fall phrase designs to choose from.)

(You can get the template for this bulletin board in my TPT store right here.)

Puzzle Piece Bulletin Board

This is one of my favorite fall classroom bulletin board ideas because it doubles as a fun back to school activity! Each student colors in a puzzle piece, and then the class has to use teamwork to put the puzzle together. The puzzle then goes up on the bulletin board, symbolizing unity and honoring diversity in your classroom. (This bulletin board template comes with several puzzle size choices, so you can choose the one that works for your number of students.)

(You can get the template for this bulletin board FREE right here.)

Welcome To First Grade Bulletin Board

This is a great fall classroom teamwork activity you can do any time during the first month of school. It helps build community and gets students excited for the new school year. Each student gets to decorate one square – then put it together! (This template comes with designs for K-5, plus some non grade specific Back To School phrases).

(You can get the template for this bulletin board in my TPT store right here.)

Growth Mindset Bulletin Board

Fall is the perfect time to introduce growth mindset and to get your students excited about learning. This bulletin board is a great way to teach your students about fixed mindset and growth mindset. Helping your students understand these ideas from the very beginning of the year can be so helpful in setting the tone for your classroom and learning environment.

(You can get the template for this bulletin board in my TPT store right here.)

Amazing Work To Come Bulletin Board

Displaying student work is so important when creating your classroom environment. Creating a fall classroom bulletin board specifically for student work will help students get excited to start creating in their new room. This bulletin board showcases where the student work will go, so that students can feel appreciated and valued right away.

(You can get the template for this bulletin board in my TPT store right here.)

Ready to Learn Bulletin Board

This is another back to school bulletin board idea that involves creating a classroom craft. Students brainstorm what they want to learn this year and create their craft. Then create a bulletin board to showcase all of their crafts. This visual is not only beautiful, but it reminds students of why they are excited to be in school this year.

This craft template is perfect for creating this type of bulletin board!

(You can get the template for this bulletin board in my TPT store right here.)

Birthday Bulletin Board

Showing birthdays in your classroom is a fun way to make every student feel at home. With this back to school bulletin board idea, students see their birthdays displayed and know that they are honored and important in their new room. This bulletin board features whimsical images and calming pastel colors – always a big hit!

(You can get the template for this bulletin board in my TPT store right here.)

Positive Affirmations Bulletin Board

Not only does this bulletin board idea help students feel welcome and valued, it's also great way to weave some social emotional learning into your day. If you like to start the day off with positive affirmations for your students, this bulletin board is a perfect companion for that!

(You can get the template for this bulletin board in my TPT store right here.)

Friendship Bulletin Board

Teaching friendship skills at the beginning of the school year is a must. With this fall bulletin board idea, students first brainstorm ways to be a good friend. Then they add their flower to the bulletin board, creating a collaborative display together.

(You can get the template for this bulletin board in my TPT store right here.)

Fall Leaf Bulletin Board

This fall leaf themed bulletin board is such a fun addition to your classroom for fall. Write student names on the leaves and pin them up to create a fun display!

Fall Bulletin Board Inspiration

Back-to-school season is perfect times to refresh your classroom with these fall classroom bulletin board ideas. These boards not only celebrate learning but also enhance the classroom environment, making your room a welcoming and exciting place for students. From fostering creativity and social interaction to promoting academic skills and cultural awareness, these fall classroom bulletin board ideas offer endless possibilities to make your classroom vibrant and engaging.

Involve your students in the creation process to make the fall bulletin boards even more meaningful and to give them a sense of ownership and pride in their classroom. With a little creativity and enthusiasm, you can transform your classroom into a cozy, inspiring space where students love to learn.

Happy decorating, and enjoy the beautiful fall season with your students!

More Back To School Inspiration

Need more back to school ideas? These blog posts would be perfect for you to check out!

21 Amazing Ideas For Activities On The First Day Of School

Back To School Crafts You Need To Try This Year

Best Read Aloud Books for the First Week of School

Resources For You:

The post 10 Amazing Fall Classroom Bulletin Board Ideas You Will Love appeared first on Love Grows Learning.

This guide is here to help you turn those rules into something exciting that your students will not only remember but actually want to follow. From using creative visuals to positive reinforcement, we’re going to explore a variety of ideas for how to teach classroom rules and make them an integral and enjoyable part of your teaching strategy.

I've created a guide for how to teach classroom rules to set you and your students up for success! Read on to get started!

Looking for lessons and activities for teaching rules and routines? These are ready to print and go!

Click to jump to:

• Your Guide To Classroom Rules
• How To Teach Classroom Rules
  • Introducing Core Rules
  • Getting To Know Your Classroom
  • Introducing Classroom Materials
  • Procedures and Routines
  • Practicing A Listening Body
• Build a Strong Classroom Community
• Teaching Classroom Rules

Your Guide to Classroom Rules

Teaching classroom rules isn’t just about keeping things in order. It's about creating a safe space where kids feel confident, supported, and ready to learn. Done well, it sets the foundation for your classroom culture, your teaching style, and your students' ability to thrive.

So, how do you actually do it?

Let’s break it down.

Before diving into how to teach classroom rules, you need a plan. Think of this as your personal guidebook to kicking off your classroom procedures with clarity and confidence.

Start by deciding on a reasonable number of core classroom rules. For younger students, keep it simple—three to five specific rules is usually just right. You want your entire class to understand them, remember them, and use them. For example:

• Be kind.
• Listen when others are speaking.
• Take care of our things.
• Try your best.

Next, think through your procedures and routines. Each of these have lots of mini expectations that you will have to teach and practice when you think about how to teach classroom rules. For example:

• Walk, don't run to get in line.
• Keep your hands to yourself in line.
• No talking when we walk through the hall in our line.

Once you have your rules decided on and your routines thought through, then you're ready to teach them! Let's walk through the best way to break it down for students in a fun and engaging way that they won't forget!

How to Teach Classroom Rules

Teaching class rules isn’t just reading a list aloud and hoping it sticks. It takes planning, modeling, and practice. When we're thinking about how to teach classroom rules, we have to remember that it's not a “one and done” process. It takes consistent review and practice, especially at the beginning of the year for students to learn all their classroom rules, and then be able to follow them.

It's a good idea to break up your rules and procedures over the first couple of weeks of school, in order to help students absorb it all. Here is how I recommend you go about teaching your rules and routines:

1. Introducing Your Core Rules

When thinking of how to teach classroom rules, it's best to start by introducing your main set of rules. These are core values that apply no matter what time of day it is.

You can do this with an anchor chart (which doubles as a great visual to leave in the classroom all year round). This anchor chart template is available here.

Another great way to introduce these classroom rules is with a classroom promise. In this activity, students brainstorm what they think the rules should be. Then you reveal your rules, connecting them to the ideas that they shared. Finally, each student decorates a handprint or makes a signature to add around the rules, showing that they promise to try their best to follow the rules of the classroom.

Class promises are a great way to start a conversation about what the classroom should look like and feel like, and to help students feel like they are part of their new classroom. You can get this class promise template right here for free.

You can then use a fun craft to review these rules after you've taught them. Remember – it's all about repetition, repetition, repetition! This craft template is available here.

2. Getting to Know the Classroom

The first week of school is a great time for a classroom tour. Students need to feel comfortable and welcome in their new classroom before we can start teaching them a bunch of new expectations. We want to help them learn where everything lives: pencils, tissues, turn-in bins, classroom library. They also need to learn which parts of the classroom are used for daily classroom routines.

A fun way to do this is to create a large map of the classroom. After giving students a tour, invite them to label the map with sticky notes to show where different items are stored and what different parts of the room are used for. You can get this anchor chart template right here.

Another fun activity to learn the classroom layout is to do a scavenger hunt. Give students a list of items to check off as they find. This is an interactive and engaging way to review after a classroom tour. You can get this editable scavenger hunt template right here.

3. Introducing Classroom Materials

Introducing classroom materials is an important part of how to teach classroom rules. Start right away, and don't be afraid to take time with this. Teaching students how to care for classroom materials is a worthwhile investment of your time at the beginning of the school year. You'll want to make expectations clear and review them often.

Here's how you can teach these expectations: Every time you give students a new classroom item, give them a chance to explore it and talk together about how it should be used.

Create a visual and have students help fill in the correct way to use an item. Add each new item to the chart as more are introduced. Make sure to give lots of reminders every time a material is used during these first few weeks. Students won't remember it all the first time! You can get these anchor chart templates right here.

A great way to review these expectations for caring for materials is to create a flipbook. This is a fun craft that helps students take ownership for the correct way to handle their classroom materials. You can get this flipbook template right here!

4. Procedures and Routines

Procedures and routines account for most of our rules, so they are an important part of how to teach classroom rules. You'll also want to start teaching a few procedures and routines each day. Make a schedule so you know which routines you're going to teach on each day. Go over all the steps of the routine, and then have your students practice. Some other fun ways to practice are:

• Demonstrate the routine, but do some things incorrectly. Invite your students to correct you.
• After you explain the steps, ask for a few volunteers to demonstrate for the class – students love getting up and being the example!
• Have the whole class practice and then rate themselves, giving feedback on how they could improve the routine.
• If it's a transitioning routine, you can time the class. Challenge them to beat their time and get faster and smoother at transitioning (Just make sure they know not to run!)

For a routine or procedure that is especially tricky or that students need to do independently, consider creating a visual for them to refer to in the classroom. This anchor chart is a great example of a helpful chart that students can use during the school day. You can get this anchor chart template right here!

To help students get used to their new routines, you can have them create a daily schedule. This is a fun way for them to remember the parts of the day and feel more comfortable with their new daily rhythm. You can get the template for this schedule booklet right here!

5. Practicing A Listening Body

Let's talk about how to teach classroom rules for when you're teaching and students are learning. You will want to spend extra time going over expectations during lessons. A great way to do this is to talk about using our “listening body”.

A “listening body” is a visual and physical cue for what active listening looks like, and it covers most of the rules you would need to teach for lesson times:

• Eyes on the lesson
• Ears listening
• Mouth quiet
• Hands to yourself
• Body quiet and comfortable

Now, I like to make this more inclusive by teaching multiple choices for what this might look like. You can talk about how some students may need a fidget to keep their hands to themselves. Some students might sit criss-cross, others might need a chair, or to sit on their knees.

You can decide what options work for your classroom, but it's important to emphasize that not everyone's listening body will look the same.

This anchor chart visual is a great way to teach what a listening body should look like. Show the image to your students and then label each part with them to get them thinking about what their bodies need to do their best listening. You can get this anchor chart template right here!

Then you can have students reflect on what their bodies need with this independent craft. This activity encourages students to take ownership of being able to pay attention during lesson times. You can get this craft template right here!

Build a Strong Classroom Community

Teaching rules isn’t just about avoiding disruptive behaviors. It’s about building a classroom where students feel like they belong.

We do this by making our rules clear and consistent, with plenty of opportunities for practice and review.

You can use children’s books to emphasize many of your classroom rules, or to help review them for students. I've compiled a complete list in this blog post: Classroom Rules and Routines: The Ultimate List of Children’s Books.

Also, don’t underestimate the power of positive reinforcement. Notice and name the good behavior you see: “You lined up so quietly, good job following our hallway rule!” The more students see that you will give your energy and attention to following the rules, the less likely they'll be tempted to act out.

Emphasizing teamwork can also go a long way in helping students follow rules consistently. When students feel like they’re part of a team, it motivates them to do their personal best.

If you want more ideas on building classroom community, you can read my blog post on The Best Activities To Build Classroom Community To Try Now.

Teaching Classroom Rules

How to teach classroom rules isn’t just a box to check off during your first day of school lesson plans. It’s an ongoing, evolving part of the school year.

When you take time to set clear guidelines, model effective classroom rules, and build in lots of practice, you create a productive learning environment where classroom behavior improves and disruptive behaviors fade.

And the best part? Your classroom becomes a place where students know what to expect, how to succeed, and how to support each other. You build not just rule-followers, but community members.

So whether you're teaching your first grade level or you're a seasoned pro, remember this: clear, consistent, and kind wins every time.

How to teach classroom rules doesn’t have to be perfect—it just has to be intentional. Start strong, revisit often, and make it a fun way to grow together.

Here’s to fewer interruptions, more smiles, and a classroom that runs like a dream.

Which rules ideas are you going excited try this year? Let me know in the comments!
xoxo
Laura

Resources For You:

Articles For You:

The Best Ways To Review Classroom Daily Routines After A Break

Classroom Rules and Routines: The Ultimate List of Children’s Books

5 Must-Try Classroom Routine and Procedures Ideas

21 Amazing Ideas For Activities On The First Day Of School

The post How To Teach Classroom Rules Students Will Actually Follow appeared first on Love Grows Learning.

I’ve learned that the first day matters, and you want to choose your activities for the first day of school carefully. So I’m going to give you LOTS of choices – enough to plan activities for the first WEEK of school!

This post is all about amazing activities on the first day of school. Read on for games for the first day of school, group activities for the first day of school, games for the first day of school, and crafts for the first day of school!

This product may contain affiliate links. I make a small commission on products purchased through these links.

Jump to…

• Group Activities
• Craft Activities
• Games
• Read Aloud Books

Group Activities On The First Day Of School

The class discussions and activities on the first day of school can be especially important to set the tone for your classroom community. We want to make every child feel safe in their new classroom space. These group activities for the first day of school can help build a feeling of trust and responsibility among students.

First Day Feelings

Talking about our feelings on the first day of school can be especially helpful for students. Starting a new school year is a lot to process! It’s always a good idea to have some activities on the first day of school that help students express and accept whatever they are feeling.

On an anchor chart, write or draw some different feelings (happy, nervous, excited, sad, etc.). Lead your class in a discussion about how feelings are normal and everyone’s feelings are different. (“First Day Jitters” and “A Tiger Tail” are two great book choices to read with this activity. Read below for more book suggestions.)

Give every student a sticky note to write their name and let them put the sticky note on the anchor chart next to the feeling that they most identify with. (This anchor chart template is available here in my TPT store.)

Class Promise

One of my favorite activities for the first week of school is to create a class promise together. Lead your students in a discussion about what a great class should look like, sound like, and feel like. Collect all of their ideas on an anchor chart.

Then you can select the ones you want to go on the class promise. Have children decorate a handprint, heart, or cutout person of themselves to go around the class promise, sealing everyone’s pledge to one another.

(The book “I Promise”, listed below, is a great companion to this activity!)

We Want To Learn!

Amidst all these beginning of the year activities, we also want to get our students excited to learn! Grab an anchor chart and some colorful markers and start sharing with your students some amazing things they’re going to learn this year. You can share photos of fun activities from past years or share with them skills that you will help them master! I recommend including PE and arts in your discussion to include students who don’t feel as confident academically.

Then have each student think about something they’re excited to learn! Put all of these ideas down on an anchor chart (or two, if you have a big class) and post them in the classroom to keep your students motivated all year long! (This anchor chart template is available here in my TPT store.)

Get To Know Your Teacher

One of the most important things to do on the first day of school is to make sure students get to know YOU! Students are most likely having thoughts like “What will my new teacher be like?” and “Will my teacher like me? Will I like my teacher?”.

You can share pieces of your life with your students in a variety of ways, but one of my favorite ways is through a heart map.

Draw a big heart on an anchor chart or butcher paper and divide it into sections. In each section, draw or write something that is important to you! Some examples might be: my dog, my sisters, my students, reading, swimming, etc. This will give students insight into who you are and help them feel more connected to you! (This anchor chart template is available here in my TPT store.)

If you want all these anchor chart templates and lesson plans, you can check out the First Week Activity Bundle here!

Craft Activities On the First Day of School

Crafts might just be my favorite activities on the first day of school. Students love a good art project, and they are such a fun way to celebrate the beginning of the year!

They are also the perfect opportunity to introduce classroom and art supplies. Here are a few crafts for the first day of school that your students will absolutely love!

Letter To My Teacher

This is one of those fun activities for the first day of school that could work in any elementary grade. Students will love that they get to share things with their teacher on the first day of school. (This craft template is available here in my TPT store.)

Heart Map

This craft for the first day of school is a great companion activity to Get To Know the Teacher, listed above. It gives the students a chance to share about themselves, get to know each other, and get to know you! A great celebration of individuality. (This craft template is available here in my TPT store.)

Reach for the Stars

If you are looking for a gorgeous bulletin board for the first week of school, look no further! These celebrate the goals that students have, and they look amazing in the classroom. (This craft template is available here in my TPT store.)

Name Bookmarks

One of my favorite activities on the first day of school! Students love coloring in their bookmarks, and it's a great task to have as students first come in or if you have some time to fill at the end of a lesson. (This craft template is available here in my TPT store.)

Materials Flipbook

This has become one of our staple activities for the first day of school since the pandemic. Until we are all free of these masks, I will keep on doing this one! (This craft template is available here in my TPT store.)

Classroom Rules

This a super low-prep project that students will still adore. You can take this craft for the first day of school up a notch by laminating the finished bookmarks so that students can keep theirs all year long! (This craft template is available here in my TPT store.)

Want templates of all these Back to School activities, plus even more? I have that available for you right here in the Classroom Community Megabundle!

Games for First Day of School

Here are some games for first day of school ideas to get your students moving around, having fun, and getting to know each other!

Name Games:

Name games are always one of the best beginning of the year activities. These are some extra fun ways to help your students start learning each other’s names (and to help you learn them too!)

• Name Movements: Students stand in a circle and take turns saying their name with a big movement to go with it. The rest of the class repeats the student’s name along with their movement. For example, I might say “Ms. Laura!” while I jumped up with my arms in the air. Then all the students would repeat “Ms. Laura!” while jumping up with their arms in the air. For shy students, it can be helpful to give them the choice to do a simple wave with their name if they don’t want to do a big movement.

• Name Alliteration: Students sit in a circle and take turns saying their name and one thing they like that starts with the same sound as their name. So I might start and say “I’m Ms. Laura and I like lollipops.” (or something that starts with “L”) and everyone else in the class says back “She’s Ms. Laura and she likes lollipops.” If you have older kids, you can challenge them at the end to say everyone’s name and what they liked! It’s a fun challenge for the teacher to try to remember, too!

• Welcome Train: This is one of the best games for the first day of school if you teach younger children. As each child’s name is called, they come from their circle spot to line up in the train. Once every name has been called, go around the room singing the last verse several times. You can also do this as a rap if you don’t want to sing!

“The welcome train is coming 
Get on board! Choo- Choo 
The welcome train is coming 
Get on board! Choo-Choo 

Welcome to (child's name) 
Get on board! Choo-choo

Welcome to (child's name) 
Get on board! Choo-choo

Welcome to (child's name) 
Get on board! Choo-choo

Etc.

The welcome train is coming 
Get on board! Choo- Choo 
The welcome train is coming 
Get on board! Choo-Choo”

• Good Morning Song: Children start sitting in a circle. The whole class sings as children are prompted to greet the child sitting next to them.

(Sing to the tune of “Make New Friends, But Keep the Old”)

“Good morning (child's name)

How are you?

Shake hands with (child's name) next to you.”

You can substitute “shake hands” with “high five” or “bump elbows”.

Warm Breeze Blows:

Stand in a big circle. The teacher says “A warm breeze blows for anyone who _____” and names something. For example, you could say “has a dog” or “has a little sister” or “likes french fries”.

Any student who agrees with the statement has to run into the center and try to find a new spot in the circle.

It can be extra fun to say phrases that apply to all the students, like “is starting first grade today”. Then they all have to run around and switch places! If you have older students, you could eventually let them be the leaders and say the prompts.

Friend Scavenger Hunt:

Make a checklist for students that includes items like “A classmate who has two younger siblings” or “Someone who has the same favorite color as you” or “Someone who went to a different school for kindergarten than you”.

Students then go around the classroom trying to find a student’s name to write next to every item on the list. This gets them walking around, meeting new people, and talking to each other!

I'm offering the Find a Friend Scavenger Hunt for free right here!

Books for the First Day of School

Of course, one of my favorite things to do on the first day of school is to read specially chosen books to my class. There are so many wonderful choices that talk about first day hopes, fears, and expectations. Here are the books for the first day of school that you cannot skip!

Our Class Needs You: This is a beautiful children's book for welcoming every child, celebrating differences, and building classroom community. It talks about how every student has their own talents and interests, and each one is needed in the classroom.

A Tiger Tail: A funny book about a girl who wakes up with a tiger tail on the first day of school! She’s worried about what the other kids will think about her, but when she gets to school she realizes that everyone has differences they might feel self-conscious about!

King of Kindergarten: A wonderful celebration of starting kindergarten with a positive attitude and ready to learn!

First Day Jitters: A funny story that teaches students that everyone gets nervous on the first day of school – teachers too!

 All Are Welcome Here: A beautiful book that sets a tone of community and inclusion. A must-read for every classroom.

Our Class Is A Family: Another great story to build inclusion and set an expectation of classroom community.

I Promise: This story teaches children that their commitment to do their best and to make good choices is important.

A Letter From Your Teacher: A teacher shares her hopes and dreams for the school year in a letter to her class.

For even more book recommendations, you can check out my blog post all about the best books for the first week of school.

I hope you now have lots of fun ideas for activities on the first day of school!

What is your favorite thing to do with students on the first day of school?
xoxo
Laura

Resources For You:

Articles For You:

First Week Of School Activities – You Can Even Do These Virtually!

Goal Setting With Kids: 7 Tips For Teachers

Best Read Aloud Books for the First Day of School

5 Easy and Engaging Inquiry Activities For Kindergarten, Year 1, and Year 2

Welcome to Back to School Made Easy Guaranteed!

7 Helpful Tips on How to Blog Like a Boss

The post 21 Amazing Ideas For Activities On The First Day Of School appeared first on Love Grows Learning.

The importance of how we set up the culture in classroom community cannot be overstated. As teachers, it’s our job to create a classroom culture where students feel welcomed, safe, and recognized. We can’t begin to teach them academics without addressing these important classroom community topics first.

Read on for practical ideas you can start today to create a supportive culture in classroom environments!

Want ready-made materials to help build a positive classroom community? Check out my Classroom Community MegaBundle resource.

What Is Classroom Culture?

Our classroom culture is the environment we create for students. This means how we treat them as people, not just as learners. But what goes into creating a positive classroom community? 

• First and foremost, you want your students to feel safe. Students should feel like school is a place where they will be respected and treated with kindness.
• You also want your students to feel seen. Your students come from different backgrounds, and it’s important that the books, images, and activities you choose reflect those backgrounds.
• Students need to practice social skills. The more you explicitly teach social emotional learning in your day, the more students will pick up on these important skills. 
• It’s so important for your students to feel like they can succeed. You can teach your students to handle challenges, build up resilience, and practice patience while they learn.

SAFE: How Students Treat Each Other

How students treat one another says a lot about your classroom culture. To create a kindness culture in classroom environments, kindness must be talked about and modeled on a daily basis.

There are lots of ways to talk about kindness, including children’s books, classroom activities, and daily conversations. Here are a few of my favorite ways to do that. (For even more ideas, check out my blog post on doing a Week of Kindness.) 

WOW Word Wall

We love our WOW Word Wall! Every day after recess, I spend 5-10 minutes acknowledging students who showed any of our WOW words that day. I also let students acknowledge each other. Students get to put a butterfly up under the word they were acknowledged for. This practice helps so much in building a classroom culture of kindness and inclusion. (Grab this resource here!)

Be A Bucket Filler

I absolutely LOVE the Bucket Filling books for talking about kindness and empathy. How To Be A Bucket Filler and How Full Is Your Bucket are both wonderful books to have for your classroom. They teach children about empathy and kindness in such a relatable and clear way! (This anchor chart is part of this resource!)

Notes to Each Other

This is such a fun way to encourage students to create an environment of support and positivity. Hand out cute notes that children can write to each other to share something great about that classmate. This spreads such goodwill among students. Note, I definitely recommend screening all the notes before giving them to the recipient!  (These notes are included in this resource!)

SEEN: Inclusivity and Diversity 

Celebrating student identities and culture in the classroom is so important to helping them feel valued. I love making diversity and inclusivity a part of my classroom community each year. Here are some ways you can start to do that.

Windows and Mirrors Through Read Alouds

When I heard the “Windows and Mirrors” idea from Emily Styles, I instantly resonated with it. This is the idea that students need to hear stories and see examples of “mirrors” – characters that look like them and relate to their experiences. But they also need to be exposed to “windows” – a glimpse into the experience and world of those who are different from them. As we select read alouds and classroom library books for our students, we want to make sure we’re providing all students with a mix of both kinds of stories.

Celebrating Holidays Around the World

I absolutely love getting students involved in sharing about the different holidays they celebrate with their families. At the beginning of the year, I send a questionnaire home to families to get to know them and their child. Part of it includes questions about what holidays they celebrate and if they would be interested in sharing about those holidays with the class. 

I also created materials for students to learn about Winter Holidays celebrated around the world and New Year’s celebrations around the world. Kids love holidays, and so learning about these was extra fun for them! (Check out these resources here.)

Plus, Ihave a whole blog post on more fun winter holiday activities to do with your students.

Celebrating Names

Celebrating students' names at the beginning of the year is a great way to set the tone for inclusivity. There are so many great read aloud books about children with unique and beautiful names (see some of my favorites here). This anchor chart is a fun activity you can do after reading a few of those books to help children love their own name, and to make sure that everyone's name is accepted and celebrated in your classroom. (Snag this anchor chart here.)

SOCIAL SKILLS: Weaving in Social Emotional Learning

Social emotional learning is a core part of our classroom community. Especially in primary grades, teaching students basic social skills is so important to weave into every day learning. In fact, students need explicit teaching of skills like self-regulation, communication, and setting boundaries. It’s important to provide times to talk about these skills and ways to practice them. 

(For more ideas about social skills in the classroom, read the full blog post here.)

Puppets and Role Playing

I love using puppets to showcase social emotional skills that we are practicing. Here are a couple ways I like to use them to help us build community in classroom relations:

• Have a designated puppet who comes to talk to the class about these issues. Maybe, they read them special books about friendships, rules, etc. Or, they ask the class for advice about relatable social situations you create for the puppet.
• Have a couple puppets act out social scenarios that you see happen in your classroom. Then, ask the class for their ideas of what the puppets should do to fix the situation. 

Self-Regulation Practice

Teaching students to self-regulate is a hugely important skill. Not only will this help children throughout their lives, but it will help your classroom culture to run smoothly. Creating and teaching specific techniques that students can use in the classroom to calm themselves down can help create good habits for students in the long run. (Get this activity here!)

Feelings

Helping students identify their feelings can be so helpful to deescalate melt-downs and prevent outbursts. This fun craft is perfect for helping students practice this skill. (Grab this resources here!)

SUCCESS: Growth Mindset For Success

When I discovered growth mindset, I knew I wanted to weave it into our culture of classroom learning. Growth mindset helps students develop resilience, patience, and grit as they tackle new learning and challenges. It teaches them that we can all get better with practice and perseverance. (For more ideas about growth mindset, you can read a full blog post here.)

Fixed Vs. Growth Mindset

This activity helps students understand the difference between a fixed mindset and a growth mindset. First, talk about how a fixed mindset believes you are born good or bad at certain things, while a growth mindset believes you can make progress with hard work. Then read phrases and have your students sort them to the different sides of the brain. (Get this resource here.)

YET

I love using the word “YET” to help motivate students. In fact, this can become a sort of motto around your classroom. Whenever someone starts to say “I can’t do this! It’s too hard!”, the whole class can remind them: “You mean you can’t do it yet!” (Get this resource here.)

Goal-Setting

Having a classroom culture of goal-setters and goal-getters may sound nice, but how do we achieve that? This flipbook activity helps students practice setting goals and thinking about the work it may take to actually achieve them. Talking about how different goals take different amounts of work to achieve helps students not get frustrated when challenges arise. (Get this resource here.)

Culture In Classroom

When thinking about the culture of classroom community you want to create, think about the four S’s and you will be on your way! Just remember: safe, seen, social skills, success. If you’re helping your students with those four things, your classroom culture is doing great!

Resources For You:

Articles For You:

11 Fantastic Week of Kindness Ideas To Try In Your Classroom

How to Celebrate Winter Holidays Around the World With Your Students

The Best Activities To Build Classroom Community To Try Now

10 Growth Mindset For Kids Activities Your Students Will Love

The post How To Create A Positive And Supportive Culture In Classroom Communities appeared first on Love Grows Learning.

These are such important questions to ask at the beginning of the year. And luckily, there are lots of children’s books to help us teachers out! Reading books aloud to your new class is one of the best ways to start setting expectations and reinforcing classroom rules.

Read on for 15 amazing read alouds to teacher classroom rules and routines!

Want some resources that are planned and ready to go? Check out my Rules and Routines Activity Bundle!

Classroom Rules and Routines

Establishing our rules and routines is extremely important at the beginning of the school year. Not only does it help our classroom run smoother in the months to come, but structure and rules actually help students feel safe and secure.

A piece of advice I always give to new teachers is to write out a list of all their routines and procedures and rules. A lot of times, you don’t realize until you start writing just how long that list can be! There are materials to take care of and store properly, transitions to organize and manage, rules about talking, sitting, bathroom-going… it’s a lot to think about! Making a list ahead of time will help you to plan out just how you’re going to teach all those things to your new students.

Now, there are lots of ways to establish our rules and routines, and I have a whole blog post with ideas right here. But children’s books are such a valuable tool, they deserved their own special list on the blog.

Children’s Books About Rules and Routines

These are some of my favorite books to use to teach about our classroom rules and routines. Not only can you use these books in the first weeks of school, but they are great for using to review your classroom routines and rules throughout the schoolyear. (Because let’s be honest… we will constantly be reviewing those routines and procedures!)

I’ve divided these into sections to help you choose which books will be best for you: Your New Classroom, Classroom Materials, Classroom Rules, A Listening Body, and Classroom Routines.

Your New Classroom

School’s First Day of School: The school is nervous about all the children coming for the first day! The day starts out difficult for school, but everyone is having a great day by the end. This is a fun book to talk about the different spaces at school and what they are used for.

A Letter From Your Teacher: A wonderful book where a teacher shares her hopes and dreams for the year. This book is great to introduce the classroom as a space for learning and sharing.

All Are Welcome Here: This book celebrates classroom community. You can use this to start setting expectations of inclusion and equality.

Classroom Materials

The Day the Crayons Quit: The crayons are tired of being treated poorly, and they decide to quit! A great book for talking about the correct way to use materials.

Too Much Glue: A little boy doesn’t know how to use the glue properly and ends up with a great big mess! Such a good way to talk about classroom routines for using glue and other art supplies.

I Ain’t Gonna Paint No More!: A little boy makes a big, big mess with his paints. A cute story you can use when talking about the classroom rules for using paint.

Classroom Rules

Don’t Eat Your Classmates: Penelope the dinosaur keeps accidentally eating her classmates…until she has an experience that teaches her how it feels to be eaten! This book is all about the importance of self-control and treating others with respect.

What If Everybody Did That?: This book gets students thinking about the effect their choices can have. It helps them see that every action adds up and what they do in their new classroom matters!

What Should Darla Do?: A book that lets students decide what choice Dara should make to decide the outcome of the story. This is a great book for talking about making good choices.

A Listening Body

My Mouth Is a Volcano: A very relatable book about a little boy who can’t help but call what he wants to say! A great book for talking about classroom rules during group lessons.

Personal Space Camp: Louis learns about the importance of respecting personal space. This is a helpful book to talk about personal boundaries and what we mean when we say “hands to yourself”.

Lacey Walker, Nonstop Talker: Lacey Walker loves to talk and chat and visit. But when she loses her voice, she learns some important lessons about great value of listening. A great book if you have an extra chatty class.

Classroom Routines

Germs Vs. Soap: A funny and playful book about germs trying to avoid getting washed off of dirty hands! A great book to explain the importance of good hand-washing to students.

Just a Mess: Little Critter likes to leave everything in a big mess. In this book, he learns the importance of picking up after himself and keeping things tidy.

Miss Mingo and the Fire Drill: A great book for teaching about the rules of safety and reinforcing your school’s fire drill procedure.

Routines and Procedures

It’s important to take time at the beginning of the year to teach your rules and procedures thoroughly. While it might seem like it’s taking a lot of time, it will ultimately save you so much time in the future.

But the most important thing to remember about teaching your classroom rules and procedures is that it’s not one and done. Students will need practice and review throughout the whole year – so hold onto these book ideas for when you feel like your class could use a little refresher on the classroom rules!

Want more rules and routines resources? Check out my Classroom Rules and Routines Activity Bundle!

Which book are you going to try with your students this year? Let me know in the comments! 
xoxo
Laura

Resources For You:

Articles For You:

5 Must-Try Classroom Routine and Procedures Ideas

21 Amazing Ideas for Activities on the First Day of School

The Best Activities To Build Classroom Community To Try Now

The post Classroom Rules and Routines: The Ultimate List of Children’s Books appeared first on Love Grows Learning.

Read on for back to school crafts your students will love!

Jump to…

• Getting to Know You Crafts
• Rules and Routines Crafts
• Kindness Crafts
• Social Emotional Learning Crafts
• Back to School Arts and Crafts

Back to School Activities

Back to school season is an important time for teachers and our students. This is the time to lay the foundations of a great school year.

As teachers, we need to use these back to school weeks to build relationships, get our students excited about learning, and set expectations. There are lots of choices for great ways to do this! We can do this through games, children’s books, anchor charts, and…back to school arts and crafts!

If you’re looking for more great ideas to use with your students during back to school this year, read this post 21 Amazing Activities For the First Week of School.

Back to School Crafts

You can use back to school crafts in a variety of ways. Back to school crafts for kids don’t have to just be for fun decorations. Actually, we can use them purposefully in our back to school activities. For example, you might use crafts to:

• Learn or celebrate student names
• Set learning goals and get excited to learn
• Get to know each other and build friendships between students
• Learn about classroom routines and procedures
• Talk about feelings and emotions
• Establish classroom rules and expectations

Let’s dive into some examples so we can see these back to school crafts in action!

Back to School Craft Ideas

Here are 15 wonderful back to school craft ideas for you to use with your students this year. This list is organized into four categories: Getting to Know You, Rules and Routines, Kindness, and Social Emotional Learning. These are the most important things to be learning about at the beginning of the school year, so it’s a great place to start!

Getting to Know You Crafts

Building relationships is so important at the beginning of the school year! Here are some amazing back to school crafts for getting to know your students.

A Letter For My Teacher

This simple back to school craft is a great way to get to know your students! It gives the opportunity for students to tell you some things about themselves. (The template is in my TPT store right here.)

Heart Map

Get to know your students by having them create a heart map. Students color in their heart with the parts of their lives that are most important to them.

First Day Feelings

Normalizing everyone's feelings is an important part of the first week of school. This back to school activity helps students process any nervousness they have and start to feel more comfortable in their new classroom. (You can get this template in my TPT store here.)

Name Bookmarks

Celebrate student names with these name bookmarks! My students loved decorating these during the first week of school – it made a great activity for early finishers or if you finish a lesson early. (This editable template is available in my TPT store here.)

Shooting Star Goals

Encourage your students to think about what they want to learn this year. Have the write down three things they want to learn, then create their shooting star.

(Want all these activities and crafts for less? Check out my First Week of School Activity Bundle right here!)

Rules and Routines Crafts

Learning your classroom rules and routines doesn’t have to be boring! Help students process all this new learning with these hands-on arts and crafts projects. You can find more ideas for teaching rules and routines in my blog post 5 Must-Try Classroom Routine and Procedures Ideas.

Classroom Materials Flipbook

Setting expectations around care of classroom materials is so important at the beginning of the school year. This classroom materials flipbook helps students remember the right way to take care of their school belongings.

Classroom Rules Flower

Classroom rules – but make it arts and crafts! After teaching your classroom rules, have students write them down on each petal of this fun and colorful flower. These make a fun classroom decoration.

Listening Body Cut and Paste

Encourage students to explore what they need to have their best behavior during group lessons. This provides a great time to talk about what listening looks like for different students, and to set the expectations that work best for you and your classroom. (This template is available in my TPT store here.)

Class Promise

Creating a class promise is a great way for students to feel like part of their classroom community. Have students help you come up with your classroom rules. Then each student places their handprint around the chart to show that they will do their best to follow those rules. (You can get this class promise template for free right here!)

(Want more rules and routines activities and crafts? Check out my Routines and Procedures Activity Bundle right here!)

Kindness Crafts

I always start the school year off emphasizing kindness in the classroom. Here are some simple craft suggestions for integrating kindness into your classroom. Read this blog post for how to do a Week of Kindness with your students.

Friendly Notes To A Classmate

This is one of my favorite back to school crafts for spreading kindness in the classroom. Have a time when students can write notes to each other and deliver them anonymously. They're bound to bring a smile to each student's face! (You can get the template for these in my TPT store here.)

Wow Words Crown

Talk about qualities that you want to see in your students. Have them decorate these crowns to show that they all have these qualities within themselves! (You can get the template for these in my TPT store here.)

Kindness Chain

Every time you see your students being kind, add a link to the paper chain. See how long your chain can get! (You can get the template for this in my TPT store here.)

Bucket Filler

Teaching about bucket filling is one of my favorite ways to talk about kindness with my students. The book “Have You Filled a Bucket Today?” explains acts of kindness in a clear and accessible way for children. (You can get the template for these in my TPT store here.)

(Want even more kindness activities and crafts? Check out my Week of Kindness Activity Bundle right here!)

Social Emotional Crafts

It’s never too early to start weaving social emotional learning into your school day. These types of activities help students feel safe and help them build important social skills right out of the gate. Here are some back to school crafts that will start this SEL work from the beginning of school!

Growth Mindset Craft

Teaching growth mindset is a great way to start off the new school year. This back to school craft helps teach students about fixed mindset versus growth mindset. (This craft template is part of the Growth Mindset Activities in my TPT store right here.)

Positive Affirmations

Self-love is becoming more and more important for young people to practice. This back to school craft helps students practice positive affirmations. (This craft template is part of the Self-Love Activities in my TPT store right here.)

Making New Friends

Making new friends at the start of a new school year can be challenging for many students. This is one of my favorite back to school crafts for friendship because it gives students concrete strategies they can try out to make some new friends. (This craft template is part of the Friendship Activities in my TPT store right here.)

Back to School Arts and Crafts

Are you as excited as me about using back to school crafts this year? These ideas are a great starting point, and of course there are lots more you can use!

If you need more inspiration, check out my Classroom Community Megabundle for more ideas.

Which back to school craft idea are you excited to try? Tell me in the comments! 
xoxo 
Laura

Resources For You:

Articles For You:

21 Amazing Ideas for Activities on the First Day of School

The Best Activities To Build Classroom Community To Try Now

5 Must-Try Classroom Routine and Procedures Ideas

11 Fantastic Week of Kindness Ideas To Try In Your Classroom

The post Back To School Crafts You Need To Try This Year appeared first on Love Grows Learning.

This article is all about activities to build classroom community!

In a rush? You can check out my Classroom Community Builders MEGABUNDLE on TPT right now:

This product may contain affiliate links. I make a small commission on products purchased through these links.

How To Build Classroom Community

There certainly isn’t one correct answer for how to build community in the classroom. But over the last 9 years of teaching, I’ve developed a way that works for me every time. When I start to think about my classroom community and the classroom culture I want to create, there are three pieces that I find to be the most important. Here’s my magic recipe if you want to learn more about how to build a classroom community:

1. Back to School Classroom Community Builders: Use classroom community builders that help students feel seen, included, and celebrated during first few weeks. 
2. Rules and Routines for Classroom Community: The way these are established are going to have a big impact on how we build classroom community as a group. 
3. Build Classroom Community with Kindness: Having explicit discussions around treating each other with kindness is important for establishing a positive classroom community. I find it’s helpful to revisit these conversations throughout the school year.

Let’s dive into each one of these and I’ll share some specific activities to build classroom community!

Back to School Classroom Community Builders

Back to school season is the perfect opportunity to think carefully about how to build community in the classroom. The activities you do during the first few weeks of school are an important part of setting the tone and helping students feel safe and happy in their new space. Here are some of my favorite activities to build classroom community during that back to school time:

First Day Feelings

Talking about our feelings on the first day of school can be especially helpful to start building classroom community. Starting a new school year is a lot to process! It’s always a good idea to have some first day of school activities that help students feel safe in their new classroom environment.

On an anchor chart, write or draw some different feeling emojis (happy, nervous, excited, sad, etc.). Lead your class in a discussion about how feelings are normal and everyone’s feelings are different. (“First Day Jitters” and “A Tiger Tail” are two great book choices to read with this activity)

Give every student a sticky note to write their name and let them put the sticky note on the anchor chart next to the feeling that they most identify with.

Heart Maps

Creating heart maps is another activity to build classroom community at the beginning of the year. Share with your class some things that are important to you in your life and add them to your heart map. Then have each student create their own heart map filled with the things that are most important to them. Displaying these can help students get to know each other, and it can help you learn about the passions and interests of your students.

Friend Scavenger Hunt

Make a checklist for students that includes items like “A classmate who has two younger siblings” or “Someone who has the same favorite color as you” or “Someone who went to a different school for kindergarten than you”.

Students then go around the classroom trying to find a student’s name to write next to every item on the list. This gets them walking around, meeting new people, and talking to each other! This is definitely one of my favorite activities to build classroom community!

You can snag this Find a Friend Scavenger Hunt for free right here!

Celebrating Names

Celebrating names is a wonderful way to help students get to know each other at the beginning of the year. Also, it provides an opportunity to promote inclusiveness and respect between students from different cultures. Reading the book “Your Name Is A Song” is one of my favorite activities to build classroom community. I love these bookmarks to go with it!

Reach for the Stars

If you are looking for a gorgeous bulletin board for the first week of school, look no further! This display celebrates the goals that students have, and helps establish a community of learners.

These resources and more are available in my First Week of School Activity Bundle!

Rules and Routines for Classroom Community

Establishing your classroom routines and rules is a key part of building classroom community. Every classroom needs routines and procedures to create a structure that children can learn and participate in. And of course, teaching classroom rules is a huge part of classroom management. Classroom rules help children feel safe. Therefore, introducing them thoroughly and revisiting them often is so important to build classroom community. Here are some of my favorite ways to introduce those oh-so-crucial classroom rules and routines!

Class Promise

First, Lead your students in a discussion about what a great class should look like, sound like, and feel like. Then, consolidate all of their ideas on an anchor chart. Finally, have children decorate a handprint, heart, or cutout person of themselves to go around the class promise, sealing everyone’s pledge to one another. I like to display the class promise in the classroom for the whole year, as a visual reminder of the classroom community we committed to.

Classroom Routine and Procedures Visuals

Providing clear visuals that students can refer to every single day is such a helpful way to reinforce your classroom routine and procedures. There are so many gorgeous classroom decor ideas out there to give you lots of inspiration for how you could do this in your own classroom!

For example, anchor charts are great activities to build classroom community because they involve the whole class and create a helpful visual.

Classroom Material Flipbook Craft

Crafts are another way to teach these important skills. Emphasizing care and respect for the classroom environment is an important part of building classroom community. This craft helps students learn how to care for their classroom materials.

Classroom Rules Flower

Crafts are great activities to build classroom community! This craft is a fun and engaging way to introduce your classroom rules. Each student contributes a square of paper with something they’re committed to trying. Then take all the squares of paper and put them together to make a class display. 

Classroom Map

Helping students students feel at home in their new classroom can help them feel like part of their classroom community. A classroom map can help students learn where everything is.

All these resources and more are included in my Routines and Procedures Activities Bundle!

Build Classroom Community with Kindness

Every year, I make sure that kindness is set as a standard for how we treat one another in the classroom. Encouraging kindness between students is hugely important if you want to build community in the classroom. Here are my favorite classroom community builders that really help to make kindness an everyday expectation.

Bucket Filler Chart

The book “Have You Filled a Bucket Today?” provides a helpful metaphor for kids to understand the importance of how we treat one another. Reading this book can help inspire students to be a part of building classroom community by being a “bucket filler”.  Another fun activity idea is to have students brainstorm ways they can be a “bucket filler” at school and record them on an anchor chart.

WOW Word Wall

One of my favorite ways to build community in the classroom is by creating a WOW Word Wall. First, we talk about words that are important to our classroom community. Some examples might be “kind”, “respectful”, “helpful”, or “patient”. Then we post them on our WOW Word Wall. After that, I am constantly on the lookout for students exemplifying the words we discussed. Throughout the day, I take time to acknowledge what I noticed them doing, and then they get to place something special next to that word. You could use a sticker, or a star – I like to use these beautiful plastic butterflies. Later in the school year, I turn it over to the students, and they get to be the ones who acknowledge their classmates doing great things.

Kindness Chain

This is a fun and easy way to promote kindness in your classroom. Have a time during the day when students can share ways that their classmates were kind to them. For every kindness that gets shared, add a colored strip of paper to a paper chain. My class always loves to see how long the chain becomes!

Kindness Bingo

If you’re classroom community is needing some help, this can be a fun activity to get things back on track. Create a kindness bingo board with different acts of kindness in each square. As you notice students doing the activities, they get to color in a square on their bingo board. I like to make it a challenge to see if the whole class can reach a certain number of combined bingos so that it doesn’t become an individual competition.

Kindness Shout-Outs

Another fun way to build classroom community is to create a way for students to leave each other positive notes or messages. Shout-outs, positive notes, or compliments can be made available for students to fill out and give to other students. Some teachers even set up student mailboxes for these to be delivered! (Make sure to personally check notes before they are delivered to ensure that they stay positive.) 

To get your hands on these kindness crafts and resources, plus many more, check out my Kindness Activities Bundle!

I hope you now have lots of ideas for activities to build classroom community! Spending time with your students to build relationships and community is always worth it! 

Which activity are you excited to try out with your students? 
Xoxo 
Laura

Resources you may be interested in:

Other articles you may be interested in:

21 Amazing Ideas For Activities On the First Day of School

Week of Kindness

5 Must-Try Classroom Routine and Procedures Ideas

10 Powerful Community-Building Ideas

The post The Best Activities To Build Classroom Community To Try Now appeared first on Love Grows Learning.