27 Fun Back-to-School Activities for Kids

The first week of school is a crucial part of any back-to-school checklist. From your classroom setup to your first day of school activities, these early moments set the tone for classroom community and student engagement.

Those early days can bring excitement, nerves, and curiosity, so the right activities help students build connections, feel welcomed, learn routines, and develop a sense of belonging.

In this post, we share 27 classroom-tested activities organized by age group and subject, plus practical tips to help you make them work for your students.

At TeachShare, we believe these first impressions create the foundation for a successful year. Let's explore activities that work for different age groups!

Back-to-School Activities by Age Group

Back-to-School Activities for Preschoolers

Young learners benefit from back-to-school preschool activities that make new students feel secure and excited about their classroom environment.

1. Name Tag Crafts

Provide colorful materials for children to decorate name tags with stickers, drawings, and fingerprints. This simple activity helps with name recognition while giving children ownership over something in their new classroom.

2. Storytime Circle

Gather for a read-aloud of a classic first-day book like The Day You Begin or The Kissing Hand. Pause throughout to invite children to share their own feelings about starting school, creating a safe space for expressing emotions while building listening skills.

3. Shape & Color Scavenger Hunt

Hide colorful shapes around the classroom and invite children to find them. As they discover each shape, they practice naming colors and shapes while exploring their new environment.

Back-to-School Activities for Kindergarten

Kindergarteners are ready for activities that balance structure with creativity and movement.

4. "All About Me" Art Posters

Provide large paper and art supplies for children to create self-portraits and illustrate their favorite things. Display these posters to celebrate each child's uniqueness and help classmates learn about each other.

5. Buddy Walk

Pair students and send them on a guided tour of important school locations. Provide a simple map with pictures of the library, cafeteria, and playground for them to check off.

6. Morning Meeting Introductions

During the first week of school, begin each day with a greeting song or movement, inviting students to share their names and something special about themselves. This simple classroom procedure helps students feel known and connected.

Back-to-School Activities for Elementary Students

Elementary students thrive with activities that combine social interaction, movement, and goal-setting.

7. Find a Friend Bingo

Create bingo cards with prompts like "has a pet," "loves pizza," or "can count to 100." Students mingle to find classmates who match each description, signing the appropriate squares.

8. Classroom Scavenger Hunt

Design a hunt that helps students locate important classroom resources like the pencil sharpener, classroom library, school supplies, and areas tied to classroom jobs. Activities like this support classroom organization from day one.

9. Goal Setting Clouds

Have students write one academic and one personal goal on paper clouds. Display these from the ceiling as a visual reminder of their aspirations. Revisit these goals throughout the year to track progress and celebrate growth.

Back-to-School Activities for Middle School

Middle schoolers need activities that respect their growing independence while supporting their social-emotional development.

10. Team-Building STEM Challenges

Launch the new school year with a spaghetti and marshmallow tower challenge. Small groups collaborate to build the tallest structure, practicing problem-solving, creativity, and teamwork from day one.

11. Two Truths and a Lie

During the first week of school, have students share two true statements and one false one. Classmates guess the lie, building active listening skills and helping new students learn names.

12. Digital Interest Survey

At the start of the new year, use Google Forms to gather information about students’ interests, learning preferences, and grade level goals for the upcoming school year. This data helps you personalize instruction while showing students you value their input.

Back-to-School Activities by Subject

Back-to-School Math Activities

13. Math About Me

Students create visual displays featuring numbers that represent them: birth date, number of siblings, shoe size, and favorite number.

14. Estimation Jar

Fill a jar with small objects like beans or erasers. Students record their guesses about how many items are inside, then count together.

Back-to-School Science Activities

15. STEM Name Tag Challenge

Provide simple materials like pipe cleaners, index cards, and tape. Challenge students to engineer a creative name tag that can stand on its own.

16. Classroom Planting Project

Start a science observation by planting seeds in clear cups. Students predict, observe, and record changes as plants grow throughout the year. This long-term project introduces scientific methods while creating a living classroom element.

Back-to-School Art Activities

17. Self-Portrait Collage

Supply magazines, colored paper, and drawing tools. Students create self-portraits that reflect their personalities and interests. Display these around the room to celebrate diversity and build classroom community.

18. Collaborative Classroom Mural

Work together on a large mural representing classroom values or dreams for the year. Each student contributes a section, creating a visual reminder of how individual contributions create something beautiful together.

Back-to-School STEM Activities

19. Marble Run Design

Challenge small groups to build a marble run using recycled materials. Test different designs for speed and distance, encouraging teamwork and iteration. This hands-on activity introduces physics concepts while building collaboration skills.

20. Paper Airplane Experiment

Explore physics by designing, building, and testing paper airplanes. Measure which designs fly farthest or stay airborne longest. Students practice following directions, making predictions, and collecting data.

Quick & Printable Back-to-School Worksheets

Sometimes you need ready-to-use resources that require minimal prep time.

21. "All About Me" Worksheets

Prompt students to share their interests, family, and hopes for the year. These provide valuable insights while creating keepsakes to share with families.

22. Classroom Rules Coloring Pages

Younger students can color pages illustrating classroom expectations, making rules memorable and positive. This activity reinforces expectations while providing a calming activity during a busy first week.

23. Goal-Setting Templates

Structured worksheets guide students through setting academic and personal goals. Include space for action steps and potential obstacles to overcome, teaching valuable planning skills.

Get-to-Know-You Activities

Building relationships from the start helps create a strong, supportive classroom community.

These activities encourage connection, empathy, and confidence while giving you valuable insight into your students.

24. "I wish my teacher knew"

Ask students to finish the sentence, “I wish my teacher knew…”. Responses can be anonymous or shared aloud, helping you learn about students’ interests, experiences, and needs.

25. Compliment chain

Have each student write a kind note to a classmate. Pass them around until everyone receives a compliment. Link the notes into a paper chain and display it as a visual reminder of kindness and connection.

26. Question web

Stand in a circle with a ball of yarn. A student holds the end, tosses the yarn to a classmate, and asks a question. After answering, that student holds the yarn and tosses it to someone else. By the end, you’ll have a visual web representing how the class is connected.

27. Student-led interviews

Pair students to interview each other using a set of questions. Each then introduces their partner to the class, building listening and presentation skills while making sure every student is warmly introduced.

Tips for Making Back-to-School Activities Successful

The first week of school, especially at the beginning of the year, works best when activities match your students’ developmental and comfort levels. This sets the stage for effective classroom management and strong relationships.

Blending academic skills with social-emotional learning builds knowledge and community at the same time, helping students feel both challenged and supported.

Spreading activities throughout the week keeps the atmosphere positive and low-pressure while allowing routines and relationships to take root. Along the way, weave in moments for reflection so students can process what they’re learning about themselves and each other.

Finally, document these early days. Photos, with the proper permissions, can be shared in yearbooks, newsletters, or classroom displays, creating a record of the relationships and routines that are taking shape.

Plan Your Back-to-School Activities with TeachShare

These back-to-school activities do more than just break the ice—they lay the foundation for a year of collaborative learning, mutual respect, and academic growth. By investing time in community-building during those crucial first days, you create a classroom environment where students feel valued, connected, and ready to learn.

Whether you're looking for preschool activities, middle school icebreakers, or subject-specific ideas, you can find and share ready-to-use resources on TeachShare. Start your free account today and make your first week of school your best one yet!