Looking for first day of school activities for 2nd grade? You’re in the right place! A great way to begin the first week of school is with the very best first day lesson plans. But what does that look like, you ask? I will be sharing my favorite fun activities for your new second graders in this post!
I know the beginning of the school year can bring about a lot of overwhelm, so this post will give you a snapshot of what a “best-ever”(according to my 2nd graders) first day of 2nd grade can look like. I will show you my first day of school plans so that you can see what realistic first day lessons actually look like. My goal in this post is to help you start your new school year strong!
Before the Students Arrive on the 1st Day of School
All your students will care about in those first few minutes, especially if they could not attend an open house night, is whether they are in the correct place and where they should put their stuff. Have name tags on their cubbies or lockers already in place. I always set up for the first day before the morning so that all the student materials are set and ready to go.
The First 5 Minutes of the First Day in 2nd Grade
Greet your new students outside your classroom door. At our school, all of the students are dropped off and coming down the hall in masses, it’s helpful if they can spot you right away!
Why the first 5 minutes are so important:
Being front and center right outside your classroom door for all your students is essential, but once you greet them, you have students who are walking into the classroom, unsure of what to do next. Uncertainty can heighten their first day jitters and bring about unwanted behavior.
Here’s how to keep your classroom calm and in control those first few minutes while you’re focused on your arriving students:
- Greet your new second graders at the door.
- Give them clear directions on what you want to do. (Verbally say what you want them to do, so there’s no room for confusion. Remember, your classroom is an entirely new environment, so telling them explicitly where to go and what to do is essential.)
- Have visual directions on your board is optional, but always nice in case they forget.
This level of clarity dramatically cuts down on wandering kids, students coming up to you asking what they should be doing while you’re trying to help another student with a zipper that’s stuck, etc.
First Day of School morning Activity: 2nd Grade Morning Work
PLAYDOUGH ACTIVITY
This is a fun activity for first day morning work that they’ll remember for the entire year. I’ve used this idea for the first day of 2nd, 3rd, 4th, and 5th graders. They all love it. Invite students to use play dough to make their name, create a model of what they did over the summer, etc. I love giving the students playdough because of its instant joyful effect on them.
The second graders walk in and see a ball of playdough, a colorful mat, and a welcome card with directions on how they can use the playdough.
Can you be nervous when you get to immediately play with something and use that playdough as basically a stress ball? I think not! No, seriously, they instantly light up, and it makes for excellent light conversation as the 2nd graders are meeting their new classmates. “What are you making?” is a typical conversation starter.
Have the Playdough Double as a Back-to-School Gift
The first day playdough is always a gift to them, and I let my students take it home as a back-to-school gift. This can also be “gifted” on the second day of second grade (we like to make that day special because of the play on words).
Once most of your class is in the classroom, start walking around to see how the students interact.
As a new teacher on the first day of second grade, I would always think, “What will I talk about with these new students who I barely know?!” Yes, we ALL experience first day jitters, including adults!
So this is what I do, I comment on what they’re making and use it to talk about their summer. Some choose to recreate their family out of playdough, so I might ask them to tell me more about their family.
ALL ABOUT ME Worksheet
Some students will make their name out of playdough and want to move on pretty quickly, so have an All About Me first day morning work printable ready WITH crayons or at least a sharpened pencil ready to go. You might have to sort supplies later, so having something prepared for them will be vital if you want to start your 1st day of school calmly and peacefully.
SOFT MUSIC
First impressions are important. What kind of learning environment do you want to cultivate this year? If it’s a calming classroom, having soft instrumental music playing instantly tells the students they’re walking into a calm, peaceful learning environment.
Activity time for playdough + about me: Approximately 20-45 minutes
The playdough and all about me activity can take longer if needed. On the first day of school there are so many unpredictable things that happen. Maybe a new student is added to your roster and doesn’t speak English so your time is needed there. Maybe there’s a late bus coming, and 6 of your students are on that bus, so you don’t want to move on. Or you need a moment to gather your thoughts because you’re new, overwhelmed, stressed, etc…all reasons why I’ve stretched this first activity to be a couple of minutes longer than initially planned.
If this isn’t your first 1st day of 2nd grade and you have many things planned, the playdough + all about me activity can be put away quickly.
Tip: I usually have them put their unfinished All About Me paper in a folder or in their desk as something they can continually work on throughout the day as a time filler because we all know there are random pockets of time that first day. And keeping your students focused during those times is key.
After the announcements go off, that’s my cue that my day is officially beginning. I do lunch count and take attendance (hopefully, I remember lol).
Start Building a Classroom Community Immediately
The first day of school is the perfect opportunity to start building a strong sense of community in your classroom. So you must take some time on the first day of school to help students get to know one another. You’ll be doing this throughout the first day and during the first week of school, but starting with students’ names is the very first way to do this. You need to know their names, and they need to know each other’s names. So this is how I make sure I know every student’s name within the first hour.
Gather Your Students for the 1st Day of School Morning Meeting
1. Teach Your First Classroom Attention Getter Right Away
Transition the students from their tables/desks to the classroom meeting area. This is my first day of school script for the first time I address the class as a whole:
I usually use an attention getter like, “Ok, everyone, when I say class, you say yes.”
Teacher-“Class”
Class-“Yes”
Teacher-Let’s practice a couple more times, and this time when you say “Yes,” I want you to fold your hands and look at me as you say yes. (To minimize distractions)
Then I announce that we will have a morning meeting and play a get to know you game.
The Name Game:
Keep it simple and have every student think of an animal name that begins with the same letter as their name. For older kids, it could be an adjective. But for second graders, an animal name is perfect.
I tell them that we will go around in a circle, and you’ll point to every student that goes before you, say the animal and name, then introduce yourself with the animal + your first name. The person who goes last will have to know everyone’s name and animal, so tell the students up front and see if anyone wants to volunteer.
Important: The teacher goes LAST. (Because you want to remember all of your students’ names.)
The first student goes. Let’s use Foley as an example. So Foley would say, “I’m Fox Foley.”
Then the next three students go, let’s say, Chris, Ashley, and Brice.
Chris would point to Foley and say, “Fox Foley” and I’m Catepillar Chris.
Ashley would say, “Fox Foley, Catepillar Chris, and I’m Alligator Ashley.
Brice would now have to remember everyone who went before him and introduce himself, “Fox Foley, Catepillar Chris, Alligator Ashley, and I’m Bear Brice.”
This goes on until everyone in the circle is finished. The game gets more challenging as it goes, so I always let my new group of 2nd graders know that we will help them if they forget. Usually, you can jog their memory if they forget a student’s name by saying the animal. So if a student freezes after saying “Fox Foley, _____,” I say, “Catepilllllarrr…………” and then they usually remember, and if they don’t, I finish it for them.
Tip: Tell students to point at or look at every student as they say their name, which helps them put a face to a name.
Once your first hour is complete, you can plug and play any of the following first day of school activities to suit your schedule.
Teach Classroom Routines
The first weeks of school are an excellent time to teach all of your expectations. It doesn’t have to be boring either! A great activity for teaching routines is to make it so much fun for them! Do this by playing the Classroom Procedure Game! It’s such an easy way to sneak into learning the essential expectations. Create a list of sticky notes (or use my classroom procedure game playing cards) and separate them out between procedures to practice and procedures to master.
Read Alouds for the First Day of 2nd Grade
First Day Jitters
First Day Jitters Summary: Sarah is afraid to start at a new school, but both she and the reader are in for a surprise when she gets to her class.
Book Activity Idea: Make “Jitter Juice”
Jitter Juice is typically fruit punch, relabeled as Jitter Juice.
Wanna hear a back to school horror story? In my district, parents preferred less sugary options. I found this out while pouring fruit punch into the cups while my students were at lunch. I was so excited to read the book, First Day Jitters and give them Jitter Juice, I had 30 minutes to figure out an alternative. Fortunately, I had a bunch of new mini-water bottles that I hurried up and made new Jitter Juice labels for. I told the students that the Jitter Juice is magical and it might taste like something unique for each student. I got lucky because my students LOVED it. One said, “ooh it tastes like popcorn!” Another exlaimed that it tasted like watermelon. Of course one said it tastes like water lol. One student kept that little water, I mean, Jitter Juice in her desk the entire year because it helped her be calm.
In Our Classroom
Summary: In Our Classroom helps empower students by teaching them to think about what is just right for them, celebrate their differences, and embrace one another to build an inclusive classroom community.
Book Activity: I love this book for discussing what it means to be a classroom family and discussing how students will learn in many ways. Then this can lead to introducing flexible seating options and expectations.
Start Team Building Right Away
During the first week of school, your learning environment will be filled with so much time spent learning together in teams and small groups. Here are my top small group first day of school activities:
Small Group First Day of School Activity Idea #1: Teamwork Puzzles
Small Group Teamwork Puzzles
Go to the dollar store and get simple puzzles that look like this:
Buy 5 of them (or more if you have a large class size or want smaller group sizes).
Set a timer and have each group work on assembling the puzzle piece.
I always like to observe or take notes to see how different students are working together, who’s taking the lead, who’s not participating as much, etc.
Small Group First Day of School Activity Idea #2: Stem Challenges
You will need spaghetti stick noodles and a bag of miniature marshmallows for this activity.
Set a timer and see which group can build the tallest structure in the time given.
Other Fun 2nd Grade Activities for the First Day of School
I have had almost a decade of planning first days of school. Here are some more favorites that I’ve rounded up to help your new classmates get to know each other, start making new friends, and ultimately build a classroom family.
First Day Activity: Beach Ball Get to Know You Game
Students sit on top of their desks or tables (or you can go outside), and they toss an inflatable icebreaker ball to each other.
Students can choose whether they want to answer the question their left or right thumb lands on. They read it out loud and then toss it to the next classmate.
Warning: Since there is a flying inflatable ball tossed around, I teach my students a safety tip to keep someone from being hit because they weren’t paying attention. Tell your students to say the person’s name they will throw it to next, wait for eye contact, then toss it. We also do underhand tosses instead of overhand tosses. This part is important to model before you begin the get-to-know game.
The best part? Having an inflatable icebreaker ball in the classroom is so handy. After we play it together during the first week of school, it becomes a great brain break or time filler activity throughout the rest of the school year- with ZERO PREP. You just grab the ball and start the game. I love it and I hope you will too!
First Day Activity: Snowball Fight
What I love about this whole group first day of school activity is that it is so simple to prep.
You’ll Need:
Paper
Pencil
Your 2nd Graders
That’s it!
Snowball Fight Icebreaker Activity Directions:
- First, have your second graders write 1-3 facts about themselves on a piece of paper. Since this IS the first day of 2nd grade, they will need a quick lesson on what would make a good fact.
- Next, tell the 2nd graders that they will be crumpling up the paper and having a snowball fight, and at the end, they’ll have to guess who wrote the fact.
- Then, demonstrate why they need to write a descriptive fact. I ask the class to raise their hand if they’re seven years old. Almost half the class raises their hand, so I point out that wouldn’t be a helpful or interesting fact since it is so general.
- Once your 2nd graders crumple the paper up into a ‘snowball’ set a timer for 30 seconds and begin the snowball fight. (This is how the papers are “mixed” up).
- At the end of the 30 seconds, everyone grabs the closest snowball and has to try to find the person who wrote it.
Tip: Tell your 2nd graders that hobbies and games make great facts. Their favorite thing to do at recess is one of my favorite examples that I give them because my second graders love recess and they like knowing who they could play with because of shared interests.
First Day Activity: Scavenger Hunt
Classroom scavenger hunts make the best first day of school activity for 2nd grade, because your students are given time to explore their classroom! This is a simple print-and-go activity. I recommend giving your students clipboards (or whiteboards/books) to use as a surface to write on as they walk around the classroom.
To prep for the first day scavenger hunt activity, you’ll need to create a list of things that can be found in your classroom or school. I’ve included a printable list below that you can use. Print one copy for each student in your class.
Classmate Scavenger Hunt:
On the first day of school, have your students walk around the room and find someone who…
Has the same color eyes as them
Has a sibling in our class
Likes to play the same sport as them
And so on…
When they find someone who meets one of the criteria on their list, they write their name next to it. This is a fantastic way for your students to get to know both you and their classmates on the first day of school!
First Day Activity: All About Me Posters
On the first day of school, I like to have my students create an all about me poster. This is a great activity for them to do so that you can get to know your students and they can share some information about themselves with the class.
To prep for this activity, you’ll need to gather some supplies. I like to use construction paper because it’s colorful and easy for the kids to work with. You’ll also need scissors, glue, crayons, and markers.
Once you have your supplies, you’ll need to give your students some time to create their posters. I like to give them about 30 minutes. On their posters, they should include their name, a picture of themselves, and some information about themselves. They can write about their favorite things, things they like to do, their family, and anything else they want to include. The all about me worksheet from earlier serves as a good brainstorming sheet.
When they’re finished, have them share their posters with the class. This is a great way for everyone to learn a little bit about each other on the first day of school!
First Day Activity: Get to Know You Bingo
This is a fun first day of school activity that will help your students get to know each other and you! To prep for this activity, you’ll need to create a bingo board for each student in your class. I’ve included a printable bingo board below that you can use. Print one copy for each student in your class.
Once you have your bingo boards, you’ll need to think of some things that you can put in the squares.
I like to include things like:
- I have a pet
- I have a sibling
- I like to swim
- I like books about animals
- And so on…
When you have your list of things, call out each one and have the students mark off the square if it applies to them. The first person to get five in a row wins!
First Day Activity: All About Me Bag
This is a fun first day of school activity that will help your students get to know each other and you! To prep for this activity, you’ll need a brown paper bag for each student in your class, markers, and they will need to bring in some small items representing things about them.
Some ideas for items to include are:
- A picture of their family
- Their favorite book
- A souvenir from a place they’ve been over the summer
- Something that represents their hobby
And so on…
Once you have your supplies, give each 2nd grader a brown paper bag. Tell them to decorate the bag with their name and a picture of themselves.
Then, they can fill the bag with the items that represent things about them.
When they’re finished, have them share the all about me bags with the class and see what they have in common!
First Day Activity: Time Capsule
This is a fun first day of school activity that will help your students reflect on their year at the end of the year. To prep for this activity, you’ll need to gather some supplies. You’ll need a box or container for each student in your class, markers, and some small items that represent things about the year.
Some ideas for items to include are:
- Pictures /drawings of friends
- School work
- Artwork
- A top 10 list of things they like at the moment
And so on…
Once you have your supplies, give each student a box or container. Tell them to decorate the outside with their name and the year. Then, they can fill the box with the items that represent things about their year. I usually give students until the end of the first week of school to add to it.
First Day Activity: Word Search
Having a custom word search as a first day of school activity helps your students get to know how each other spells their name! You’ll need a word search for each student in your class and pencils.
You can create your own word search or find one online. When I create my own back to school word search with my students’ names, I like to use this website. You can create a word search with words related to the first day of school, such as names of classmates, teacher, school, etc.
Once you have your supplies, give each student a word search and let them work on that while you take classroom pictures of each of your second graders!
First Day Activity: Find Someone Who…
The find someone who activity will help your 2nd graders get to know each other and you! To prep for this activity, you’ll need to gather some supplies. You’ll need a Find Someone Who sheet of paper for each student in your class and markers.
On the sheet of paper, you’ll need to write a list of things students can learn about each other. For example:
- Find someone who has a sister
- Find someone who likes to read
- Find someone who has a pet
And so on…
Once you have your supplies, give each student a sheet of paper. Tell them to find someone in the class who meets each criterion on the list. When they find someone, they should write their name next to the criterion. This is the best first day of 2nd grader activity because it gets your students up and moving around, so do this when you’re students have been in their seats for a while and it doubles as a brain break movement activity!
First Day Activity: Summer Vacation Printable
This is a fun first day of school activity for 2nd grade that will help your students reflect on their summer vacation. To prep for this activity, you’ll need a graphic organizer for each student in your class and crayons or markers.
Once you have your supplies, give each student a summer vacation graphic organizer. Tell them to reflect on their summer vacation and fill out the graphic organizer. They can share their summer vacation with the class when they’re finished. This is a great way for everyone to learn a little bit about each other on the first day of school!
And that’s it! I hope my second graders’ “best first day of school activities” are ones you and your 2nd grade class will enjoy as well! Here’s to a great school year!