Building Relationships


Where has the summer gone? Time is passing by so quickly and now Back to School is just around the corner. I am really looking forward to a brand new year. This five part series of Back to School Teacher Tips is great for new teachers, but could also benefit veteran teachers as small reminders of what is important at the beginning of each year. I hope you are able to get some important hints and tips for Back to School.


Importance of building relationships with students at the beginning of school

Back to School Tip #1:

Building Relationships


A classroom culture is created with the positive relationships that a teacher builds with his/her students. It is clearly one of the most important things a teacher should do at the beginning of the year. You want to get to know your students on a variety of levels: academically, personally, and socially. The more you know about your students, the better you are able to understand and motivate them. So, how do you start to build that relationship on the first day?

Try an activity like the Mystery Bag. In a paper sack, have three or four items that represent who you are. On that first morning, take each item out of the bag one at a time and share what that item means in your life. That afternoon, send home a small paper lunch bag and ask students to fill it with three or four small items that represent who they are. At the end of each day, have students sit together on the carpet. Choose a few students to open their bags and share something about themselves. This activity is a lot of fun for students and you get to learn a lot about their lives and what is important to them.

Another activity you could do on the first day of school is the First Day Letter. As a writing lesson, have students write a friendly letter to themselves. Have them write things like: their feelings about the new school year, what they will miss about the previous year, what they expect to achieve this year, etc. Collect the letters. You can read each of them to find out more about your new students. Place each letter in an envelope and seal it. At the end of the year, pass out their letters. The students read their own letter. It is interesting to have them share their letters to see if their ideas, opinions and feelings have changed since the first day.

These types of activities help you to learn about your students, help your students learn about each other, and help you begin to build strong relationships in your classroom.


These activities and more like them can be found in this Back to School Activities, Games and Puzzle Packet. Click the picture below.





https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Back-To-School-Activities-Games-and-Puzzle-Packet-First-Days-of-School-1305652



Activities to get to know your elementary students and build relationships the first week of school
All About Me Page for to use with Elementary students the first day of school

          Activities to get to know your students and begin to build relationships with them.



Scavenger hunt for elementary students to do the first week of school to get to know their classmatesGame board to use with elementary students the first week back to school

Fun games and activities for students to interact together and begin to form friendships and connections.



To see the next Back to School Teacher Tip, click here:


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