10 Back to School Must Haves for Teachers
Whether you’re a brand new teacher (20 tips and 20 more tips here!) or have been doing this for years, starting a new school year can feel really stressful. What will you need? Where will you get it? What’s the best kind? So many questions! So, if you want to start the new year feeling more prepared, these 10 teacher must haves for going back to school are sure to help. These are things I NEEDED to have in place to feel confident about starting the year with a new group of kids and parents. Let’s dive in!
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Starting the school year means some form of Meet the Teacher Night and it’s important to have procedures in place to gather information, greet families, know how your students will get home safely, and sort supplies. I can feel like a lot to do, so to help you feel super prepared for Meet the Teacher Night, having forms printed and organized or ready to email to parents is the perfect way to be sure you have an organized, successful night. I’d recommend having a few large plastic bins available to toss extra supplies in, as well as name tags on every desk so students can find their space easily too!
Developing your classroom management procedures before the year starts is a simple way to feel on top of it without needing to do much. Explaining how you’ll manage behaviors in your classroom helps parents and students know what your expectations are and have a clear idea about what kinds of rewards and consequences you’ll be using. I’ve always used behavior calendars to track daily student behavior because they’re a quick, easy way for your students to record and report how their behavior was at school each day without a ton of involvement from you. They’re also a really simple way to communicate with parents each day to keep them in the loop about how their little ones are behaving at school. And, as well all know, communicating well with parents is CRUCIAL for a happy school year!
Getting and staying organized throughout the school year is no easy feat. It takes a bit of planning and a lot of discipline to keep things where they’re supposed to be. However, when it comes to student information, lesson plans, and emergency procedures, it’s CRITICAL that you keep these papers organized and stored somewhere you can find and grab them quickly. So, I always put together at least a FEW binders that I keep in the same spot for easy access. Making binders for things like sub plans, emergency procedures, student information, guided reading, parent contact information, and lesson plans was always more fun when I could make them visually appealing, so I’d slide a cute binder cover and spine in a binder like this and keep all the things organized and safe.
Again, communicating with parents is SUPER important, no matter what the circumstances for the school year. Parents want to be kept in the loop and know what’s happening in your classroom and at the school. I’ve found that communicating with parents on at least a weekly or bi-weekly basis not only helps us develop a relationship, but it also cuts down on answering the same questions many times. I’d send out a simple newsletter like this once a week with our learning objectives, any important events coming up, and a quick blurb about things we may need in the classroom (volunteers, supplies, etc.). I would email parents a PDF version of this newsletter and only print it out for families who requested it.
5. Simple First Day Activities
When your students first come into your classroom, many times they’re feeling apprehensive, nervous, or a little freaked out to be spending their day with a completely new group of people. So, I’ve found that having a simple, fun activity waiting for them at their desk is a nice way to ease them into the day. You could print out a few fun, free worksheets, have a simple activity ready to keep their hands busy (like these playdough cards), or leave a book or two out for each student to look through. Any low-stress activity that doesn’t require them to do much except be a kid and play for a minute is a great way to ease anxieties.
6. Engaging Activities for Meet the Teacher and Open House
Being prepared with some really engaging activities for a night to meet your students and their families is crucial! You want your new students to associate school and your classroom with comfort, fun, and learning, so I always have a few fun ideas for when they get there. If it’s the very beginning of the year, a classroom scavenger hunt to explore the room is always fun. If it happens when you’ve already been in school for a few weeks, then Either way, having a sweet treat and a happy note for them on the way out the door is always a nice way to send them on their way with fond memories of the night.
7. Inspiring Read Alouds
Reading a good book together is a super simple way to build classroom community and learn important lessons. I always recommend having at least 10 great books to read aloud to your students in the first week. Of course, you don’t HAVE to get through 10 books, but it’s nice to have a good amount of options to choose from if you have 15 minutes of free time somewhere in your first week together. The list below has a few of my favorite picture books to have on hand the first week to start discussions and set expectations in a friendly way.
First Day Jitters (and this simple, affordable activity to go with it!)
And check out these other blog posts for even more great ideas for back to school books!
25 Back to School Read Alouds for the Primary Classroom
20 Favorite Back to School Read Aloud Books
31 Back to School Books for K-2
8. Toolbox Labels
There are few things happier than a super colorful, organized area full of school supplies and goodies in your very own classroom. So, if you don’t already keep all your personal teacher supplies stored in a "teacher toolbox", I say you NEED one! Haha. :) And adding some bright labels to dress up that little organizer is a great way to add to the joy. There are a bunch of options to organize little drawers on TPT!
SUB PLANS! Oh man, nothing helps you feel as prepared and ready for anything like a good set of sub plans. So, definitely put together some of your favorite printable activities and some books to go along with them. You’ll definitely want to leave some sub notes, label your copies, and leave a schedule of your day as well….which sounds like a LOT of work. But, you can do all of that OR press the easy button and purchase some. Haha! Should have lead with that option. This bundle of worksheets always worked well to leave with a sub because it includes an editable sub letter and editable planning page. But, whatever sub plans you end up pulling together, having that binder full of prepped activities for while you’re out will give you all kinds of peace of mind.
10. Classroom Procedures
Lastly, making a list of all the procedures you need to address and practice with your students is an awesome way to keep yourself organized and make sure you don’t miss anything super important. Here is the list that I always used when starting my new year, but I definitely encourage you to make your own and be ready to thoroughly practice and model your expectations for those procedures.
I hope these must have tips have been helpful for you and that you feel so calm and prepared for this back to school season! Please pop in if you have any questions or if you have other must haves that I should add to the list. :)
Cheering you on!
