Five Favorite Activities for the First Days of First Grade {Five for Friday}

We finished our eighth day of school today! I dreaded going back so early, but now that we are in the swing of things I'm glad we've already got those first few days under our belts. Did I mention I'm in love with my little first graders? Oh my, I can't remember when I've had so much fun at work!

I wanted to give you a look at some of my favorite activities we've done over the past few days and what better way to do that thank linking up with Doodle Bugs Teaching?

I'd read so many blog posts about having play dough on students' desks the first morning and it sounded like so much fun so I just had to try it. It was a HUGE success! The kids were so engaged and didn't mind at all to let go of mommy and daddy and start playing. I still have a little guy who asks if we can play with play dough! 

We read First Day Jitters and did some of the activities from Abby's Fun with Firsties pack.

I used this adorable pitcher a student gave me last year for our Jitter Juice. Yes, it was pink because I procrastinated! I didn't pick up the ingredients until the night before school started and it was late and the small grocery store I stopped at didn't have Hawaiian Punch, so Kool Aid works just as well...ya know, in case you ever need that little bit of info!

We had so much fun with Pete the Cat!! I'd never really "met" Pete until this Summer and I was so excited to share him with my new firsties! We read the book, sang the song maaanny times, and drew ourselves in our school shoes for a class book. 

That adorable coloring sheet and a class book cover were FREE at TPT! Click here if you want to pick it up. 

We read this book and used it as a springboard for a talk about making new friends and keeping old ones, too! 

A few days before school started I stumbled upon this fantastic little book about the beginning of the year. Each child in this class makes a wish about the school year. Just like in the book we all sat in a circle and told about our wishes for first grade and then they all drew a picture to illustrate their wish. After that we all sat back down in a circle again and we all spent some time sharing and getting to know one another. 

If you'd like to do this activity with your class just click the picture above for a freebie. I created sheets for K-4. 

Thanks for stopping by and I hope you have a blessed weekend!