Good Morning!
We all know the first day
of school can be hectic for most teachers.
At many of the
schools I've worked at, we've had a “Meet the Teacher/Bring Your Supplies
Day” before school officially begins. However, there were a
couple years when we didn't have those
days and students brought all their supplies and met their teacher on the
first day of school! When the first day comes, with all the supplies to put
away, it does get very hectic! Instead of expecting
children to settle down with a worksheet, I placed a Ziploc bag filled with
play dough and some work mats on each desk. This
is a highly engaging activity that requires no teacher guidance - allowing time
to collect and assemble supplies. In addition, it also provides the children
with a fun activity to calm their back to school jitters!
When I
used this activity in my classroom, I had each child practice making numbers
and their name with the play dough. Then I had them make something to represent
their favorite summer activity. This became one of our first “getting to
know you” activities. Each child shared about what they made.
Click here or on either picture above to download
the recipe and some fun work mats! Use these work mats or create your own
for your students. Be sure to laminate them. :)
Some
additional ideas for how to work the play dough into an educational/getting to
know you activity:
-use the
dough to represent a favorite hobby or food
-use the
dough to mold elements from a favorite book or story, etc.
-use the
dough to create letters or build their name
What
ideas do you have for incorporating play dough fun with the first day of
school?
