Make the first day of school perfect

A good start is crucial

The first day of school can be formative for children's attitude towards school. What guarantees a good start? How does the balance between celebration, play and learning succeed? And what should definitely be prepared? Here you will find our suggestions.

Every primary school has its own enrolment rituals. This includes a church service, a greeting from the headmaster, a welcoming line for the students, a small theatre performance or a walk through the school. So, you don't have to worry about this "external" frame. But how do you organize the time you spend with the children “ and their parents “ on this day?

The preparation

Find out about the children

To ensure that everyone remembers this day well, it is worth taking action in advance. As a rule, you have at least met the parents at the first parents' evening before starting school, and it is usually not the first visit to this school for the children either, because meetings to get to know each other are now common. Nevertheless, after these meetings you will by no means know the names and faces of all the children and parents, let alone know about one or the other special feature. But you can inform yourself.

While you must approach each child with an open mind, it's good to have some basic information about your prospective students. For example: Who has custody? This can be decisive in the event of a conflict. Information about religious orientations can also be helpful. You do not have to violate data protection regulations to obtain this information. A glance at the student files is usually sufficient. Especially for the first day it is an advantage if you have already got an idea of ‹‹the children. Just ask the parents of the beginners for a photo before the start of the school year. Familiarize yourself with the faces so you can address all the children by their names right from the start!

Prepare name tags

Most children already know name tags or cards with symbols and animals from kindergarten. Find an animal for each child that ideally starts with the same first letter as the first name - even if it means a little more work - for example a jaguar for Jens, a tiger for Tanja, a lion for Lars or a crocodile for Klara and write them down Names in capital letters. Such cards can be easily designed and printed out on the computer. They will then be used for the first time on the day of enrolment.

Choose the class animal

Every first class needs a class animal. Hand puppets are very suitable. They can not only comfort, but also "speak" directly to the children or to individual students. And throughout the school year, they can be used for various activities. For example, the class animal can later be taken home by the children in turn. On Monday it "tells" what it has experienced. In short: the preparations for the first day of school are also preparations for the future school year.

Equip the classroom

The first day of school should be a celebration for children and parents. That means: A little jewelry is part of it. For example, a beautiful panel painting, a pennant chain made of school cones or a picture of the class animal.

Receive the students

Children and parents usually come together in the classroom after the enrolment ceremony. Here you personally greet each child and their parents. You have placed the children's name tags on a separate table. Each child can now take their sign and look for a place. One shield remains - this belongs to the class animal and will be distributed later. After you have introduced yourself and when all the organizational details have been discussed, it is time for the parents to leave. It's good if some parents' representatives or the support association now have cake and refreshments ready for the parents in the schoolyard or in the entrance hall.

The first hour

A story is read aloud in this first hour. But you should keep in mind that the children were already being overwhelmed with information that day. In addition, they are excited, rather not so patient and primarily want one thing: to learn. It is therefore better to let the children become active themselves when starting out. This can look very different:

Design the first parent mail

Prepare the first parent letter with important information. Perhaps you would also make this letter to parents particularly attractive? You can also prepare a ready-made timetable for the children. The new first graders will proudly take both home with them.

• It's nice when all children can say something at least once - even the shy ones. The game "My right, right seat is free..." is suitable for this. While many children will already know each other, there will always be children who are brand new to this group. If necessary, join the game so that you can call up such a child. The child who changes places says his name again and answers a simple question - for example, his favorite animal. Finally, you can call the class animal to the free space. This now gets its name tag and tells what it is responsible for in the class.
• Each child can take a piece out of their school bag and present it. At the end, all school cones are closed again. A nice effect: the children learn to wait their turn in the first lesson.
• Each child gets a picture of their name animal and colors it. The children can then either use these pictures to decorate the classroom or even better: they can take them with them. So, they can proudly present the first work from school at home.
• The children draw their school cone on a blank sheet of paper, cut it out and stick it on a large blank articaler on the wall.

But the most important thing for the children on this day is learning. After all, they come to school to learn to read, write and do arithmetic. And from day one! That makes her proud and happy. Learning to read is of particular interest to children, so why not start there? For example, you can start with the first unit of the reading book. A tip: every textbook on written language acquisition makes suggestions in the teacher's manual that you can use. However, you should not forget that children come to school with different backgrounds that you do not yet know very much about. You should therefore set the task in such a way that none of the children is overwhelmed and disappointed. A simple task is suitable for this, which can be supplemented by each child with a voluntary additional task.

The first homework

The very first homework assignment is also distributed on this day. In this way, the children learn that homework is important and must be done. And best of all, homework is fun too!

• Homework always results from the lesson. So if you have started learning the written language during the course and the first letter appears in the name of the class animal, you can, for example, give the children the animal as a template to color in. The children write the first learned letter. If you want, you can also write the full name of the class animal.
• The children can also draw a picture of themselves and write their own name on it. This will give you a first impression of the children's abilities - if the parents have not taken on this task!

And the very first hour is already over. The homework has been distributed and the parents can now pick up their children. Now everyone should be well prepared and motivated for this next phase of life.

training tip

Class management: lead safely and confidently

Class leaders are the important basis of a school. Leading classes successfully is a skill that is essential for all teachers. The focus of this live online seminar is on the diverse and individual possibilities of class management.