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I’m sure that as a child many of us had our picture taken on the first day of school. I know my brother and I always had to pose together in front of the house on the front steps. And now that we are adults we are repeating this first day of school activity with our own children. After all, the first day of school is exciting for children and adults.
When I first started teaching I decided that I was going to take first day of school pictures of my students. Part of me knew my sixth graders would cringe, but another part of me knew there were some students of mine that would not have had their pictures taken at home.
Make a Plan on the First Day of School
The first day of school is just hectic! Find a spot in your room that you can quickly usher each student to in order to take their picture. I like to put them in front of the white board. This spot has to be accessible at the end of the year as well, so choose accordingly.
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Get the Pictures Printed . . .Quickly!
After the first day ended I had their pictures developed at the one-hour facility near my home. Now, I was free to go through the pictures at my leisure and work on memorizing names. This helped me figure out who I definitely knew, and who were the quieter ones that I would need to work on.
After day one I quickly sent their pictures out to the one hour print place in my area. After I picked them up, I spent the evening sorting my 60+ students into groups of students into names I knew and names I needed to to learn.
Print First Day of School of Pictures & Post Them
On the second day of school, take those pictures and post them as quickly as possible. If you already have a bulletin board ready, incorporate it into that space. The point is to show students they are part of the classroom community and they belong in this space.
The Second Part of the Plan
After about a week, put their pictures away and don’t talk about them again. The point is for the students to forget you took them.
Mark your calendar for the last week of school. That time of year is just as hectic as the beginning of the year. Here is what you will need to do:
- Find that exact spot where you took the original picture.
- Get your students and retake their pictures
- Get those pictures printed
- Find the original pictures from August/September.
- Sort them so each student is side by side.
- Put the pictures up on the board/bulletin board for the students to find when the come in the next morning.
Last year, I simply made a sheet with September and June on it, then glued them to orange poster paper. I wanted to hang this from my whiteboard because it was the largest area for the students to get a good look at the pictures.
When the students walked in the next morning, I encouraged them to check out the photos and see who changed, who didn’t change, etc. The kids had such a great time looking over their pictures! They love to see what they were wearing back in September, how their hair has changed, among other things. It really is amazing to see how much they change over the span of nine months.
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Plan an Activity Using Their Pictures
I also decided to make this into a fun activity by making up some silly survey questions like:
- Who grew the tallest?
- Who’s hair changed the most?
- Who stayed exactly the same?
- Who gave the best smile?
It will be fun to go over the results with the class!
Ready to Try this? Tips for Implementing this First Day of School Activity in Your Classroom
- Choose an area with good lighting, or go outside.
- Opt for a background that will show growth of your students, or add a yard stick in the background.
- Find a store in advance that can develop pictures in one hour. Or print them yourself if you can.
- Spend the first evening memorizing name of your students. On day two, greet them each by their first name as they enter the room.
- If time allows, have students draw and color a sign with their name to hold up for the picture. It is helpful for memorization on the first day.
- Don’t wait until it’s too late to take their second picture. Enter into your calendar as soon as you take their first pic!
I hope this idea helps make you first day and last days of school fun!
Back to School All About Me Interactive Bulletin Board Activity
Hey, amazing teachers! Ready to kick off the new school year with a bang? This “All About Me” Back-to-School Bulletin Board Activity is just what you need to turn your classroom into a vibrant, engaging space where every student feels celebrated and included.
$5.00
Back to School Worksheets
Make the back-to-school transition a breeze with our engaging and versatile Differentiated Back-to-School Worksheets. These thoughtfully crafted activities are designed to captivate and challenge students at various skill levels, ensuring an inclusive and exciting start to the school year.
Keep reading for more information about this resource!
$4.00
Back to School Activities Bundle
Have a great start to the year with these bundle of FOUR back to school activities! Use the editable locker directions on the first day of school, then finish up the day with the back to school editable scavenger hunt! Delight your class with back to school themed mystery graphs for their math lesson. Finish up your first week by building teamwork skills with this back to school escape room! Perfect for that tired-teacher last day of the first week feeling.
$11.80
Back to School Game – Back to School Escape Room
$5.00
Step by Step Locker Directions | Editable
Stop your new students from worrying about their locker and locker combinations with this Locker Directions resource! Easily editable either on Google Slides or PowerPoint, or just printed out to write on! This step-by-step resource is great for Open House or the first day of school. A locker list is provided for you to quickly and easily add or edit your locker list.
$2.00
Back to School | Fall Mystery Graphs
Welcome your students back to school with this back to school and fall mystery graphs activity! These back to school mystery pictures include two different graphing options for you to easily differentiate for your students.
Pictures included in this Back to School / Fall Mystery Graphs Activity:
✏️ Acorn
✏️ Apple with pencils
✏️ Scarecrow
✏️ Globe
✏️ Schoolbus
$4.50
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