First day of school slides are incredibly useful for several reasons. Since the first day of school tends to be hectic, slides can help you stay on track. They are helpful for remembering what you want to do next. I don’t know about you but I have tend to forget what I have planned in the first week of school and find myself constantly referring back to my plans. This way, you can simply click through your slides to keep the flow of the first day going. Daily slides also provide a visual to your students and help make the day more interactive.
Since using first day of school slides has supported me in having many smooth first days of school, I’ve come up with a “must haves” list to help you, too! Read on for what you should include in your first day of school slides for a great first day.
Welcome Message
Have a welcome message up as students walk into the classroom for the first time. This message serves two purposes. It gives students a warm introduction to their new classroom and provides students with instructions on what to do as they wait for the day to officially start. This will help ensure a smooth start to the day since first thing in the morning is a hectic time.
Introductions
Students are excited to get to know more about their teacher. Starting the day with introduction slides helps them to get to know you, right off the bat. You can include as much or as little as you want. I like to talk a bit about why I love to be a teacher, what I did in the summer, and my family. Including a few photos on these slides are a hit with students, too!
Class Tour & School Tour
Take the time to do a class tour and school tour. For real, even in upper elementary. A class tour is great for students to learn where things are like the pencil sharpener, tissues, the hand-in bin, etc.
A school tour is also a great way to build in a movement break, to practice lining up, and to show students where things are. Even if you don’t have any students that are new to the school, doing a “school tour” lets students see all of the back to school decor throughout the school and see where their siblings’ classes are.
Routines, Procedures & Expectations
Slides for teaching routines, procedures, and expectations take up the bulk of my first day of school slides. Having a slide to outline each of these will help the rest of your year run smoothly. I take the time to go over everything, including sharpening pencils, lining up, our morning routine, if they are absent, etc.
Practice Slides
Whenever applicable, include a practice slide after each routine, procedure, or expectation slide that students can practice on the first day. For example, after going over how you’d like your students to line up, include a practice slide where you actually practice lining up. Again, taking the time to do this within your first day of school slides will help you nail down those routines from day one.
Movement Breaks
Going over all of those routines, procedures, and expectations can take A LONG TIME so don’t forget to weave in movement breaks. There’s a ton of movement breaks out there. You can grab a free list of movement break videos here.
Activities Weaved In
Weaving in a variety of activities throughout your first day of school slides helps to keep students engaged throughout the day. Some ideas are to include writing a class mission statement and a variety of get to know you activities. You can insert a screenshot or photo of any student pages so you can have it up as a reference as you explain the activity to students.
What We Will Learn
Lastly, students are excited to find out what they will be learning. Including a few subject-specific slides with unit titles is a great way to pique students’ interest in the topics they will dive deeper into as the school year progresses.
Using first day of school slides will support you and your students to have a great first day of school. They will help the flow of the day, keep you on track, and help you feel super organized.
First Day of School Slides
Want these slide templates? Grab my best-selling Routines & Procedures Slides and First Day of School Slides here.
