First Day of School Classroom Traditions

One tradition I always do on the first day of school is to take individual pictures of my new students. I snap the photo and then show them the pic right away. Picture perfect, of course!  (I used to do the First Day of First Grade but now that every parent seems to snap their own pic, I moved on to this type of photo.)

Using these photo props is a great way to start and end the year! Makes a great first impression as well as a strong lasting impression! I usually print out a copy of each child holding one in the beginning of the year and hang them up in the classroom to make an adorable bulletin board. 

I also send through the Seesaw app. I think seeing their smiling child helps parents relax if they had those first day jitters themselves.

When I cut these out, I leave a small white border around each one. Makes cutting them out quicker! I just have kids hold them…so simple! What teacher doesn't like SIMPLE?

Next year, I'm going to send home an end-of-year gift that has BOTH back-to-school and end-of-year and pictures  I meant to do it this year but the last day of school crept up on me pretty fast.

Another tradition I LOVE and the kids go BONKERS for is making Magic Play-Doh! Be sure to visit learn how to do it, and grab the freebie there.  If you haven't yet done this fun activity, make this the year you try it out!