Blasting Off To The First Day Of School

As I stated in the last article, counting down the last 10 days 'til school starts is a wonderful way to get children excited about going to school.

It also provides an opportunity to talk about this special time in their lives and dispel any fears or anxieties first timers may have.

Being able to actually SEE time going by helps a child.  Unlike adults, children don't really have a concept of time yet.

This is why the paper chain that I hung up in my classroom is such a successful learning tool for children, as well as a terrific patterned decoration.

You may want to make a two-color, 10-link paper chain and hang it up in your child's room.

When they go to bed at night, let them tear off a link.  When the last link is gone, they will be going to school the next day.

You can write a little note on that link and tuck it in their pocket or lunch box.  "I love U" using a drawn heart for the word love is a great note, or simply a smilie face will recall the paper chain memories and time with you.

From my 1st class of Y5's, I always included a countdown page in my summer welcome letter.

Counting from 10 - 0 is one of our report card standards so I thought this would be a fun way to introduce that concept and get my students excited for their first day.

I designed 8 additional ones, so that you would have a selection to choose from.  I tried to think of the various themes teachers cover in August-September that are popular with children.

There's an apple, baseball/bat, butterfly, caterpillar, crayons, dinosaur, frog and ladybug.

Click on the link to view/download 20 pages of  Fun Countdowns.

If you have others you would like to see, please drop me a line and I will add them to my design list.  I really enjoy hearing from my readers.  diane@teachwithme.com

Thanks for visiting. I hope you can stop by tomorrow for more back to school ideas.

Feel free to PIN anything you think others might find helpful.

"Keep your eyes open and your feet moving and ou'll find what you need." -Unknown