Is there anything more fun to plan than preschool first day activities? The first day of school is one of my favorites, but it can also be one of the most stressful days of the year! if you are looking for some first day of school preschool activities, this is the post for you! 

Raise your hand if you teach reading and writing! ✋ Class books are one of my favorite tools for writing workshop time. They really help preschool and Kindergarten students get excited about learning to read and write. I’ve put together a set of my favorite printable class books totally free for you! These class books can be used throughout the school year and focus on skills like letter and number recognition, sight words, environmental print, and more! I know you’ll love writing and creating these books with your students!

I will never forget my first day of teaching. At around 8:15 a.m. all of the teary parents finally left my classroom and I realized that I was in charge! ME! Yes, twenty-one-year-old, first-year teacher ME. All of these parents actually left their real-life precious children in my care to love and teach. What an honor and a terrifying moment! I’ve had a few first days since then, but I’ll never forget how that first year felt. This post is for teachers looking for first day of preschool ideas! Here are a few activities to help get you through that first day of preschool! 

First Day of School Preschool Activities 

Make a first day of preschool printable journal.

The first day of preschool is the best day to begin teaching students your routines and procedures to set them up for success the entire school year! One important part of the day is writing workshop!

This printable journal is just for preschool students to use the first week of school. It’s super simple and supports students drawing pictures to share their thoughts and ideas rather than words. This preschool printable journal features over ten different pages to print and choose from.

Pages are included for students to draw their classroom, teacher and themselves on the first day of preschool. I recommend choosing one page a day for students to complete during writing time. Please remember that drawing is writing too!

Take a tour of the school. 

One of the best parts of being a preschool teacher is that you are often a student’s first introduction to school. What a special job! That being said, everything is new and unfamiliar to them. Where is the bathroom? Where can they get a drink of water?

It’s going to be so beneficial to take your students on a tour of the school and show them some of the places they will be visiting frequently like the cafeteria or the gym. Even if your students won’t be traveling around the school independently, it will still help them to feel more confident being familiar with the building.

I created an around-the-school passport to make learning the school fun for preschool students. You can learn more about this resource here. 

Read a book about the first day of preschool. 

Books are always a win! Most preschool children love listening to a story read aloud! Here are a few of my favorite first day of preschool books. Some of these books are specifically about starting preschool, others are just about the first day of school and would be appropriate for preschool or even Kindergarten or First Grade students too. 

Create a first day of preschool photo booth.

Oh how I love precious first day of preschool pictures! It’s one of my favorite days on social media because I just love seeing all of the kids dressed up and excited for a wonderful school year. 

Setting up a photo booth is a great first-day of preschool activity. If you can, set up a little photo area outside of your classroom door so parents can snap pictures before entering your classroom! This will really help with the flow of traffic on that crazy first day of preschool! You can make a simple first day of preschool sign for your students to hold for the picture or even purchase some inexpensive photo props like these. Don’t forget to take a class picture later in the day too!

If you are planning to make end-of-year photo albums or an end-of-the-year slide show for your students, you will definitely want to have pictures from the first day of preschool too! When I taught at a Title One school many of the parents were unable to drop their children off on the first day of school. It really meant a lot to these parents to see a picture of their child on the first day, so don’t forget to take a few to share with parents who might not be able to be there on the first day of preschool too. It will mean a lot to them! 

Plan a first day of preschool independent activity. 

I know, nothing is really an independent activity when you teach preschoolers. But, try to plan something that your little ones will be able to complete on their own or with little direction and guidance.  I find that it’s really helpful to have an activity like this when students arrive. That way you are able to greet students and answer any quick questions that parents have while your students are busy. This can even be just playing! Here are a few ideas:

• Put out a few buckets of math manipulatives like counting bears or cubes for students to sort and play with at their tables.
• Set out a coloring page with some crayons.
• Put a can of play dough at each student’s spot for play. This was my go-to when I taught, but I know it makes some people cringe.

More Tips and Resources for the First Day of Preschool 

Start implementing your daily routines from day one! A Preschool Question of the Day is a great thing to add to your morning routine. You can read all about getting started in this post, Fun Preschool Question of the Day: A Guide for Pre-K Teachers and Parents.

Another great routine for preschool students is a math journal. These Preschool Monthly Math Journals make this math routine easy to add to your day. You can read more in this post too!

Numbers to 10 Q-Tip Painting
Using Show and Tell to Teach Phonics 
How to Make Meaningful Class Books

Don’t forget to download your set of free printable class books and start writing and reading with your students! They are focused on the skills preschoolers and Kindergarten students need to know like number and letter recognition! If you want to learn more about class books check out this post, How to Make Meaningful Class Books with Preschool and Kindergarten Students.

I hope you have a wonderful first day of school and that you are able to use some of these preschool first day activities with your students!