Back to School Survival Tip: Get Them Moving from Day One

It's Back to School time! Nerves and energy are high and the to-do list seems endless. There is always so much to do the first week of school that it often seems like you'll never get to it all! One of the best survivor tips I can offer you this week is to incorporate movement intentionally whenever and wherever you can. When you make this a priority from Day One, you can ensure that your sanity will be saved and your kids will be engaged from the get-go.

Here are five ways you can incorporate movement and Brain Breaks into your Back to School to-do list.

Tip #1:

One of the most important things to do at the beginning of the year is to set up rules and routines in your classroom. While we all know the importance of having your class help create the rules, incorporating movement will help channel your students' energy and encourage buy-in even more!

When you create rules, have your kids come up with gestures to accompany these rules. Practice them together and ensure that kids know not only the rule, but the gesture as well. You can even have them practice the rule gestures only, without words. For more on class rules and gestures, you can see some of my posts HERE.

Another way to channel energy during this back-to-school time is to create a Class Cheer and a Sign of Silence. These can be any movement, but should be class-developed and practiced regularly throughout the day. Cheers can be as simple as a fist pump and "Oh yeah!" or get even more complex, as mentioned HERE. A Sign of Silence could be a hand making a zero and held in the air to signal quiet, or even something a bit louder like Ready, Set, Learn (read more HERE). Anything that will pair both movement with a verbal cue will help get every student on board during these important times.

Tip #2:

We all have fun ways to get to know our students at the beginning of the year, but including movement can be a very engaging way to encourage even more smiles and laughs during this time.

One of my most favorite activities is similar to Four Corners, although I will use compass directions (mentioned HERE) to sneak in some geography skills. I will call out a variety of choices and have kids run to different walls that coincide with their choices. Some of my questions include:

• Favorite subject
• Favorite specials
• How you get to school
• Teacher last year
• Favorite sport/hobby
• Favorite recess activity
• ...and more!

I love throwing in these questions throughout the first few days as I get to know the kids and they get to know each other a bit more.

Tip #3:

As they complete the activity above, they begin to see some fellow classmates with similar interests and likes as themselves. I try to have kids partner up with as much variety as possible at the beginning of the year, so Find a Friend is a great way to do that! Before an activity, I will announce they will need to Find a Friend who.... and they will need to find a new partner each time. Some choices include someone with same/different:

• hair color
• eye color
• shirt color
• class as last year
• number of siblings
• birth month
• ... and more!

If kids can't find a partner who has the same/different criteria, they need to find a way they are similar or different and be able to tell me what that is... I actually love it when this happens, as they usually find some wonderful connection that we often use the next time I call out to Find a Friend!

Tip #4:

We spend so much time setting up our classrooms, but often forget that kids join us and have no clue where to find the dictionaries, the class supplies, or the tissues! One of the best ways to solve this problem is a Classroom Scavenger Hunt!

I will use the compass direction signs for this activity as well, and create a simple checklist of all of the necessities in our class. I share this with them before we begin and they grab a clipboard and walk around the room looking for each item. When they find it, they record their answer using the compass direction of the wall it is found along. Of course, working with a partner is encouraged and helping each other is great!

Using Scavenger Hunts is also a great way for kids to get to know each other and the school as a whole. You can use a similar checklist-style or create something more fancy, but encouraging getting up and moving around will help them to get their wiggles out and discover these important places and spaces themselves.

Tip #5:

Something so important to remember during these first few weeks of school what a huge change it is for our kids to come back to the school environment after the summer. In all of the hullaballoo of our to-do lists and the hustle to get things launched, it is essential to incorporate some calming breaks for our students throughout the day.

Controlling the breath is a simple and no-impact break that will help everybody. I love throwing in some math when we breathe. For example, counting by 2/5/10s and encouraging an exhale that is twice as long as the inhale. You can also have kids put their hands on their bellies to feel it expanding as they inhale and contracting as they exhale. During this time, have kids practice breathing in through their nose and out through their mouths for even more calming effects.

Another easy break is having students close their eyes and rub their ear lobes with opposite hands. The cross-lateral movement is subtle, but important, and this can be done at their desks, in the meeting area, or even in line before you leave the classroom.

No matter how you choose to do it, incorporating movement from Day One will help establish even more class buy-in to routines and procedures and reduce many of the behavior management issues that can arise during these first few weeks. When you include movement and Brain Breaks from the beginning, you make them a part of your classroom culture and establish them as a "normal" part of your day. What a wonderful gift to give to yourself and your students from the very beginning!

Brain Break Resources

If you are a fan of these ideas and looking for more to last you throughout the rest of the school year, be sure to check out all of my Brain Break resources HERE on Teachers Pay Teachers. There are resources for each major holiday, Word Work & Spelling, general classroom use, and more!

These Brain Breaks are also available in a variety of formats: circles on popsicle sticks, posters, and PowerPoint slides that you can incorporate into your presentations and use on your projector! Each set comes with the full description of how to complete each break, so you can rest assured that you, your students, a substitute, or even your admin. can call a Brain Break at any time and know what to do.

Find all Brain Break activities HERE on TpT and have fun with your students all year long!

Back to School Survival Guide

I am excited to be a part of an incredible group of bloggers who are sharing even more amazing Back to School Survival Tips!

Keep reading by clicking the links below and you'll find more helpful hints and giveaways!

An InLinkz Link-up

Have a great Back to School season!