August 11, 2025 • 22 mins
Just like a football coach scripts the first few plays of a game, you can script the first 20 minutes of your classroom, and in this episode, we’re walking you through exactly how to do that. We’re sharing our top first day of school teacher tips, including five essential goals to guide your opening moments: how to greet students, which procedure to teach first (hint: not your attention signal!), and how to keep students calm and engaged while you handle behind-the-scenes tasks. These practical strategies will help you kick off the year with confidence, clarity, and a classroom that feels warm and welcoming from the start!
Prefer to read? Grab the episode transcript and resources in the show notes here: https://www.secondstorywindow.net/podcast/first-day-of-school-teacher-tips/
Resources:
- Pattern Block Activity Mats
- Lego Activity Mats
- First Day of School Lesson Plan Guide
- Back to School Brain Breaks
- Laurel Denise Portrait Week + Month planner
- Join the Teacher Approved Club!
- Connect with us on Instagram @2ndstorywindow.
- Shop our teacher-approved resources.
- Join our Facebook group, Teacher Approved
- Leave your review on Apple Podcasts!
Related Episodes to Enjoy:
- Episode 98, 5 Reasons Your Attention Signal Isn’t Working and How to Improve It
- Episode 209, The Most Important Back-to-School Prep No One Talks About
- Episode 211, The 3 Questions Every Student Needs Answered in the First 3 Days of School
- Episode 213, 6 Simple Goals to Make Open House or Back-to-School Night a Success
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Heidi (00:00):
This is episode 215 of Teacher Approved.
You're listening to TeacherApproved, the podcast helping
educators elevate what mattersand simplify the rest. I'm
Heidi.
Emily (00:14):
And I'm Emily. We're the creators behind Second Story
Window, where we give researchbased and teacher approved
strategies that make teachingless stressful and more
effective. You can check out theshow notes and resources from
each episode atsecondstorywindow.net.
Heidi (00:29):
We're so glad you're tuning in today. Let's get to
the show.
Emily (00:36):
Hey there. Thanks for joining us today. In today's
episode, we are diving deep intothe first 20 minutes of the
first day of school, and we'resharing exactly how to use those
crucial opening moments to setyourself up for a successful day
and year. Plus, we'll share ateacher approved tip for
handling those inevitable firstday tears.
Heidi (00:58):
But let's start with a try it tomorrow, where we share
a favorite quick win that youcan try in your life right away.
Emily, what's our suggestion forthis week?
Emily (01:05):
This week, try giving yourself a compliment out loud.
I know it kind of sounds silly,but research shows that speaking
positive self talk aloud is moreeffective than just thinking it.
So tomorrow, when you dosomething well, maybe you handle
a tricky situation smoothly, orremember to send an important
email, say something like, Goodjob me, or I handled that so
(01:27):
well. It will feel silly, I'msure, but your brain needs to
hear that encouragement,especially during busy times
like back to school.
Heidi (01:35):
I love this. This is so whimsical and it's effective.
And if you find that sayingsomething out loud feels too
weird, you can try writingyourself a quick note in your
planner. Future you willappreciate the reminder that
present you is doing greatthings.
Emily (01:48):
If you like this idea or anything else we share here on
the podcast, could you take aminute and give us a five star
rating and review on Applepodcasts? That's one way that
new listeners find us. So everyrating and review is just super
helpful.
Heidi (02:02):
Over the years, Emily and I have created an extensive
library of back to schoolproducts. So to help you find
the tools that will make thestart of your new year easier,
today we are spotlighting ourback to school brain breaks.
Emily (02:15):
Well, since today's episode is about how to make the
first day of school runsmoothly, we wanted to share an
important tool for the first fewdays, your emergency time
fillers. So until you geteveryone into their new routine,
you have no way of knowing if anactivity is going to take five
minutes or 25 minutes. Andthat's why you need to have some
ready to go time fillers thatyou can grab at a moment's
(02:36):
notice. And that's where thesebrain breaks come in handy.
Heidi (02:38):
We intentionally designed these to work without
Unknown (02:39):
You'll be so relieved to have these on hand at the
technology, so that you can usethese on the fly without needing
to prep anything. You just printoff the cards of the activities
that sound interesting andyou're all ready to go to fill
any unexpected downtime, or, youknow, to help kids get their
start of the year, but we alsohave brain breaks to help you
wiggles out if they've beensitting too long for all of your
rules and procedures.
(03:03):
manage your class all year long.So you can find a link to our
brain breaks in the show notes.
Emily (03:07):
Okay, picture this. It's 7:30am on the first day of
school. You've been planning forweeks. Your classroom looks
amazing, and you're as ready asyou'll ever be, but then the
kids start arriving, andsuddenly your mind goes
completely blank. Where do youeven start?
Heidi (03:22):
Yeah, that's a rough moment. When you're standing
there with 20 something littlestrangers looking at you
expectantly, it's easy to feeloverwhelmed by the 50 things
that feel like they need tohappen at the exact same time.
Emily (03:34):
So that's why we're breaking down exactly what
should happen in those first 20minutes of the first day. Of
course, we have some suggestedactivities, but we're also
sharing the why behind eachchoice and how they all work
together to create the calm,confident start that you're
looking for.
Heidi (03:51):
Think of this as your game plan. Just like a football
coach scripts the first 15 to 20plays of a game, we're going to
script those opening minutes sothat you can focus on connecting
with your students instead offrantically trying to remember
what comes next.
Emily (04:05):
Don't worry, you don't have to keep track of 15 to 20
football plays. Instead, we'regoing to organize everything
that needs to happen into fivegoals. Each of these goals
serves a specific purpose inhelping to make the first 20
minutes the key that unlocks ahappy and successful first day
of school.
Heidi (04:22):
So first we'll talk about what those goals are, and then
we're going to walk you throughexactly how to achieve each one.
So your first goal is to welcomeeach student and help them
settle into this new space.Remember, some of your kids woke
up so excited that morning, butothers might have really been
anxious about this moment forweeks.
Emily (04:40):
This is where greeting at the door becomes so powerful.
When you stand at your classroomdoor and personally welcome each
child, you're sending themessage that they belong here
and that you're genuinely happyto see them.
Heidi (04:52):
to be able to say good morning and send them off onto
their routine, but on the firstday, your students don't know
anything. So you need to besituated where you can explain
exactly what they need to dowhen they walk into your
classroom.
Emily (05:05):
So as you greet each student, you're also giving them
their first mini lesson. Goodmorning, Sophia. Hang your
backpack on any hook with agreen dot, then choose a lunch
from the chart on the board andfind your desk.
Heidi (05:17):
Keep it simple and specific. It will be helpful to
post these steps on the board,and if you really want to take
the stress level down, consideradding picture cues next to the
words for anyone who might befeeling a little shaky in their
reading ability at that moment.
Emily (05:32):
And still be prepared to repeat these directions to each
student individually as theyarrive. It is tedious for the
teacher, but it's better thanleaving kids wondering and
confused. That will only amp uptheir first day nerves, and we
do not want that.
Heidi (05:46):
If it's handy, you can have name tags with you at the
door, or you can have themwaiting on your students desks.
Consider what makes the bestsense for your situation.
Helping your students get theirname tags on can be a calming
point of one on one connection,but on the other hand, it might
further complicate an alreadycomplicated morning, if you're
holding up the flow of trafficand you have a big line of kids
trying to get into the room.There's not a right or wrong
(06:10):
answer for this, just make surethat you are thinking about the
pros and cons of your differentoptions well in advance.
Emily (06:17):
Yeah, do yourself a favor by making as many decisions as
possible ahead of time, becauseyou've got enough on your plate
without having decision fatiguedraining your energy on that
first day.
And then once you've welcomedyour students, your second goal
is to provide an activity thatcalms nervous energy while
keeping everyone engaged. Andthat is where we circle back to
one of our all time favoritestrategies, which is pattern
(06:39):
blocks.
Heidi (06:40):
If you have been with us for a while, you know we are
obsessed with pattern blocks forthis exact moment. In fact, we
are so passionate about this, wewould recommend investing in a
class set of blocks, even if younever use them a single time to
teach math. And Emily and Ireally don't recommend spending
money on much for yourclassroom.
Emily (07:00):
Yeah, but pattern blocks can be your secret weapon for
inside recess, keeping thesiblings of your students
entertained during parentconferences, rewarding your
class with a fun and easyactivity, and so much more.
Everyone loves pattern blocks.I've even had to drag teenagers
away from playing with them.They're so versatile, but let's
(07:20):
talk about what makes themespecially perfect for the first
morning of school.
Heidi (07:23):
Well, we have a list of reasons. Of course we do. First,
pattern blocks require zeroexplanation. Kids see blocks on
the table, they immediately knowwhat to do. Little kids are
going to dive right in. Big kidsare going to maybe act like
they're too old for them, butthey still get drawn in. There
are no complicated directionsfor you to give or for students
to follow, and that is crucialto your success when you're
(07:46):
creating new arrivals every fewminutes.
Emily (07:48):
The second reason that pattern blocks are so amazing is
that they're naturally calming.There's something about the
tactile nature of the blocks andthe way they invite pattern
making that just settles kidsdown. Even your most anxious
student can find successbuilding with blocks, and if you
can afford it, a set of woodpattern blocks is even better
than plastic. It just adds tothe relaxing vibes.
Heidi (08:09):
The third reason that pattern blocks are ideal for the
first morning of school is thatthey are completely open ended.
That means at no point will youhave to answer the dreaded, 'I'm
done, now what' question. No oneis going to race to the end and
start pestering their neighbors.Kids are happy to keep exploring
and creating for as long as youneed them to.
Emily (08:30):
And the fourth reason is that the prep of pattern blocks
couldn't be simpler. Get somedollar store trays, put a pile
of blocks in the middle of eachtable or on each desk, and
you're good to go. Really, anycontainer will work for this.
But if you have kids sharing theblocks, it's easier for them to
reach into a container with lowsides instead of having to dig
the blocks out of one of thosebins.
Heidi (08:51):
You really, really do not have to stress over this step. I
have gotten as low key asdumping them onto sheets of
paper because I didn't thinkahead to get containers. And you
know what? It worked great.Pattern blocks for the win every
time. And look at that. You haveyour first morning activity
planned, prepped and ready to goin about two and a half minutes.
Emily (09:12):
If you want to add a little more structure, we do
have a set of back to schoolpattern block mats that we
designed specifically for backto school. So there's a school
bus and a backpack and all thatfun stuff, and there are two
versions of each map. One ismore open ended with a blank
outline of the shape so studentscan explore and see which shapes
can fill the space, and then theother version has outlines of
(09:33):
the specific shape blocks.
Heidi (09:35):
We did include both sets so you can differentiate as
needed. But when Emily and Itaught preschool, we used the
open shapes with ourpreschoolers, and they can
handle it fine, so I definitelythink any elementary age student
should be able to handle itwithout a problem.
Emily (09:48):
Plus, the more open ended the task, the more engaged they
will be. And we need to keepthem busy for a few minutes so
we can get this new school yearunderway.
Heidi (09:56):
One thing I love about this back to school pattern
block set is that each of themats has a get to know you
question at the top. Thequestions relate to whatever the
shape is. So for the pizzaslice, the question is, what's
your favorite lunch?
Emily (10:08):
Yep, and that's a simple way to help kids feel welcomed
in class. If they can read, theycould talk about the questions
with their neighbors as theywork, or when you're walking
around as the kids are creating,it gives you an easy way to
initiate conversation.
Heidi (10:22):
And we also included some editable slides. If you want to
have something posted for thekids to do, you can easily add
your welcome message and thendirect the kids to explore with
the blocks until it's time toget started.
Emily (10:33):
Okay, that's a lot of information, but don't feel like
you have to remember all this.We also include a Teacher's
Guide to walk you through allthe whys and hows. In the show
notes, you will find a link tothe pattern block set and to our
Lego activity mats. It hassimilar activities to the
pattern blocks, but might be alittle more appealing to your
older kids, assuming you haveaccess to a bunch of basic
Legos.
Heidi (10:54):
Yeah, but it actually might be easier to track down a
tub of loose Lego pieces than tobuy a class set of Lego blocks.
Emily (11:00):
Good point.
Heidi (11:01):
You could probably even get donations from your
neighborhood if you want to dothis as cheaply as possible.
Emily (11:07):
But you really aren't obligated to use either pattern
blocks or Legos. Any calming andengaging activity will work as
your first morning of schoolactivity. The key is just
choosing something that's openended but doesn't require a lot
of setup or explanation fromyou.
Heidi (11:21):
Now, once you've welcomed each student and offered them an
engaging activity, the thirdgoal of your first 20 minutes is
to teach the most importantprocedures. These are the ones
that your students absolutelyneed to know to be successful
today. And we've said thisbefore, but it bears repeating,
the first thing you need toteach is not your attention
(11:42):
signal.
Emily (11:42):
We know lots of class management experts recommend
starting with your attentionsignal, but we disagree, because
we have weirdly strong opinionsabout this and many other
things. Don't start with yourattention signal. Start with
your bathroom procedure. There'salways at least one kiddo with a
nervous tummy on the first day,and you definitely don't want
them sitting there worried aboutwhat to do if they need to use
(12:03):
the restroom.
Heidi (12:05):
Plus teaching the bathroom first sends a message
that you care about theircomfort and well being. This is
actually a really welcoming wayto start. You're essentially
saying, I want to make sure thatyou feel safe and taken care of
here.
Emily (12:17):
Keep it simple and clear. Teach the routine you want to
use all year. Make sure theyknow where the restroom is
located and how to re enter theclassroom without causing a
distraction.
Heidi (12:26):
And you can really just play up the silliness. Get your
most serious face on and tellstudents you're going to teach
them the most important thingthey're going to learn all year.
Just pause and really let thedrama build, and then tell them,
let me tell you how to get tothe bathroom.
Emily (12:43):
Yeah, that's a sure fire way to break the ice with kids.
And once that's out of the way,then you can move on to your
attention signal. Choosesomething that feels natural to
you. Maybe it's a chime, maybeit's a clapping pattern, maybe
it's just raising your hand. Thekey is being consistent about
how you introduce it.
Heidi (12:59):
You can try something like, when you see me raise my
hand like this, that means stopwhat you're doing, look at me,
and raise your hand too. Allright, let's practice. You keep
building with your blocks, andwhen you see my signal, remember
to stop, look and raise yourhand.
Emily (13:13):
We did a deep dive into attention signals in Episode 98
where we shared all of our besttips and troubleshooting hacks.
Definitely make sure to go backand check that one out if you
want some pointers or if yourattention signal needs some
help.
Heidi (13:25):
Practice your attention signal a few times while
students are working with theblocks. This gives them a chance
to experience success with thesignal while doing something
they enjoy, rather than feelingput on the spot.
Emily (13:34):
Once you've taught about the bathroom and your attention
signal, tell students that theyhave five more minutes to finish
their designs while you handlethe fourth goal, and that is to
get your administrative tasksout of the way so you can focus
on your students. So this iswhen you handle all of your
teacher tasks, like attendance,lunch count, any forms that need
to go to the office, all thebehind the scenes stuff that
(13:55):
keeps the school running.
Heidi (13:56):
Here's where having a clear script for the day really
pays off. Write yourself noteslike, send attendance, in all
caps, so you don't forget in thechaos of the moment. Trust me,
you don't want to start off theyear with the front office
having to track down yournumbers.
Emily (14:12):
Okay, so you got that taken care of. Good. Now here's
a real veteran teacher hack.Don't be in a rush to jump into
the day. Once you've sent inyour attendance and dealt with
your tasks, just take a momentand pause. This is our fifth
goal. If the kids are stillengaged with their activity,
take two minutes to step backand just watch.
Heidi (14:30):
Yeah, this might be your last quiet moment until three
o'clock. So make it count.Observe how things are going.
How are the kids interactingwith each other, who seems
comfortable, who might need someextra support? Maybe even snap a
quick candid photo of the lastmoment when it's all still
peaceful.
Emily (14:50):
And this is the perfect moment to give yourself a little
internal high five. Look aroundat your beautiful classroom, see
your students engaged and calm,and acknowledge how much work
you put in to make this momentpossible.
Heidi (15:01):
You prepared for this, you planned for this, and it is
working. You can imagine Emilyand me there in spirit cheering
you on. You deserve to take afew seconds to appreciate that
success before diving into theconveyor belt of busyness that
is about to kick off.
Emily (15:18):
When it's time to transition, prepare students
with a cue in advance. In onemore minute, we're going to
clean up our blocks. Thispreview of what's coming reduces
anxiety and gets them into therhythm of listening for
directions.
Heidi (15:30):
Once the minute is up, make use of that attention
signal you just taught. Makesure everyone is focused on you,
and then explain how you wantthem to clean up and what they
should do after. This transitionbecomes your first opportunity
to practice following directionsas a group, which sets you up
beautifully for the rest of theday.
Emily (15:46):
So let's recap what those first 20 minutes might look like
when you put all five goalstogether. First, you're
welcoming and settling. You'regoing to greet students at the
door, give them clear directionsfor what to do when they enter,
and then they're going to behanging up backpacks, making
lunch choices, and managinganything else that needs to
happen.
Heidi (16:05):
Next you're making sure everyone is calmly engaged. That
might be sitting down to explorepattern blocks or Lego mats or
another open ended activity.
Emily (16:13):
Once everyone is in their spot and the bell rings, wait
for any announcements, and thenstart your third goal,
establishing essentialguidelines. Teach your bathroom
procedure first and then yourattention signal.
Heidi (16:24):
Tell your students they have a few more minutes to
explore with the blocks whileyou attend your fourth goal.
Handle administrative tasks,take attendance, make your lunch
count, and observe how the groupis settling in. Don't forget to
pause to appreciate this momentthat you have worked so hard to
create.
Emily (16:40):
And as your first 20 minutes wrap up, cover your
fifth goal and set students upfor a successful transition. Use
your attention signal to bringthem together and give them
clear directions for cleaning upand transitioning to the next
activity.
Heidi (16:54):
And just like that, you have accomplished five crucial
goals. Your students feelwelcomed and safe and you're
ready to move into the rest ofyour carefully planned day.
You've set everyone up forsuccess and opened the door to a
calm and confident first day ofschool.
Emily (17:09):
We'd love to hear your best first day of school
suggestions. Come join theconversation in our Teacher
Approved Facebook group.
Now for our Teacher Approved Tipof the Week, where we share an
actionable tip to help youelevate what matters and
simplify the rest. This week'steacher approved tip is have a
plan for first day tears.
Heidi (17:29):
Oh yeah, you know how it goes. No matter how perfectly
you plan those first 20 minutes,someone might still end up in
tears. That is just to beexpected.
Emily (17:38):
Yeah, especially in the younger grades. First, remember
that tears on the first day areusually about big feelings, not
about you or your classroom.Kids might be sad about leaving
mom, worried about makingfriends, or just overwhelmed by
all the newness.
Heidi (17:52):
The way to manage this is to have a comfort plan all ready
to go. Maybe it's a specialstuffed animal in your classroom
that gets to sit with thestudent. Maybe it's a quiet
corner with soft pillows, ormaybe it's just sitting next to
you while the rest of the classcontinues with their activity.
Emily (18:07):
Keep in mind that often the best comfort is just a calm
routine. When that crying childsees other kids happily building
with blocks and following simpledirections, they usually start
to feel more secure too.
Heidi (18:17):
Trust the process. Your thoughtful planning and calm
energy will help even your mostanxious students settle in. And
remember tears on day one don'tpredict how the rest of the year
will go.
Alright, to wrap up the show,we're sharing what we're giving
extra credit to this week.Emily, what gets your extra
credit?
Emily (18:33):
Well, I've got some high art to tell you about, because
I'm giving extra credit to thenew Netflix family movie, K
Popdemon Hunters. I had heardall the buzz about it, and my
daughters both watched it ontheir own, and they're nine and
15, and they both loved it. So Iwas like, Okay, let's just watch
it. So we watched it last nightfor movie night, and I have to
(18:54):
say, I went in with very lowexpectations, but it was
actually really good.
Heidi (18:58):
Good.
Emily (19:00):
The characters are like interesting and nuanced, and the
music is super catchy. But thebiggest surprise for me was that
it was actually very funny. Irarely find kids cartoons
actually funny, but this waslegitimately funny. So if you
need an idea for family movienight, check out k pop demon
hunters. And even without kidsHeidi, maybe you should give it
a watch.
Heidi (19:19):
I didn't realize it was animated.
Emily (19:21):
Oh yeah. What are you giving extra credit to, Heidi?
Heidi (19:24):
Well, I'm giving extra credit to not an animated movie.
It's very different. I'm givingextra credit to my new Laurel
Denise planner. I have not hadan official planner, planner,
grown up planner, since Istarted teaching, and that's so
funny, because all through highschool and all through college,
I was a dedicated Franklin Coveygirl. I had the binders for each
(19:45):
year, the whole bit.
Emily (19:46):
Oh yeah, I think I still have some of those in my closet
at mom and dad's house, like thepast, the past years, because it
was so important to keep my whatI wrote on them in high school.
Heidi (19:56):
Oh, absolutely, of course it was. But since then, I just
haven't found anything that Icould keep up with. I think when
I was teaching, I just used myplan book.
And I've tried different things over the years, but what
Emily (20:05):
Yeah.
I ended up using was just anotebook that was basically one
long row for the week with like,a to do list for each day. And
that worked well, but I hatedthat I didn't have a calendar
that I could reference. Stuffwould catch me off guard all the
time, because I couldn't see themonth at a glance. So I would
(20:27):
have to, like, remember to lookat my phone and see what's going
on, and I didn't always seethat. But this planner keeps
that same format with the longrow for the week, with the
little to do list at the bottom,but there's a monthly calendar
at the top. It's exactly what Ineeded, and I have actually been
able to stay on top of using it.Haven't fallen to my bad planner
habit of, like, trying somethingfor a few weeks and never
keeping up with it.
Oh yeah, every time for me.
Heidi (20:47):
Yeah. But I am like, six weeks into this one, and it has
been great. I love it. There's alink to it in the show notes if
you also need a grown upplanner.
Emily (20:57):
Maybe I need to check it out.
Heidi (20:58):
Yeah, I will say it does take up a lot of space on my
desk, so that is the downside. Iwould, like half the size would
be perfect.
Emily (21:04):
Yeah.
Heidi (21:05):
But you know how things go.
Well, that's it for today'sepisode. Remember that being
intentional with those first 20minutes can help the rest of the
day flow much more smoothly.With clear goals and a solid
plan, you can create a calm,confident start that sets
everyone up for success.
Emily (21:22):
And make sure to check the show notes for links to our
back to school pattern blocksmats, first day Lego mats, and
our brain breaks to help youavoid any unexpected time.
Because when you've planned thisthoroughly, you can focus on
what really matters, which isconnecting with your students.
Heidi (21:37):
We hope you enjoyed this episode of Teacher Approved. I'm
Heidi.
Emily (21:41):
And I'm Emily. Thank you for listening. Be sure to follow
or subscribe in your podcast appso that you never miss an
episode.
Heidi (21:48):
You can connect with us and other teachers in the
Teacher Approved Facebook group.We'll see you here next week.
Bye for now.
Emily (21:54):
Bye.
This is episode 215 of Teacher Approved.
You're listening to TeacherApproved, the podcast helping
educators elevate what mattersand simplify the rest. I'm
Heidi.
Emily (00:14):
And I'm Emily. We're the creators behind Second Story
Window, where we give researchbased and teacher approved
strategies that make teachingless stressful and more
effective. You can check out theshow notes and resources from
each episode atsecondstorywindow.net.
Heidi (00:29):
We're so glad you're tuning in today. Let's get to
the show.
Emily (00:36):
Hey there. Thanks for joining us today. In today's
episode, we are diving deep intothe first 20 minutes of the
first day of school, and we'resharing exactly how to use those
crucial opening moments to setyourself up for a successful day
and year. Plus, we'll share ateacher approved tip for
handling those inevitable firstday tears.
Heidi (00:58):
But let's start with a try it tomorrow, where we share
a favorite quick win that youcan try in your life right away.
Emily, what's our suggestion forthis week?
Emily (01:05):
This week, try giving yourself a compliment out loud.
I know it kind of sounds silly,but research shows that speaking
positive self talk aloud is moreeffective than just thinking it.
So tomorrow, when you dosomething well, maybe you handle
a tricky situation smoothly, orremember to send an important
email, say something like, Goodjob me, or I handled that so
(01:27):
well. It will feel silly, I'msure, but your brain needs to
hear that encouragement,especially during busy times
like back to school.
Heidi (01:35):
I love this. This is so whimsical and it's effective.
And if you find that sayingsomething out loud feels too
weird, you can try writingyourself a quick note in your
planner. Future you willappreciate the reminder that
present you is doing greatthings.
Emily (01:48):
If you like this idea or anything else we share here on
the podcast, could you take aminute and give us a five star
rating and review on Applepodcasts? That's one way that
new listeners find us. So everyrating and review is just super
helpful.
Heidi (02:02):
Over the years, Emily and I have created an extensive
library of back to schoolproducts. So to help you find
the tools that will make thestart of your new year easier,
today we are spotlighting ourback to school brain breaks.
Emily (02:15):
Well, since today's episode is about how to make the
first day of school runsmoothly, we wanted to share an
important tool for the first fewdays, your emergency time
fillers. So until you geteveryone into their new routine,
you have no way of knowing if anactivity is going to take five
minutes or 25 minutes. Andthat's why you need to have some
ready to go time fillers thatyou can grab at a moment's
(02:36):
notice. And that's where thesebrain breaks come in handy.
Heidi (02:38):
We intentionally designed these to work without
Unknown (02:39):
You'll be so relieved to have these on hand at the
technology, so that you can usethese on the fly without needing
to prep anything. You just printoff the cards of the activities
that sound interesting andyou're all ready to go to fill
any unexpected downtime, or, youknow, to help kids get their
start of the year, but we alsohave brain breaks to help you
wiggles out if they've beensitting too long for all of your
rules and procedures.
(03:03):
manage your class all year long.So you can find a link to our
brain breaks in the show notes.
Emily (03:07):
Okay, picture this. It's 7:30am on the first day of
school. You've been planning forweeks. Your classroom looks
amazing, and you're as ready asyou'll ever be, but then the
kids start arriving, andsuddenly your mind goes
completely blank. Where do youeven start?
Heidi (03:22):
Yeah, that's a rough moment. When you're standing
there with 20 something littlestrangers looking at you
expectantly, it's easy to feeloverwhelmed by the 50 things
that feel like they need tohappen at the exact same time.
Emily (03:34):
So that's why we're breaking down exactly what
should happen in those first 20minutes of the first day. Of
course, we have some suggestedactivities, but we're also
sharing the why behind eachchoice and how they all work
together to create the calm,confident start that you're
looking for.
Heidi (03:51):
Think of this as your game plan. Just like a football
coach scripts the first 15 to 20plays of a game, we're going to
script those opening minutes sothat you can focus on connecting
with your students instead offrantically trying to remember
what comes next.
Emily (04:05):
Don't worry, you don't have to keep track of 15 to 20
football plays. Instead, we'regoing to organize everything
that needs to happen into fivegoals. Each of these goals
serves a specific purpose inhelping to make the first 20
minutes the key that unlocks ahappy and successful first day
of school.
Heidi (04:22):
So first we'll talk about what those goals are, and then
we're going to walk you throughexactly how to achieve each one.
So your first goal is to welcomeeach student and help them
settle into this new space.Remember, some of your kids woke
up so excited that morning, butothers might have really been
anxious about this moment forweeks.
Emily (04:40):
This is where greeting at the door becomes so powerful.
When you stand at your classroomdoor and personally welcome each
child, you're sending themessage that they belong here
and that you're genuinely happyto see them.
Heidi (04:52):
to be able to say good morning and send them off onto
their routine, but on the firstday, your students don't know
anything. So you need to besituated where you can explain
exactly what they need to dowhen they walk into your
classroom.
Emily (05:05):
So as you greet each student, you're also giving them
their first mini lesson. Goodmorning, Sophia. Hang your
backpack on any hook with agreen dot, then choose a lunch
from the chart on the board andfind your desk.
Heidi (05:17):
Keep it simple and specific. It will be helpful to
post these steps on the board,and if you really want to take
the stress level down, consideradding picture cues next to the
words for anyone who might befeeling a little shaky in their
reading ability at that moment.
Emily (05:32):
And still be prepared to repeat these directions to each
student individually as theyarrive. It is tedious for the
teacher, but it's better thanleaving kids wondering and
confused. That will only amp uptheir first day nerves, and we
do not want that.
Heidi (05:46):
If it's handy, you can have name tags with you at the
door, or you can have themwaiting on your students desks.
Consider what makes the bestsense for your situation.
Helping your students get theirname tags on can be a calming
point of one on one connection,but on the other hand, it might
further complicate an alreadycomplicated morning, if you're
holding up the flow of trafficand you have a big line of kids
trying to get into the room.There's not a right or wrong
(06:10):
answer for this, just make surethat you are thinking about the
pros and cons of your differentoptions well in advance.
Emily (06:17):
Yeah, do yourself a favor by making as many decisions as
possible ahead of time, becauseyou've got enough on your plate
without having decision fatiguedraining your energy on that
first day.
And then once you've welcomedyour students, your second goal
is to provide an activity thatcalms nervous energy while
keeping everyone engaged. Andthat is where we circle back to
one of our all time favoritestrategies, which is pattern
(06:39):
blocks.
Heidi (06:40):
If you have been with us for a while, you know we are
obsessed with pattern blocks forthis exact moment. In fact, we
are so passionate about this, wewould recommend investing in a
class set of blocks, even if younever use them a single time to
teach math. And Emily and Ireally don't recommend spending
money on much for yourclassroom.
Emily (07:00):
Yeah, but pattern blocks can be your secret weapon for
inside recess, keeping thesiblings of your students
entertained during parentconferences, rewarding your
class with a fun and easyactivity, and so much more.
Everyone loves pattern blocks.I've even had to drag teenagers
away from playing with them.They're so versatile, but let's
(07:20):
talk about what makes themespecially perfect for the first
morning of school.
Heidi (07:23):
Well, we have a list of reasons. Of course we do. First,
pattern blocks require zeroexplanation. Kids see blocks on
the table, they immediately knowwhat to do. Little kids are
going to dive right in. Big kidsare going to maybe act like
they're too old for them, butthey still get drawn in. There
are no complicated directionsfor you to give or for students
to follow, and that is crucialto your success when you're
(07:46):
creating new arrivals every fewminutes.
Emily (07:48):
The second reason that pattern blocks are so amazing is
that they're naturally calming.There's something about the
tactile nature of the blocks andthe way they invite pattern
making that just settles kidsdown. Even your most anxious
student can find successbuilding with blocks, and if you
can afford it, a set of woodpattern blocks is even better
than plastic. It just adds tothe relaxing vibes.
Heidi (08:09):
The third reason that pattern blocks are ideal for the
first morning of school is thatthey are completely open ended.
That means at no point will youhave to answer the dreaded, 'I'm
done, now what' question. No oneis going to race to the end and
start pestering their neighbors.Kids are happy to keep exploring
and creating for as long as youneed them to.
Emily (08:30):
And the fourth reason is that the prep of pattern blocks
couldn't be simpler. Get somedollar store trays, put a pile
of blocks in the middle of eachtable or on each desk, and
you're good to go. Really, anycontainer will work for this.
But if you have kids sharing theblocks, it's easier for them to
reach into a container with lowsides instead of having to dig
the blocks out of one of thosebins.
Heidi (08:51):
You really, really do not have to stress over this step. I
have gotten as low key asdumping them onto sheets of
paper because I didn't thinkahead to get containers. And you
know what? It worked great.Pattern blocks for the win every
time. And look at that. You haveyour first morning activity
planned, prepped and ready to goin about two and a half minutes.
Emily (09:12):
If you want to add a little more structure, we do
have a set of back to schoolpattern block mats that we
designed specifically for backto school. So there's a school
bus and a backpack and all thatfun stuff, and there are two
versions of each map. One ismore open ended with a blank
outline of the shape so studentscan explore and see which shapes
can fill the space, and then theother version has outlines of
(09:33):
the specific shape blocks.
Heidi (09:35):
We did include both sets so you can differentiate as
needed. But when Emily and Itaught preschool, we used the
open shapes with ourpreschoolers, and they can
handle it fine, so I definitelythink any elementary age student
should be able to handle itwithout a problem.
Emily (09:48):
Plus, the more open ended the task, the more engaged they
will be. And we need to keepthem busy for a few minutes so
we can get this new school yearunderway.
Heidi (09:56):
One thing I love about this back to school pattern
block set is that each of themats has a get to know you
question at the top. Thequestions relate to whatever the
shape is. So for the pizzaslice, the question is, what's
your favorite lunch?
Emily (10:08):
Yep, and that's a simple way to help kids feel welcomed
in class. If they can read, theycould talk about the questions
with their neighbors as theywork, or when you're walking
around as the kids are creating,it gives you an easy way to
initiate conversation.
Heidi (10:22):
And we also included some editable slides. If you want to
have something posted for thekids to do, you can easily add
your welcome message and thendirect the kids to explore with
the blocks until it's time toget started.
Emily (10:33):
Okay, that's a lot of information, but don't feel like
you have to remember all this.We also include a Teacher's
Guide to walk you through allthe whys and hows. In the show
notes, you will find a link tothe pattern block set and to our
Lego activity mats. It hassimilar activities to the
pattern blocks, but might be alittle more appealing to your
older kids, assuming you haveaccess to a bunch of basic
Legos.
Heidi (10:54):
Yeah, but it actually might be easier to track down a
tub of loose Lego pieces than tobuy a class set of Lego blocks.
Emily (11:00):
Good point.
Heidi (11:01):
You could probably even get donations from your
neighborhood if you want to dothis as cheaply as possible.
Emily (11:07):
But you really aren't obligated to use either pattern
blocks or Legos. Any calming andengaging activity will work as
your first morning of schoolactivity. The key is just
choosing something that's openended but doesn't require a lot
of setup or explanation fromyou.
Heidi (11:21):
Now, once you've welcomed each student and offered them an
engaging activity, the thirdgoal of your first 20 minutes is
to teach the most importantprocedures. These are the ones
that your students absolutelyneed to know to be successful
today. And we've said thisbefore, but it bears repeating,
the first thing you need toteach is not your attention
(11:42):
signal.
Emily (11:42):
We know lots of class management experts recommend
starting with your attentionsignal, but we disagree, because
we have weirdly strong opinionsabout this and many other
things. Don't start with yourattention signal. Start with
your bathroom procedure. There'salways at least one kiddo with a
nervous tummy on the first day,and you definitely don't want
them sitting there worried aboutwhat to do if they need to use
(12:03):
the restroom.
Heidi (12:05):
Plus teaching the bathroom first sends a message
that you care about theircomfort and well being. This is
actually a really welcoming wayto start. You're essentially
saying, I want to make sure thatyou feel safe and taken care of
here.
Emily (12:17):
Keep it simple and clear. Teach the routine you want to
use all year. Make sure theyknow where the restroom is
located and how to re enter theclassroom without causing a
distraction.
Heidi (12:26):
And you can really just play up the silliness. Get your
most serious face on and tellstudents you're going to teach
them the most important thingthey're going to learn all year.
Just pause and really let thedrama build, and then tell them,
let me tell you how to get tothe bathroom.
Emily (12:43):
Yeah, that's a sure fire way to break the ice with kids.
And once that's out of the way,then you can move on to your
attention signal. Choosesomething that feels natural to
you. Maybe it's a chime, maybeit's a clapping pattern, maybe
it's just raising your hand. Thekey is being consistent about
how you introduce it.
Heidi (12:59):
You can try something like, when you see me raise my
hand like this, that means stopwhat you're doing, look at me,
and raise your hand too. Allright, let's practice. You keep
building with your blocks, andwhen you see my signal, remember
to stop, look and raise yourhand.
Emily (13:13):
We did a deep dive into attention signals in Episode 98
where we shared all of our besttips and troubleshooting hacks.
Definitely make sure to go backand check that one out if you
want some pointers or if yourattention signal needs some
help.
Heidi (13:25):
Practice your attention signal a few times while
students are working with theblocks. This gives them a chance
to experience success with thesignal while doing something
they enjoy, rather than feelingput on the spot.
Emily (13:34):
Once you've taught about the bathroom and your attention
signal, tell students that theyhave five more minutes to finish
their designs while you handlethe fourth goal, and that is to
get your administrative tasksout of the way so you can focus
on your students. So this iswhen you handle all of your
teacher tasks, like attendance,lunch count, any forms that need
to go to the office, all thebehind the scenes stuff that
(13:55):
keeps the school running.
Heidi (13:56):
Here's where having a clear script for the day really
pays off. Write yourself noteslike, send attendance, in all
caps, so you don't forget in thechaos of the moment. Trust me,
you don't want to start off theyear with the front office
having to track down yournumbers.
Emily (14:12):
Okay, so you got that taken care of. Good. Now here's
a real veteran teacher hack.Don't be in a rush to jump into
the day. Once you've sent inyour attendance and dealt with
your tasks, just take a momentand pause. This is our fifth
goal. If the kids are stillengaged with their activity,
take two minutes to step backand just watch.
Heidi (14:30):
Yeah, this might be your last quiet moment until three
o'clock. So make it count.Observe how things are going.
How are the kids interactingwith each other, who seems
comfortable, who might need someextra support? Maybe even snap a
quick candid photo of the lastmoment when it's all still
peaceful.
Emily (14:50):
And this is the perfect moment to give yourself a little
internal high five. Look aroundat your beautiful classroom, see
your students engaged and calm,and acknowledge how much work
you put in to make this momentpossible.
Heidi (15:01):
You prepared for this, you planned for this, and it is
working. You can imagine Emilyand me there in spirit cheering
you on. You deserve to take afew seconds to appreciate that
success before diving into theconveyor belt of busyness that
is about to kick off.
Emily (15:18):
When it's time to transition, prepare students
with a cue in advance. In onemore minute, we're going to
clean up our blocks. Thispreview of what's coming reduces
anxiety and gets them into therhythm of listening for
directions.
Heidi (15:30):
Once the minute is up, make use of that attention
signal you just taught. Makesure everyone is focused on you,
and then explain how you wantthem to clean up and what they
should do after. This transitionbecomes your first opportunity
to practice following directionsas a group, which sets you up
beautifully for the rest of theday.
Emily (15:46):
So let's recap what those first 20 minutes might look like
when you put all five goalstogether. First, you're
welcoming and settling. You'regoing to greet students at the
door, give them clear directionsfor what to do when they enter,
and then they're going to behanging up backpacks, making
lunch choices, and managinganything else that needs to
happen.
Heidi (16:05):
Next you're making sure everyone is calmly engaged. That
might be sitting down to explorepattern blocks or Lego mats or
another open ended activity.
Emily (16:13):
Once everyone is in their spot and the bell rings, wait
for any announcements, and thenstart your third goal,
establishing essentialguidelines. Teach your bathroom
procedure first and then yourattention signal.
Heidi (16:24):
Tell your students they have a few more minutes to
explore with the blocks whileyou attend your fourth goal.
Handle administrative tasks,take attendance, make your lunch
count, and observe how the groupis settling in. Don't forget to
pause to appreciate this momentthat you have worked so hard to
create.
Emily (16:40):
And as your first 20 minutes wrap up, cover your
fifth goal and set students upfor a successful transition. Use
your attention signal to bringthem together and give them
clear directions for cleaning upand transitioning to the next
activity.
Heidi (16:54):
And just like that, you have accomplished five crucial
goals. Your students feelwelcomed and safe and you're
ready to move into the rest ofyour carefully planned day.
You've set everyone up forsuccess and opened the door to a
calm and confident first day ofschool.
Emily (17:09):
We'd love to hear your best first day of school
suggestions. Come join theconversation in our Teacher
Approved Facebook group.
Now for our Teacher Approved Tipof the Week, where we share an
actionable tip to help youelevate what matters and
simplify the rest. This week'steacher approved tip is have a
plan for first day tears.
Heidi (17:29):
Oh yeah, you know how it goes. No matter how perfectly
you plan those first 20 minutes,someone might still end up in
tears. That is just to beexpected.
Emily (17:38):
Yeah, especially in the younger grades. First, remember
that tears on the first day areusually about big feelings, not
about you or your classroom.Kids might be sad about leaving
mom, worried about makingfriends, or just overwhelmed by
all the newness.
Heidi (17:52):
The way to manage this is to have a comfort plan all ready
to go. Maybe it's a specialstuffed animal in your classroom
that gets to sit with thestudent. Maybe it's a quiet
corner with soft pillows, ormaybe it's just sitting next to
you while the rest of the classcontinues with their activity.
Emily (18:07):
Keep in mind that often the best comfort is just a calm
routine. When that crying childsees other kids happily building
with blocks and following simpledirections, they usually start
to feel more secure too.
Heidi (18:17):
Trust the process. Your thoughtful planning and calm
energy will help even your mostanxious students settle in. And
remember tears on day one don'tpredict how the rest of the year
will go.
Alright, to wrap up the show,we're sharing what we're giving
extra credit to this week.Emily, what gets your extra
credit?
Emily (18:33):
Well, I've got some high art to tell you about, because
I'm giving extra credit to thenew Netflix family movie, K
Popdemon Hunters. I had heardall the buzz about it, and my
daughters both watched it ontheir own, and they're nine and
15, and they both loved it. So Iwas like, Okay, let's just watch
it. So we watched it last nightfor movie night, and I have to
(18:54):
say, I went in with very lowexpectations, but it was
actually really good.
Heidi (18:58):
Good.
Emily (19:00):
The characters are like interesting and nuanced, and the
music is super catchy. But thebiggest surprise for me was that
it was actually very funny. Irarely find kids cartoons
actually funny, but this waslegitimately funny. So if you
need an idea for family movienight, check out k pop demon
hunters. And even without kidsHeidi, maybe you should give it
a watch.
Heidi (19:19):
I didn't realize it was animated.
Emily (19:21):
Oh yeah. What are you giving extra credit to, Heidi?
Heidi (19:24):
Well, I'm giving extra credit to not an animated movie.
It's very different. I'm givingextra credit to my new Laurel
Denise planner. I have not hadan official planner, planner,
grown up planner, since Istarted teaching, and that's so
funny, because all through highschool and all through college,
I was a dedicated Franklin Coveygirl. I had the binders for each
(19:45):
year, the whole bit.
Emily (19:46):
Oh yeah, I think I still have some of those in my closet
at mom and dad's house, like thepast, the past years, because it
was so important to keep my whatI wrote on them in high school.
Heidi (19:56):
Oh, absolutely, of course it was. But since then, I just
haven't found anything that Icould keep up with. I think when
I was teaching, I just used myplan book.
And I've tried different things over the years, but what
Emily (20:05):
Yeah.
I ended up using was just anotebook that was basically one
long row for the week with like,a to do list for each day. And
that worked well, but I hatedthat I didn't have a calendar
that I could reference. Stuffwould catch me off guard all the
time, because I couldn't see themonth at a glance. So I would
(20:27):
have to, like, remember to lookat my phone and see what's going
on, and I didn't always seethat. But this planner keeps
that same format with the longrow for the week, with the
little to do list at the bottom,but there's a monthly calendar
at the top. It's exactly what Ineeded, and I have actually been
able to stay on top of using it.Haven't fallen to my bad planner
habit of, like, trying somethingfor a few weeks and never
keeping up with it.
Oh yeah, every time for me.
Heidi (20:47):
Yeah. But I am like, six weeks into this one, and it has
been great. I love it. There's alink to it in the show notes if
you also need a grown upplanner.
Emily (20:57):
Maybe I need to check it out.
Heidi (20:58):
Yeah, I will say it does take up a lot of space on my
desk, so that is the downside. Iwould, like half the size would
be perfect.
Emily (21:04):
Yeah.
Heidi (21:05):
But you know how things go.
Well, that's it for today'sepisode. Remember that being
intentional with those first 20minutes can help the rest of the
day flow much more smoothly.With clear goals and a solid
plan, you can create a calm,confident start that sets
everyone up for success.
Emily (21:22):
And make sure to check the show notes for links to our
back to school pattern blocksmats, first day Lego mats, and
our brain breaks to help youavoid any unexpected time.
Because when you've planned thisthoroughly, you can focus on
what really matters, which isconnecting with your students.
Heidi (21:37):
We hope you enjoyed this episode of Teacher Approved. I'm
Heidi.
Emily (21:41):
And I'm Emily. Thank you for listening. Be sure to follow
or subscribe in your podcast appso that you never miss an
episode.
Heidi (21:48):
You can connect with us and other teachers in the
Teacher Approved Facebook group.We'll see you here next week.
Bye for now.
Emily (21:54):
Bye.
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