9 Back to School Freebies

During the weeks before school starts, we spend so much time in our classrooms making it cute, pretty, organized, and as perfect as possible! Before we know it, students are coming and there hasn’t been a lot of time to plan the first week of school! If you have ever felt this way, I’m hoping this post will help you! I have decided to include all of my back to school freebies from the past years of blogging in this one post. I hope this will make it easy for you to find free resources to help with your back to school planning.

9 Back to School Freebies

Here are some freebies that can help you kick off your school year!

1. Back to School Hats

These interactive hats are fun and easy to make during the first day or week of school! These free printable hats are available in a variety of grade levels. You can find them in the A Spoonful of Learning shop or on TPT.

2. Meet the Teacher Night Freebies

Back-to-school night is such an exciting time for students, families, and teachers! I have written an entire post with tips and resources to make the most of meet the teacher night. Check it out to find a variety of freebies that you can use for your meet-and-greet with families.

3. Free First Day of School Plans

I remember at the beginning of my first year of teaching, I had NO CLUE what the first day should look like. I remember asking so many questions and searching forever for some first day of school lesson plans. After many years of teaching, I have put together my favorite ideas for the first day of school in one document. You can find the free lesson plans in my blog post about the first day of school.

4. The Kissing Hand Craft

One of my favorite stories to read with students during the first few days of school is “The Kissing Hand” by Audrey Penn. I love making this adorable Chester the Raccoon craft after we read the story. We place a handprint on the back with a foam heart sticker. It melts my heart when I see how special these little raccoons are to my students!

I have been asked many times for templates for this craft and have finally put them together. You can grab the free templates for this adorable craft here.

5. Take Home Folder Handprints

Do you use take home folders with your students? Use these handprints as a quick guide for both students and families to know which papers stay at home and which need to be returned back to school.

These handprints also help a TON at the end of the day when everyone is packing to go home. You can easily give directions to your students by referring to the handprints. They are my end-of-the-day life saver and I have put them together for you to use, as well! Just click here to grab your free copy.

6. Back to School Mystery Pictures

The first week of school is a great time to practice using school supplies. These mystery puzzles are perfect for helping students practice coloring, cutting, and pasting. Just fill out the form below and these mystery pictures will be delivered straight to your inbox!

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7. Ordering Numbers

Here is another fun activity for the first weeks of school that combines fine motor practice with number sense. Students will cut the numbers and glue them in the correct order from either 1 to 5 or 1 to 10. You can choose the one that works best for your students! Click here or on the image below to grab this freebie!

8. Apple Math and Literacy Centers

Nothing says “back to school” like apples! You can use these free apple-themed math and literacy centers whenever your students are ready for some hands-on learning activities. You could use these for centers rotations, fast finisher activities, or even morning work!

9. Thematic Unit Planning

I LOVE doing thematic units in kindergarten. If you have visited my blog before, I’m sure you already know this! I can’t say enough wonderful things about how unit studies benefit kindergarten students. Whether it’s holidays, fairy tales, or seasons, there are so many fun thematic units that can keep your students engaged in learning!

If you’d like to see how I map out thematic units for the entire school year, you can click here to grab my FREE year-long thematic unit planning document.

Save These Back to School Freebies

I hope you were able to find some helpful resources for your first week(s) of school! If you’d like to come back to this post later, be sure to save the pin below! You’ll be able to easily find these back to school freebies whenever you need them.