The first day of school can be stressful, but so can the weeks leading up to the beginning of the school year. It can be tough to stay organized and remember what all needs to be completed. You can be an experienced teacher or straight out of college; either way it is hard. So, take a deep breath. Check out the tips below to help make the first day of school fun for both you and your students.

Make a Checklist

These are the best way to stay organized and on top of the tasks that need to be completed. The checklist can be a general list of activities that need to be finished. A second option is to create small checklist for the items that need to be done. Here are examples of checklists that can be used while preparing for the first day of school:

• Teacher Supplies needed for the classroom
• Student Supplies needed for the classroom
• Survival Kit items
• Forms needed to give out to students
• Classroom Design
• Items that need to be completed by the first day of school

Supplies for the Classroom

While getting ready for the first day of school make sure there are plenty of supplies for both you and your students. Some students may come unprepared for the first day or they could break or lose some of their supplies. Being overly prepared will help ensure smooth sailing during the first few weeks of school. In addition to having both student and teacher supplies, the classroom will need some as well. Books, posters, bulletin boards, etc. are all items that are commonly kept in classrooms. Books in the classroom will give students something to do during their free time. Games are also a great way to keep students busy during any unexpected free time.

Survival Kit

Keeping a few items in your classroom for different types of emergencies will help keep stress to a minimum. Sewing items, band-aids, snacks, tea/coffee, water bottles, mint/gum, tissues, and hand sanitizer are great to keep in this kit. These items can then be kept in a bag or container for storage until it is needed.

Forms

Students may need to fill out forms on the first day of school. These forms could be a fun fact sheet that can be used to get to know them. The school may also need students to fill out forms as well. While preparing these forms make sure to print an ample amount so that there are plenty of extras in case students need an extra one.

Classroom Design

Designing the classroom can be fun and exciting. You can give your classroom a fun theme during different time of the year. This is also a time to look into bulletin boards and how you would like to use them in the classroom. Hanging up classroom rules is also good so that students know how things will during class. While designing the classroom you can look into setting up learning centers. Or you can look into redesigning the classroom in a nontraditional way.

First Day of School Planning

The first day of school can be overwhelming. This simple checklist is a great resource to help teachers prepare successfully for it. In addition to those items above, there may be other tasks that need to be completed. These can be personal tasks such as looking at the school website, learning the way around the school (if you are new), buying a journal/planner to stay organized while in the classroom, or even collecting all of the important numbers to know. It can also be good to send out a letter to all of the student's parents introducing yourself and letting them know the different ways they can reach you. You could also set up a website or webpage for your classroom that students and parents can look at to find out the different lessons or assignment for class.

Edutopia has a great blog post about a checklist for the first day of school. It is a great resource to go over quickly while preparing. Or if you are looking for an expanded checklist of items to prepare for the school year, about.com has a great one to check out!

How do you prepare for the first day of school? Let us know by leaving a comment!