Community Building Back to School Activities

Your students are returning to school! Whether they are online or in-person, the first days of school are all about building relationships and community building. Connecting your community building back to school activities with curriculum helps make the transition back to school easier and allows you to learn more about your students without losing instruction time. These community building back to school activities integrate writing, reading, social studies, science, and math. There are so many fun activities to explore, so you can use them as icebreakers and team builders throughout the whole school year!

Back to School Activities for Writing

First, start your year off with some back to school activities for writing!

Writing Attitude Survey

We’ve all seen it with upper elementary even middle school students. There are some that have the perception that they “can’t write” or “hate writing”. Starting the year with a writing attitude survey can help you address the misconceptions about writing with your whole class to build that solid classroom community and instill a growth mindset. In addition, the writing survey will help you learn more about who your students are as writers to shape your writer’s workshops and other writing instruction. The writing attitude survey contains short answers and multiple choice questions. Handout in class or upload to Google Classroom. You may consider adding the questions to a Google Form in order to sort and keep data on all your students!

Other Writing Activities

The following community building back to school activities for writing are included in this pack!

1. What makes a good writer?
2. Silly stories
3. Writing goals
4. Writing class attitude survey
5. Writer’s workshop guidelines
6. The writing process cycle
7. New school year “all about me”
8. Decorate writer’s notebooks
9. Who is it?
10. Write about things you will never write about
11. Writing non-negotiables
12. I am…
13. Random acts of kindness writing activity
14. Writer’s block
15. Picture writing
16. Write a letter to yourself
17. All about me 2
18. Silly stories 2
19. Expert writing
20. Read aloud persuasion
21. The three types of writing
22. The different types of writing
23. Back to school writing prompts
24. Back to school writing prompts 2
25. Pen pal letters
26. Teacher KWL chart
27. Letter writing to authors
28. Acrostic Poems
29. Quick write
30. Building writing stamina

You’ll never run out of fun, community building writing activities to try with your students.

Back to School Activities for Reading

I get so excited about meeting my new readers each year! Using books and reading activities to engage students in the first few days can be done at any level. My goal is to always get an independent reading book in the hands of my students in the first few days! Here are some activities to try with your readers.

Reading Scavenger Hunt

Use your classroom library or take your students to the school library and have them find different genres of books with a fun, engaging scavenger hunt. Modify for online learners by showing them how to access the ebooks through your school or local library.

Other Reading Activities

Check out all the community building back to school activities for reading!

1. Reading Goals
2. Reading Class Attitude Survey
3. What Makes a Good Reader?
4. Reading Windows
5. Reading Scavenger Hunt
6. Reading Scavenger Hunt with People
7. Reading Life Timelines
8. Never Too Many Books
9. Teach the Teacher About Books
10. Book Commercials
11. Book Talks
12. Book Raffles
13. Reading Genre Chart Papers
14. Figurative Language Chart Papers
15. Book Recommendations for Peers
16. Book Recommendations for Ourselves
17. Book Wish List For Teachers
18. Scholastic Competitions
19. Great Book, Gross Book
20. Genre Book Displays
21. Book Quotes Graffiti Wall
22. “Books We’ve Read” Wall
23. 40-Book Challenge
24. Blind Date With a Book
25. Reading Buddies 2.0
26. Reading Pen Pals
27. Great Picture Books for Back to School 1
28. Great Picture Books for Back to School 2
29. Great Short Novels for Back to School Read Alouds
30. Great Novels for Back to School Read Alouds

Get ready to start the year with reading and these fun activities!

Back to School Activities for Science

We don’t always think of getting to know you or team-building activities with science. However, these community building science activities are some of my favorite ways to start the new school year!

How Many Pennies?

I love this activity for community building in science! Your students will build foil boats to see how many pennies they hold. This activity teaches your about buoyancy and weight, and requires few supplies. All you will need is bowls of water, aluminum foil (to make the boats), and pennies. Save this activity for a time when students can share supplies or have students complete in class or at home on their own and compare results!

Other Science Activities

The following engaging back to school science activities are found in this pack!

1. Science goals
2. Science class attitude survey
3. What makes a good scientist?
4. Portraying scientists and science
5. How many pennies?
6. Scientific reasoning
7. S’mores solar ovens
8. Sink or float?
9. Which item is better?
10. Mystery box
11. Shadows and light
12. Tower topple team building
13. Making observations like scientists
14. Using sense of smell
15. Classifying collections
16. Fingerprints
17. Communications in science
18. Measurement and time
19. Measuring temperature
20. Which gets hotter?
21. Salt or sugar?
22. Paper chromatography
23. How long can you keep an ice cube frozen
24. Falling balls
25. Making raisins dance
26. Camouflage
27. Melting chocolate
28. Raw or boiled?
29. Do oranges float or sink?
30. Will an egg float or sink?

Science is all about hands-on learning, and these activities help students build inquiry and problem-solving skills in and out of the classroom.

Back to School Activities for Social Studies

We always talk about community and service in social studies, so why not incorporate community building back to school activities for social studies in class! Here are some you will find in the social studies back to school activities pack.

Fishing for Headlines

I love this fun, unique activity for social studies while integrating reading! Your students will “fish” using DIY magnetic rods or simply pick a cut up newspaper headline out of a bag, bowl, or bucket. Next, they’ll infer what the article is about then read to learn more! Making connections to current events and sharing with a community of learners is one of the most important things in social studies.

What else will your students learn in social studies? Check out all the activities in the social studies back to school activities pack

1. Social Studies Goals
2. Social Studies Class Attitude Survey
3. What Makes a Good Historian?
4. Family Trees
5. Find it on the Map with Food! (U.S. Edition)
6. Find it on the Map with Food! (World Edition)
7. Ethnicity Flags
8. Family Coat of Arms
9. Classroom Quilt
10. Classroom Recipe Book
11. Class Constitution
12. Dream Vacation Research
13. Food From Around the World
14. Famous Buildings in History Models
15. Fishing for Headlines
16. The Five Components of Social Studies
17. History Scavenger Hunt
18. Classroom Timelines
19. State Symbol Collage
20. American Symbol Art
21. Write a Letter to the President Writing Activity
22. Write a Letter to a Soldier Writing Activity
23. United States President Matching Game Activity
24. The Nobel Peace Prize Craftivity
25. Proclamation Writing Activity
26. Design Your Own Postage Stamps
27. Social Studies Writing Prompts 1
28. Social Studies Writing Prompts 2
29. Social Studies Picture Books
30. Social Studies Chapter Books

Making social studies connections early in the year with back to school activities is one way to start building classroom community!

Back to School Activities for Math

Last but not least, start your math class or block with some community building back to school activities for math!

Math About Me

Have your students make a physical or digital (for online learners) poster with their Math/Number persona! Share numbers like their age, phone number, shoe size, number of siblings, and more! This activity makes math relevant in their own lives.

Other Math Activities

Don’t forget all the other ways to have fun with math icebreakers this year. Check out the list of everything you’ll get with the back to school activities for math pack!

1. Mathematic goals
2. Math class attitude survey
3. What makes a good mathematician?
4. Multiplication war?
5. Math windows
6. Math about me
7. Mental math
8. 21
9. The counting game
10. Number order games
11. Counting multiples zap
12. Geometry art
13. Multiplication compare (Differentiated for 3rd, 4th, 5th, and 6th)
14. Division compare (Differentiated for 3rd, 4th, 5th, and 6th)
15. Get to know your teacher with numbers
16. Facial symmetry
17. Edible shapes
18. Edible arrays
19. Math with dice
20. Read, write, check, learn (Differentiated for 3rd, 4th, 5th, and 6th)
21. Math scavenger hunt
22. Math scavenger hunt WITH PEOPLE
23. Following directions
24. Math tower building
25. What shape?
26. Silent number order
27. Teamwork math
28. What’s the number?
29. Back to school math books one
30. Back to school math books two

These back to school activities for math can be used all year long with your learners!

The community building back to school activities also comes with additional content-neutral icebreakers and more. You can use this pack all year long for community building, but I love starting with a few activities for back to school time.