12 Engaging First Week of School Activities for 5th Graders

Welcome back to school, 5th grade teachers! The first week is crucial for setting the tone, building relationships, and getting your students excited to learn. Banish those back-to-school jitters with these 12 fun and creative activities that will have your 5th graders smiling from day one.

1. “All About Me” Bags

The classic “All About Me” activity gets a creative twist. This is a perfect activity for the first day of school.

• What You Need: Paper bags, student interest inventory slips, small items from home.
• Instructions: Give every student a paper bag and ask them to fill it with four items that represent their interests, hobbies, family, or summer adventures.
• Purpose: These bags represent who they are—their interests, hobbies, family tidbits, summer memories—whatever makes them who they are.

The next day, gather everyone in a circle for a “show-and-tell” session.

• Sharing Time: Each student gets their moment to share those four things.
• Benefit: It’s personal, colorful, and a powerful way to foster self-awareness while building a sense of belonging right from day one. A quick, fun activity that eases everyone in and sets the tone for classroom community.

This fun activity helps establish classroom rules like listening, taking turns, and respecting others’ opinions, forming a foundational classroom procedure for the rest of the year.

2. Beach Ball Introductions

Ditch the classic introductions and toss a beach ball! This is a great first week of school activity.

• What You Need: Beach ball, permanent marker.
• Instructions: Write quirky questions all over the beach ball like:
  • “What’s your favorite ice cream flavor?”
  • “If you could have any superpower, what would it be?”
  • “What’s your favorite subject?”
• Form a Circle: Have students form a circle, pass the ball around, and answer whichever question their thumb lands on.

The chaos, the laughter, the surprises—there’s magic in this activity. Just watch those first-day jitters disappear.

• Social-Emotional Benefit: This is a great time filler that encourages students to listen actively, builds a welcoming environment, and fosters relationships. It is also an effective approach for students to improve their oral communication skills.

Possible Beach Ball Questions:

• What’s your favorite book?
• If you could be invisible for a day, what would you do?
• What’s one thing you’re really good at?

3. Classroom Time Capsule

Create a nostalgic week of school activity—a time capsule! Let’s set our intentions and celebrate growth with this fun classroom procedure.

• What You Need: A box, slips of paper, markers, a class picture, school supplies, and other memorable items.
• Instructions: Give students some time to write down their dreams, goals, and even wild predictions for the school year.
  • Have them include these goals in the “Student Interest Inventory” for better reflection.
  • Add in a class picture, pieces by students, school supplies, and some mementos.
  • Seal the box and set the date to open it at the end of the year.
• Benefits: You’ll laugh, smile, and realize just how far they’ve come. Time capsules are true “remember when” moments, and they’re a powerful tool for student accountability, reflection, and delayed gratification.
• Social-Emotional Benefit: This sort of school activity is perfect for encouraging student involvement and reflection throughout the weeks of school.

4. “Figure Me Out” Math Puzzles

Who said math can’t be fun? Let’s throw some numbers into this getting-to-know-you mix.

• What You Need: Paper, pencils.
• Instructions:
  • Students come up with 5-10 facts about themselves in numerical form—but with a twist—they write these facts as equations.
  • Age? Maybe it’s “my age + 2 = 12”.
  • Number of pets? Make it a math challenge!
  • Share and have the class solve each equation to guess the student.

It’s a fun game that keeps everyone solving, guessing, and matching the numbers to classmates.

• Academic Benefit: It’s a great way to incorporate math skills in a fun and interactive way.
• Social-Emotional Benefit: This type of activity helps build perspective-taking, problem-solving, and social interactions in the classroom.
• Primary Grades Adaptation: For younger students, use simpler numbers and concepts. Adjust the difficulty based on grade level.

5. Emoji Introductions

Emojis: The universal language of Gen Z.

• What You Need: Paper, markers, access to an emoji chart or device.
• Instructions:
  • Have students use ONLY emojis to introduce themselves—their hobbies, interests, families, and fun facts.
  • Then, partner up, and each pair has to interpret each other’s emoji story.

It’s visual, hilarious, and a great first day of school activity for creativity.

• Academic Benefit: Students practice summarizing and interpreting information.
• Social-Emotional Benefit: This quick learning style quiz helps the teacher understand students’ preferences while helping students collaborate and build social skills.
• Classroom Rules Benefit: Encourages respect for different viewpoints and helps introduce communication skills as part of the classroom procedure.

6. LEGO Challenge

LEGOs aren’t just toys; they’re creative fuel!

• What You Need: Random assortment of LEGO bricks.
• Instructions:
  • Split the class into small groups.
  • Give them a prompt like “Build your dream clubhouse” or “Design a gadget to fly to school.”
  • Set the timer to 15-20 minutes.
  • Once done, have each group present their creation to the class.
• Benefits: The builds will amaze you, and presenting them? That’s when teamwork and creative storytelling collide.
• Social-Emotional Benefit: It promotes teamwork, flexible thinking, and presentation skills—a perfect activity for improving student performance and student involvement.
• Classroom Management Benefit: The LEGO challenge helps develop classroom management by encouraging students to listen, collaborate, and contribute.

7. “Would You Rather” Debates

Time to turn on those critical thinking gears!

• What You Need: “Would You Rather” cards, paper, pencils.
• Instructions:
  • “Would you rather be invisible or be able to fly?” The options are endless, but it’s all about the WHY.
  • Give each student a “Would You Rather” card. They pick their choice, write their reasoning, and find a partner with an opposing view.
  • Debate time!
• Benefits: Respectful disagreement, persuasive arguments, and active listening—skills that build classroom community and broaden perspectives.
• Academic Benefit: It encourages persuasive speaking and writing skills—ideal for language arts classes.

Social-Emotional Benefit: This activity also promotes respectful discussion and an appreciation for diverse perspectives, fostering a positive environment for students.

8. Kindness Rocks

Kindness is the key to building a classroom community.

• What You Need: Smooth rocks, paint, markers, stickers.
• Instructions: Head outside to collect smooth rocks.
  • Back in the classroom, let students paint and decorate their rocks with uplifting messages and images.
  • Once they’re done, go on a walk around the school or community and place the kindness rocks for others to find.

It’s simple, heartwarming, and a powerful way to improve the school-wide sense of community.

• Academic Benefit: Art and creative expression are at play here.
• Social-Emotional Benefit: Encourages empathy, altruism, and community involvement—a life skill that will stay with students far beyond the classroom.

9. “If I Were a Superhero” Writing Prompt

Fifth graders are a creative bunch. Let’s tap into that creativity!

• What You Need: Paper, pencils, markers.
• Instructions:
  • Ask them, “If you were a superhero, what would your power be and how would you use it to make the world better?”
  • Let them illustrate their superhero character.
  • Better yet, plan a superhero day when they can dress up as their alter ego.
• Benefits: It’s more than just writing. It’s self-reflection, problem-solving, and empathy all rolled into one.
• Academic Benefit: Builds writing and planning skills.
• Social-Emotional Benefit: Promotes self-expression, envisioning positive change, and celebrates students’ unique creativity. It fosters an environment where creativity is encouraged.

10. Classroom Bingo

Nothing like a bingo game to bring people together.

• What You Need: Bingo cards, markers, printed descriptions.
• Instructions:
  • Create bingo cards with unique descriptions in each square: “Has a pet cat,” “Can play a musical instrument,” “Has traveled out of the country.”
  • Let the mingling begin! The goal? Find a classmate that fits each description.
  • The first student to fill a line wins.
• Benefits: This interactive game helps students find common ground, build relationships, and introduce classroom rules in a laid-back manner.
• Social-Emotional Benefit: Encourages inclusion and social interaction, forming the backbone of a positive classroom culture.
• Classroom Management: Great for establishing classroom community norms from day one.

11. Back-to-School Escape Room

Get your students working together during the first week with an exciting escape room!

• What You Need: Puzzles, locks, challenges, clues.
• Instructions:
  • Set up a back-to-school-themed escape room with different puzzles and challenges related to classroom procedures, school supplies, and schedules.
  • For example: Cracking a locker combination or deciphering a class schedule.
  • Teams must work together to solve clues before time runs out.
• Benefits: This is not just fun but builds perseverance, problem-solving, collaboration, and teamwork.
• Academic Benefit: Incorporates trial-and-error and critical thinking—a great pre-assessment tool.
• Social-Emotional Benefit: It’s a school-wide bonding activity that lays a foundation for collaboration and teamwork throughout the year.

12. Goal-Setting Glyph

Start the year off with some clear, attainable goals.

• What You Need: Goal-setting glyph templates, markers, crayons.
• Instructions:
  • Provide templates with different symbols—a book for reading goals, a mountain for a challenge to overcome, a paintbrush for creativity.
  • Have students color and personalize their glyphs.
  • Display them on a bulletin board as a reminder throughout the year.
• Benefits: Students can track their goals throughout the school year.
• Social-Emotional Benefit: Encourages recognizing personal goals, identifying motivations, and celebrating diversity in aspirations.
• Classroom Management: Helps in encouraging student accountability, building a vision board that supports their ambitions.

Comparison of Activity Benefits

Quick Tips for Adapting These Activities

• Different Learning Styles? No problem.
  • Use visuals, sentence starters, or manipulatives for written activities.
  • Give extra time or partner support when needed.
• Shy Students? Start with pair work before whole class.
  • Make it low pressure by modeling yourself first—vulnerability invites participation.
• Link to Academic Standards? Activities like the “Figure Me Out” puzzles cover math skills while “Would You Rather” taps into persuasive writing.

Keeping the Momentum

The first week is just the start!

• Use morning meetings, brain breaks, cooperative activities, and encourage student voice all year.
• Celebrate each other’s wins. Be open about your own struggles and success—model a growth mindset.

With a strong classroom foundation, your 5th grade students are sure to thrive, academically and socially.

Additional Tips

Student Interest Inventory

• Conducting a student interest inventory during the first week of school is a fantastic way to understand preferred learning styles and the interests of each student.
• Use digital templates or printable versions to gather information that will guide lesson planning throughout the year.
• This helps in tailoring lessons and activities to fit different learning styles, ultimately improving student performance and involvement.

Creating a Positive Classroom Community

• Building a positive classroom community starts on day one with activities that prioritize collaboration, empathy, and inclusivity.
• From classroom bingo to LEGO challenges, these activities are designed to break barriers and create a supportive environment for students.
• Remember, classroom management starts with building trust and encouraging respect among peers.

Using Vision Boards for Goal Setting

• Vision boards are an excellent way for students to visualize their goals for the year.
• Whether using a digital version or a traditional vision board look, encourage students to set academic and personal goals.
• This type of activity helps keep students accountable and motivated, contributing to the overall classroom procedure of aiming for success.

Incorporating Fun Games as Time Fillers

• Fun games can be an effective way to fill in extra time while still keeping students engaged.
• Activities like scavenger hunts, bingo, and digital planner-type games are perfect for primary grades.
• These games not only serve as time fillers but also reinforce skills in a fun and interactive way.
• Keep these activities in your week of school lineup to ensure there’s never a dull moment.

Student Accountability and Planners

• Encourage students to use digital planners or traditional student planners to stay organized.
• Holding students accountable for their homework assignments and responsibilities helps build a sense of ownership.
• Incorporating planners into the daily classroom routine is an effective classroom management strategy and helps maintain student performance throughout the grade level.

Emphasizing Life Skills and Social-Emotional Learning

• Activities like kindness rocks and “Would You Rather” debates contribute to social-emotional learning by fostering empathy, kindness, and respectful communication.
• These types of activities are not only fun but also help students develop critical life skills.
• The goal is to nurture well-rounded individuals who are prepared for both academic challenges and real-world scenarios.

Favorite Activities to Keep Students Engaged

• Throughout the weeks of school, keep a list of favorite activities that students enjoy the most.
• Whether it’s the LEGO challenge, classroom escape room, or a quick learning style quiz, understanding what resonates with students will help maintain enthusiasm and engagement.
• Rotate these activities in your daily challenges and class time to keep the energy levels high.

Bulletin Board Displays for Student Achievements

• Use the bulletin board to display achievements, student work, or the goal-setting glyphs.
• Creating a visual representation of student success encourages motivation and a growth mindset.
• It also provides a constant reminder of what the class is working towards and celebrates individual and collective milestones.

Conclusion

As you can see, these first week of school activities for 5th grade cover a wide range of academic and social-emotional learning objectives. From STEM skills like mathematical reasoning and engineering to language arts skills like writing and oral communication, there are plenty of ways to get students thinking critically from day one.

Just as importantly, these activities help create a positive classroom culture by building relationships, celebrating diversity, practicing collaboration and empathy, and creating a shared sense of purpose. Students will feel welcomed, included, and excited to learn.

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