Get-to-Know-You Activities for the First Weeks of Kindergarten

Inside: Here you’ll find some of my favorite get-to-know-you activities that help build classroom community at the beginning of the kindergarten year. 

Make Get-to-Know-You a Priority

It’s so easy to get caught up in the back-to-school to-do list of room set up and name tags, that I sometimes lose sight of the most important goal for September – getting to know my kids!

In the first month, I don’t have to teach them all how to read, use number bonds, or tap words.  But I do need to explore where they come from, what their interests and abilities are, and what their hopes and dreams are for kindergarten. 

Here are some of the first experiences I give children during those initial get-to-know-you weeks at the beginning of the school year. 

My Favorite Get-to-Know-You Activities 

Our Birthdays

I start the year off with birthdays, because we can all connect to this, while discovering that we were born in different months and celebrate in different ways.

We read the silly story of Moira’s Birthday by Robert Munsch, create our birthday pendants, listen to Jack Hartmann’s Birthday Song, and make our birthday crowns.

We share how old we are (well, maybe not me!), find out which of us share the same birthday months, and learn how we will celebrate their special day in kindergarten.     

Our Names

Our names are very special and it’s important that we not only learn each others’ names,  but how to pronounce them correctly. The story, Teach Me Your Name by Huda Essa is a great book that helps children see how someone might feel when their name is not spoken properly.  

We also read stories and sing songs of characters with unusual names such as Tikki Tikki Tembo, Chrysanthemum,
B-i-n-g-o and Rumplestiltskin and we learn that while they might sound different to us, it’s never okay to make fun of someone’s name.

Then, we make name cards, look closely at the letters, and count to see who has the name that is the shortest and longest.

Our Unique Selves

We spend time noticing our physical differences by looking closely at our faces in mirrors, building our faces with loose parts, and drawing self-portraits.

Our Hopes and Dreams

We read A Butterfly Called Hope, by Mary Alice Monroe, share our hopes and dreams for kindergarten, and tell what we want to be when we grow up.  Knowing what children aspire to be when they are older teaches me a lot about where their interest lie now. 

Our Hearts

We read In My Heart by Molly Bang and create heart maps to show what we love most. We also learn about “heart words,” which is our class motto that we carry in our head and in our hearts.   We work together to make a special sign or poster to display those words in our classroom. 

Our Wonders

We meet Curious George and the children share what they are wonder about. I type that in a talk bubble that we add to their self portraits and we hang them up for open house. I keep a list of these wonders and try to find ways to explore them within units or projects that we do throughout the year.

More Get-to-Know-You Topics

Having tried and true get-to-know-you activities ready for the beginning of the year, not only makes those first days a bit more enjoyable, but also sends the message to children that who they are and what they bring to the classroom is important to their teacher.

You can find all of the above activities, as well as more activities on the topics of school, books, colors, numbers, mistakes, and problems in the Get-to-Know-You Kindergarten Kick-Off Deck.

There are 3 activities for each topic with full-color photos to show you the experience in action. It also includes many printables, that make prepping for the activities easy.

To find out how this digital deck works together with the other 5 other Kindergarten Kick-Off Decks, read 6 Building Blocks to Launch Your First Weeks of Kindergarten.

For more ideas on growing classroom culture, check out the Growing a Community category in the Roots & Wings Resource Library.

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