Have your second grade students color pictures, write the alphabet, create a story and more on the first day of school. Take a group picture or individual photographs with the children. If you can, have someone else take the photo so you can be in it too. Roll everything together and place the material in a tube. Seal it and put it away until the end of the year.
Create bonds with your students. Group each student in pairs, so everyone has a buddy. If you have an uneven number of students, have one group of three. Have each child pick a story from the classroom library. Let students find a comfortable place in the room where the buddies can share the books with one another. While the students are sharing the books, place brownies on a tray and pass them out to the buddies.
One the first day of school, give each student a black piece of paper. Have each child draw a picture of himself. Have the children write one sentence below the picture, sharing one fact. The teacher should create her own page too. Have the pages laminated. Use a three-hole punch on all the pictures as well as a cover and a back page. Use metal rings to hold the pages together and create a class book.
Teach children listening skills by having them follow simple skills. Use an origami animal, such as a dog, butterfly or boat. Give the students colored origami paper. State the instructions, one step at a time. Repeat the steps, if necessary. Because the students are young, there may be some steps the children have difficulty understanding. Fold the shape at the same time and be ready to show the steps visually. The children will practice listening and have a wonderful keepsake to share with the parents after school.