Students who are new to the school might be a bit shy and afraid to make friends. Help break the ice with the new students by having them participate in name games. Put all of the students' names in a hat and have everyone draw a name. Then, ask them to introduce the other person to the class. This is a great way for the students to mingle and interact with everyone in their class. Another game idea is to place students in a circle and give them a soft ball. Have one student throw the ball to another student while saying his name.
Students often return from summer break with stories about campouts, vacations and lazy days at the pool. Decorate a classroom as a campsite and have the students sit in a circle and talk about their summer vacations. Make a faux fire out of red and orange construction paper and put it in the center of the classroom. Bring S'mores, lemonade and music to the indoor campout. This is a great way for the kids to interact with each other.
What better way to bring your students together on the first day of school than to have a music festival? Ask each student to name his favorite song and have them make up songs with their names. You could also ask the students why they chose their particular song and why they like a particular artist. This is an effective way for the students to learn more about each other and to give them time to practice their social skills.
On the first day of school, start a tradition that will last all year by asking students to create their own time capsules. Scholastic suggests making time capsules out of paper towel rolls, construction paper and other materials to decorate with such as photos and magazine cutouts. Then, on the last day of school, open the time capsules to show the students what they created on their first day.