While you may be feeling the pressure to jump right into instruction given the challenges and disruptions of 2020-21, taking time to build community, nurture relationships, and support students’ social-emotional needs first will lay the essential foundation you need to be successful with academic content throughout the year.

Students might be need to be reminded of the classroom rules and regulations.  They might need to be coaxed out of their shells with some sort of icebreaking activity. Or they might need to adjust to being back in a group setting, figuring out how to interact with their peers again. Below are dozens of activities for making everyone’s adjustment to the new school year as easy as possible.