Lesson Plan for the First Week of Kindergarten
Welcome back to school! PD days are over and it’s the first day of kindergarten…but what do I teach??
A few years into my music teaching career, I stopped teaching all the rules and expectations on day 1. It hit me that by the time students got to my class they had probably gone through so many boring rules and I didn’t want to bombard them with any more. Once I made the change to teaching rules and expectations when it was applicable, the first week of school became more enjoyable. For example, if I knew I wasn’t bringing out instruments on the first day, I wouldn’t waste time talking about how to properly care for instruments. That expectation would be discussed on the day we brought out the instruments.
So what do I focus on for the first week?
I spend those first days focusing on getting to know my students and letting them get to know me. From the moment they walk through the door, I want to start building a positive relationship. We jump right into making music together, too. Sure, we cover a few basic rules and expectations, but my priority in those first lessons is creating a strong connection that will carry us through the year.
Establish Expectations From the Door
Before your students arrive, it is important for you to set the tone. How do you want students to enter your classroom? Are they walking to a steady beat as you play the drums? Are they singing a welcome song? If there is one expectation that you should set and practice on the first couple days of class it is this one because how students enter the class really sets the tone for the duration of the class time.
I like to have a hello/welcome song with my kinders because repetition and routine are key for this grade level. I do, however, change my hello song every month to keep it fresh. I see my kids twice a week, so I felt that was more than enough repetition of the song before they start to get bored with it. While the routine of starting with a hello/welcome song remains the same, the song itself changes. You can take a look at my monthly hello song playlist to give you a starting point.
If you are teaching on a cart (as I did for a couple of years), it’s important to build a rapport with the classroom teacher and let them know your expectations for when you enter their classroom.
Summer Recap
Kids love to talk about what they did over the summer, so I like to incorporate time for them to do that in our first class together. It’s a great way to get to know them and their family, but it’s also a way to get participation from some of the students that may not want to contribute right away.
Name Games
One of the most important things, I believe, to building a good relationship with your students is learning their names. I always get a little sad when I hear of the number of teachers who don’t take the time to learn student names. Yes, many of us teach the whole school, but I believe if we expect students to know our name, we should return that same respect. Name games are a great way to learn names and incorporate music-making while doing it.
A good way to learn names is to also have assigned seats.
Movement Activity with Scarves
I usually skip instruments with kindergarten on the first day since they require an extra layer of classroom management. Instead, I like to use scarves or beat buddies so students can still stay engaged and use their hands. This song works perfectly since it builds listening skills and steady beat, both of which are so important for kinders.
Getting to Know You Activities
Getting to know my students is always a top priority in those first couple of days. I’ve found that when we take time to connect early, it sets the tone for the whole year. This is one of my favorite getting-to-know-you activities because it’s quick, fun, and works perfectly as a brain break you can bring back anytime you need a little boost during the year.
Read Aloud
Books are a great way to incorporate literacy into the music classroom. I always recommend getting the book and reading it to your students, but YouTube read-alouds work great as well. Here is a playlist of books for the first week of kindergarten.
Back-to-School Choice Board
If you want a lesson that is already done for you, this back-to-school choice board is perfect. These 8 different activities will help jumpstart your first few days of school.
Need Lesson Plans for September?
Kindergarten lesson plans for September are coming soon! You can check back later, but if you subscribe below, I’ll send you a quick note as soon as they’re ready, along with other helpful resources you can use in your K–5 music classroom.
