All About Me: Back to School Kindergarten Activities

Each year I begin with an activity called 'Getting to Know You' .

ALL ABOUT ME ACTIVITIES IN KINDERGARTEN

The students meet at the carpet, facing a pocket chart that looks like this:

I hold index cards that have my students' names printed on them. I make a big production in shuffling the cards, wondering aloud who the person of the day will be. The kids get so excited! After I've shuffled the names I draw a card & reveal a students' name. They come up to the pocket chart & insert their name card into the first sentence. I take my pointer & we read the completed sentence aloud as I track the print.

Using a microphone (that doesn't work--I cut off of a broken toy tape recorder), I begin to interview the child. It is SO FUNNY how the students lean in to speak into the microphone that doesn't even work :)

I use index cards to record their answers, and they insert the card into the sentences on the pocket chart. We read through it together, tracking print with a pointer. The chart ends up looking something like this:

Next, I print the child's name and cut it apart, as seen at the bottom of the pocket chart. I mix up the letters, then have that child try to piece their name puzzle back together again. Then, I mix it up once more and they choose someone else to try their name puzzle.

Then I have my students reach into their pockets and take out their (imaginary) pompoms so we can cheer the letters in the name. For fun, I take a second to ask them what color pompoms they brought today. Of course, there is always one person who says that he didn't bring any...so I just tell him to use his hands instead :) Then the person of the day leads in the cheering of their name, using real pompoms:

When the cheering has died down, we take a look at the person of the day...what color hair, eye color, what are they wearing, etc. The students then proceed to their tables to make a picture of that person, and also print that person's name on their sheet.

When they are finished, I collect all of the pictures and put them into an envelope to send home, along with this message:

Lastly, their names get added to the Word Wall.

The students come into school very excited to see who will have their turn that day! It takes a couple of months to get through the entire class, but they know that they will ALL get a turn...eventually!