Collated from various threads on the TES forums, this booklet gives 50 suggestions for activities to do when meeting your new class either on a transition day, or for the first day of term.
Meeting your new class for the first time is always exciting!
Planned Lesson
Booklet with Questions
This resource is perfect for children in Upper Key Stage 1 and Lower Key Stage 2.
Meet the Text – A Visual Reading Companion for the Classroom
Bring your class closer to the heart of great stories with Meet the Text – a beautifully designed, visual learning aid that introduces key novels in a way that’s clear, engaging, and accessible for KS2 pupils. This resource helps readers connect with the story before they even turn the first page. It features character insights, setting and theme overviews, authorial language focus, key vocabulary with questions, and thoughtful prompts to spark curiosity and critical thinking.
Perfect for wall displays, guided reading groups, or independent book exploration, Meet the Text encourages deeper understanding and excitement about reading. Whether used to launch a new class novel or support comprehension throughout a unit, it helps children ask meaningful questions, make predictions, and engage with texts on a whole new level.
An ideal resource for teachers who want to build confident, curious readers—ready to dive in and discover the story world.
This is a natural-themed meet the teacher handout that you can fill in and give out to your new class. You could also hang one as a poster in your classroom.
Great for the children to get to know you a little bit better when they start.
Tom Bennett, TES behaviour adviser, provides advice on what to do on meeting your new class; a vital moment that will set the tone for the rest of your school year.
This video is one of a series of behaviour management strategies. Find more here:
http://www.tes.co.uk/classroom-management
Two templates that can be shared with your new class to find out information about them. Both can be used as a digital activity by sharing them:
through your canva education class
as a seesaw activity
as an embedded pdf on OneNote
as a png image for children to add as a background to PicCollage
as part of a class book on book creator (copy the image onto multiple pages for each child to fill in)
as a background on a jamboard
Or print the blank one off and use as a paer based task.
A Complete ART lesson, which includes a detailed PowerPoint, resources and planning. FULLY UPDATED FOR 2023
Perfect for meeting your new class.
The lesson is designed to help you get to know your class, whilst creating a fantastic display for the wall (ideal for the start of the year) Children consider their strengths, skills and hobbies- before creating a Lego (figure) Portrait in their own image.
Ideal for KS1/2 or 3 as the art activity is easily differentiated.
IMAGES FROM PIXABAY AND PEXELS OR AUTHORS OWN.
Please leave feedback.
Here are 3 templates that can be used on a transition day to find information out about your new class. One is in the form of a Wanted poster, one is a passport, one is a Classified Information file. Topics also included: classroom display.
Full CIRCLE TIME lesson plan with additional Sentence starters to support reluctant talkers for a meet the class / transition session with your new class.
Tried and tested activities appropriate to both KS1 and KS2 / Infants and Juniors.
Encouraging participation, contribution and active listening for all that combines both fun activities, opportunity for questions and generating class agreement / rules / behaviour charter.
Resource provided as both a PDF and Word document to allow editing.
Let your students and parents get to know you before the school year begins with this ‘Meet Your Teacher’ resource template.
Personalise and add a picture of yourself before printing and sending a copy home or send one digitally via email.
This resource also includes a template sheet for your students to complete before they arrive at school on the first day. This gives them a chance to share some of their story and also allows you to get to know them better before the start of the year. This could also be a great idea as a class activity during the first few days of the new school year.
This resource includes 5 different water colour options (aqua green, orange, pink, blue and purple). A teacher and student version is included in pdf format.
There are 19 coloured templates included in this pack to showcase your children and their ambitions on your new school display board. You can use these to create a meet the class display board or to display their ambitions and aspirations as part of a young careers display.
The 19 pages come in 3 different colour schemes, boho, pastel and bright colours to suit your classroom theme preferences. Each set will add value and meaning to hour primary school classroom display, encouraging children to share ideas and talk about the selves in a positive way from the start of the year.
The templates have been designed as 5x5" but you can use your printer settings to vary the size.
Please note that you will need to download a FREE version of CANVA to edit your templates and upload children’s photos. ( The photos used in these examples have been taken from child models). You will be able to edit the font size, colour and size should you wish to do so.
Due to the nature of the resource, you will be given the link to download so you can make a copy of the file allowing you to edit and save your work. The templates can then be reused again and again, giving you a valuable resource for classes to come!
This template is great to use when preparing children for transitions. It enables children and families to learn more about their new teacher and their class.
It is a great tool to share before the Summer holidays to enable families to discuss and prepare children for the upcoming change.
This is the perfect document to give to students when meeting for the first time! It gives the student some information about you, to help them feel settled in their new learning environment.
You can edit all the information on the document, but there is ideas and tips on what to include in the poster!
This is suitable for any new starter, all classes and can be edited to suit individual students.
A perfect resource to hand out to your new class when you meet them for the first time! Each text box is editable to allow you to personalise the document to yourself.
Need a way to keep your students busy and engaged before the winter break, or just after New Year’s? Do you also want it to be meaningful and make a great display? Then this New Year’s craft will be just what you’re after.
There are four numbers with New Year’s-themed patterns, and spaces for writing goals to colour and cut out.
There are lots of options to meet your needs:
two sizes (one number per page or two numbers per page)
two prompts (specific goals or general goals)
editable prompts so you can adapt them to your class (text is editable with Century Gothic font, images/layout aren’t editable)
two sizes of display phrases (one letter page and one word per page, color and ink saver)
I hope your students have fun setting goals for the new year and making their 2026 craft!
In this resource you will find 6 page PDF of advice for when you meet a new group - this is great for all teachers, but especially good for NQTs and RQTs.
The booklet covers:
preparing for your new group
how to learn names
building relationships
mistakes to avoid
how to behaviour manage
establishing rules and routines
This is great preparation for new staff as well as reminder of the basics of meeting a new group!
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Use as an ice breaker for your new class. Great for teacher trainees, SCITTS, student teachers, NQTs, RQTs, supply teacher. Ideal for year 1 - year 8. Simply fill in your answers and change the bitmoji to look like you!
This is a simplified version of structuring a letter of introduction when you first meet classes.
Nothing snazzy but allows you to learn your class quickly. It also allows you to pick up on their literacy skills in the first lesson.