Things to teach first graders

Homeschooling a First Grader | Time4Learning

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Going from kindergarten to the first grade is a big transition for students and parents alike. A first-grade education builds on what a child has learned in kindergarten and sets the stage for future learning. Time4Learning’s homeschool first-grade curriculum and lesson plans will empower you to reach your learning objectives for the year. Our corresponding lesson plans will help your family stay on track throughout your homeschool journey.

What Do First Graders Learn?

First-grade students are expected to have an understanding and knowledge of basic skills in language arts, math, science, and social studies. This will help them expand on those skills and gain new ones quickly and easily.

Below are some of the skills and concepts that a first-grade student will typically learn:

Become an independent reader, improve their phonics, phonemic awareness, and comprehension
Grammar skills including capitalization and punctuation
Handwriting skills, writing their name as well as simple words and sentences
Math skills such as adding and subtracting, identifying patterns and shapes
How to make scientific observations and record these in writing, pictures and/or graphs
Symbols that represent the U. S.
Important figures and events in U.S. history
The difference between living and nonliving things
The importance of the sun in relation to Earth and living things

The Time4Learning first-grade lesson plans pages can help you gain an understanding of what a first-grade education should include.

What to Look for in a First-Grade Homeschool Curriculum

Most first graders are about five or six years old and seeking independence as they explore the world around them, but they need help with some tasks. If you’re new to homeschooling and learning how to homeschool first grade, or simply looking for a new homeschool curriculum, it’s essential to keep these things in mind when choosing the right curriculum.

Does the curriculum make learning fun and keep children engaged?
Is the material taught in a clear way using real-world examples?

Does it include reporting tools that make tracking progress easy?
Are there plenty of opportunities for children to reinforce skills?
Do the activities promote problem-solving skills?

Math Curriculum

Time4Learning’s First Grade Math Curriculum and Lesson Plans builds on the skills learned in kindergarten and will further your child’s knowledge and proficiency in mathematical skills such as:

Addition and subtraction
Fractions
Operations
Currency and patterns

Language Arts Curriculum

Time4Learning’s First-Grade Language Arts Curriculum and Lesson Plans will build on what your child already knows and further their skills and proficiency in language arts, including:

Reading and writing skills
Understanding of spelling rules
Comprehension skills, and more

Science Curriculum

Time4Learning’s First-Grade Science Curriculum and Lesson Plans will prepare your child with a solid foundation and understanding of concepts that will set the stage for further learning in the years to come in the areas of:

Scientific observation
Physical science
Life science
Earth science

65 Tips, Tricks & Ideas

First grade is a year full of adventure! First grade learners begin to see themselves as readers, writers, mathematicians, scientists, and more. To help make it the best year ever, we’ve scoured our WeAreTeachers HELPLINE group on Facebook and the web for some of the best tips and ideas for teaching first grade. While it by no means covers every possible topic, we hope this list of gems will inspire you whether you are a brand-new teacher or a veteran. And we’ve organized the list by topic to make it easy to cruise for ideas!

Getting Your Classroom Ready

1. Create an inviting classroom

Need ideas? We’ve gathered real-life first grade classrooms for you to browse!

2. Gather all the supplies

Not sure what exactly you need for the first grade classroom? Don’t worry, we’ve got you covered with this list of essential first grade classroom supplies.

3. Welcome your students with a big, colorful bulletin board

Image source: Doodlebugs Teaching

Seeing their names up on the wall will help students instantly feel at home, and the bright colors will create a festive mood in the classroom. Check out these bulletin board ideas.

4. Get a jump start on lessons

In first grade, teacher planning and prep time are precious! It makes life a lot easier when you can purchase existing lessons, bundles, books, and pages. And why not support other teachers while you do it? Check out our favorite Teachers Pay Teachers sellers for first grade.

5. Put together an irresistible classroom reading nook

Image source: Polka Dot Teacher

Your first graders are well on their way to becoming readers, so make this time extra special for them by setting up one of these awesome reading nooks.

6. Fill your classroom library with these classic first grade books

Here are 50 of our favorite first grade books.

7. Set up sensory tables

Early childhood teachers know that hands-on learning is essential. Sensory play encourages open-ended thinking, language development, and collaboration, and builds fine motor skills. Sensory materials are magically both engaging and calming. Here are our favorites!

The First Days of School

8. Introduce yourself creatively

If you’re teaching 1st grade, you have the honor of being one of the first teachers a child will meet! Make day one memorable by introducing yourself in a creative way, such as sending postcards over the summer! For creative ideas, check out 30 Unique Ways To Introduce Yourself to Students This Year.

9. Get to know one another with icebreakers

Get the kids mixing and moving as they get to know one another. Click here for lots of great ideas.

Create a Classroom Community

10. Start the day with Morning Meeting

Morning Meeting is an engaging way to connect with your students at the beginning of each day. An objectives and agenda board, along with a morning message, will help your students start off on the right track. For more morning meeting ideas, check out Responsive Classroom.

11. Establish a culture of kindness

Print these free downloadable posters to remind your students that kindness matters most of all.

12. Teach citizenship

Image source: First Grade Wow

Read the story of Johnny Appleseed with your students, then analyze the qualities that make Johnny a good citizen. Help students brainstorm ideas about how they might show these characteristics in the classroom and at home.

13. Teach the difference between reporting and tattling

Image source: Mrs. Warner’s Learning Community

Save yourself a lot of headaches by teaching your students the difference. Read the Child Mind Institute’s Is It Tattling or Telling?

14. Assign jobs

Give your students ownership of the classroom and teach responsibility by assigning jobs. Remember the saying: Many hands make light work! Here are 38 Ideas for Flexible, Fun Classroom Job Charts to choose from.

15. Read stories that build your students’ social-emotional skills

Learning how to be in school and be a good friend are a huge part of being a first grader. Share these stories that will not only teach lessons but start conversations.

Ideas for Language Arts

16. Incorporate daily writing prompts

We’ve gathered 25 writing prompts that you can download and use to get your first graders practicing their writing skills.

17. Stock up on fun tools to use for guided reading

Image source: Miss Van Maren’s Fantastic First Grade

Learning to read is hard work! Make it as fun as you can with the great ideas found at the blog Guided Reading: A Little Novelty Goes a Long Way. For more information on guided reading, check out What Is Guided Reading?

18. Encourage critical thinking with writing prompts

First grade teacher Heather M. shares, “I give students questions that take more thought than our simple carpet discussions—questions that they had to apply what they know to answer. It helps them get away from answering without thinking just to be first.” Here are 37 suggestions from Journal Buddies to get you started.

19. Differentiate reading instruction

“Read Works is an incredible resource for teaching reading!” says first grade teacher Kellie P. “At least once a week, I use a reading passage and question set in either ‘guided reading’ or ‘read to someone’ for small-group practice. I can easily differentiate because they provide the Lexile levels. I found this resource to be very helpful, especially with nonfiction, to integrate science and social studies concepts into Daily 5.”

20. Have your students create personal word walls

Image source: Cara Carroll

Instead of having one massive class word wall, have students create and post their own personal word walls in your classroom. Your first graders will love showcasing their skills! Check out the Just Cara Carroll for a free personal word wall template.

21. Have fun with literacy centers

We love this big list of ideas for grades K-2.

22. Make things interesting with foldables

Image source: Mrs. T’s First Grade Class

Foldables are a great and easy way to make any literacy activity more fun. The one above helps students group words with the same blend.

23. Teach them how to retell a story

Use these reading comprehension anchor charts to review stories with your first graders and strengthen their recall skills after reading.

24. Use paint strips to work on CVC words

Image source: Serving Pink Lemonade

Practice making new words by adding word parts to different beginning letters and letter sounds. And check out these other fun ways to use paint strips!

25. Teach sight words

Image source: Make, Take, and Teach

Check out these 43 sight word activities for the classroom!

26. Make phonics fun

Phonics is the foundation for reading success. Breaking words into their constituent sounds helps kids understand and build their literacy skills, bit by bit. Check out these 20 phonics activities.

27. Use games to teach blends

Image source: The Measured Mom

Check out these six free, low-prep games for teaching blends.

28. Introduce interactive notebooks

Image source: Teaching With Love & Laughter

First grade teacher Lori shares, “Using interactive notebooks is a great way for children to learn and interact with new information, as well as review and practice skills already introduced. They really took pride in their notebooks and were very proud to share their work with others. Unlike completing worksheets or other printables, which go home right away, these books are always available to the children.”

Ideas for Math

29. Keep your math manipulatives organized and easy to access

Check out these creative ways to use math manipulatives.

Plus, here are some additional ideas from first grade teachers:

“Use labels with words and pictures on bins. We take actual pictures of the materials.” —Amy L.
“I give my kids the things they use the most, like counters and linking cubes, in a ziplock baggie to keep in their desks. When we need them, I just tell them to take out their math tools. It saves a lot of time passing them out every time they are needed.” —Diane D.
“I put my manipulatives into clear shoe boxes and label them with words and pictures. I have a set of shelves in my back room where the kids can access them. ” —Kelly H.
“Save baby wipe tubs and give each student their own set of place value books to keep in the desk.” —Ann M.

30. Keep math journals

Image source: Miss Van Maren’s Fantastic First Grade

Making a chart that connects the numeral, word, and picture for each number will help reinforce number concepts with your little ones. Check out this article for more great examples of how to use math journals!

31. Differentiate math work by using online resources

There are tons of online resources for differentiating math work. For a huge list of suggestions, check out our best math websites for teaching and learning math.

32. Play math games

Here’s a big list of math games that are just right for first grade.

33. Watch math videos

Making math more engaging for kids can be difficult. But teaching math will be anything but boring when you introduce students to some of our favorite subtraction and addition videos on YouTube.

34. Teach shapes

Learning shapes is one of the earliest concepts we teach kids. Shapes ready them for geometry in the years ahead, but it’s also an important skill for learning how to write and draw. Get started with these activities.

35. Count the days of school and celebrate when you reach 100!

There are so many different fun ways to celebrate the 100th day of school. We’ve got a whole collection of activities for you.

36. Have “Number Talks”

You can build mental math and computation skills with Number Talks.

First grade teacher Stephanie W. shares, “Our students need to be able to explain their thinking on math assessments, so this is a perfect way to get them comfortable with reasoning aloud. They learn to explain clearly and logically. It also helps them to see their errors since you write down the problem exactly the way they explain it. If they can’t see the errors, other students can help clarify. It also gives value to working problems in different ways. As children develop a deeper number sense, they decompose and manipulate numbers in more complex ways.”

37. Get to know the hundreds chart with number puzzles

Image source: Mrs. T’s First Grade Class

These easy-to-make games will help students see what one more, ten more, one less, and ten less look like.

38. Share math word problems daily

We’ve got 50 free math word problems for your first grade class! Use them for math word problems of the day or a warm-up whenever you need it.

Ideas for Science

39. Create “apple eruptions”

Image source: Growing a Jeweled Rose

Conduct an apple-volcano science experiment. Fun and yum! Click here for step-by-step instructions. Plus, check out these apple science activities.

40. Get hands-on with science

Science is the perfect subject for kids to get down and dirty in. Try these 35 first grade science projects for inspiration.

41. Try daily STEM challenges

These STEM challenges are designed with your first graders in mind. Try one each day or each week to get their minds thinking outside the box.

42. Use a science journal to teach the seasons

Image source: Today … in First Grade

Students will draw trees in each season, describe what they wear during the different seasons, and journal about what makes winter, spring, summer, and fall different as they fill in this science journal.

43. Look for resources from an old friend

Check out these awesome lesson plans for teaching first grade science in the kitchen, on the playground, and throughout the day from PBS Kids.

44. Take a field trip

There’s something about the first grade field trip that’s so special. We’ve rounded up our favorite first grade field trips that students will remember forever.

Ideas for Classroom Organization

45. When it comes to decorating your classroom, less is more

Anyone teaching first grade is going to have the urge to decorate, but check out these HELPLINE readers’ thoughts on why simplicity rules:

“I have learned to start with a blank slate and let the students ‘decorate’ the classroom through the year with their work. ” —Sarah H.
“I made the mistake of covering every wall with decor and then had nowhere for anchor charts!” —Ann M.
“You will see people go overboard with themes. Don’t bother! I saw the cutest classroom where the teacher had bought a pack of plain borders with various colors, and she just alternated the colors on the wall with alternating butcher paper. Go simple.” —Suzanne H.

Plus, check out our minimalist guide to classroom design.

46. Keep paperwork organized with labeled three-drawer bins

Image source: Learning to Teach

Hurray! No more messy piles everywhere when teaching first grade! For more organization tips, read Ten Teaching Hacks That Make You Go Duh!

47. Create classroom mailboxes for students

Image source: The Teaching Thief

Use mailboxes to return work and have students write and deliver letters to one another! Personalize them to match your classroom decor.

48. Craft milk-crate seats with built-in storage

Image source: The Apple Tree Room

These adorable seats can double as bins for easy materials storage. Check out other creative ways to use milk crates in your classroom.

49. Use “absent folders” to help students catch up when they return to school

Image source: Teaching With Terhune

Partner students at the beginning of the year. When one student is absent, have their partner put work in the Absent Folder for them. When the student returns to school, send the folder home. Total time-saver!

Ideas for Classroom Management

50. There’s a chart for that

These classroom management anchor charts tackle every possible issue.

51. Use a snappy call-and-response to get their attention

For fun ideas for quieting a noisy class, check out these attention-getters.

52. Take a brain break

Check out these 25 brain-break videos, gathered just for your first graders.

53. Reduce stress during dismissal

Dismissal time doesn’t have to be chaotic. Check out these great tips on handling dismissal time.

54. Let students pick their own seats (carefully)

Teaching first grade is part of easing kids into the school experience. Let them practice their independence with these tips for letting students choose their seats.

55. Have students use colored sticky notes to communicate their understanding of a concept

Image source: Love, Teach, Inspire

Students signal if they’re struggling, stuck, or solid on a concept they’re learning! You can use sticky notes or colored index cards.

56. Set up a “Calm Down Corner” and toolbox

Image source: Creatively Teaching First

The calm-down spot is a classroom space where students go to regulate their emotions and redirect their behavior. Stock these spaces with tools students can use to help them calm down and make better choices. Learn more about Why Safe Spaces Are Critical in Today’s Classrooms.

Need more inspiration? Here are 8 Types of Learning Spaces to Consider Including in Your Elementary Classroom.

Other Ideas

57. Use

all the anchor charts

Here are 22 anchor charts for teaching first grade.

58. Build relationships with your students’ parents

Check out these 11 Teacher-Tested Ways to Make Your Classroom Parents Adore You.

59. Make art

Check out these 45 art projects are just right for first graders.

60. Set the tone for work time with background music

From Piano Guys to Afrobeat to the Jingle Punks Hipster Orchestra, you can find a Pandora station for every occasion.

61. Play with your kids

First graders are hilarious! Don’t forget to have fun with them. Here are a bunch of old-school recess games you can teach your students.

62. Use technology to organize classroom volunteers

Sites like SignUpGenius are free and user-friendly. You could also assign one of your classroom volunteers to manage the content and delegation of any project or extra hands needed using this service. If you are looking for more ways to use classroom volunteers, here are 6 Tricks to Get the Most Out of Classroom Volunteers.

63.

Display student work from the ceiling

Image source: Kroger’s Kindergarten

This is the perfect solution for teaching in first grade classrooms with limited wall space, which is the case in most classrooms. Dangle student work from the ceiling! Check out more clever ways to display students work in the classroom and online.

64. Get acquainted with running records

What are running records? When used meaningfully while teaching first grade, running records can really help you move the needle. Running records are a valuable reading-assessment tool used in many primary classrooms.

65. Grab inspired dry erasers

Image source: @kinder_charm

This is one of the best money-saving hacks I’ve seen in recent years! After all, inspiration can come from all sorts of places. They’re perfect for little hands and they really get the “erasing” job done. Bonus: They’re cute too! Check out more of our favorite money-saving classroom hacks.

What are your top tips for teaching first grade? Come share in our WeAreTeachers HELPLINE group on Facebook.

Plus, check out our guide to teaching in a first grade classroom.

educational motivation of a first-grader to study

Many first-graders willingly go to school, begin to study with enthusiasm, but over time this fuse can fade, and the child begins to perceive learning with reluctance, does not listen to the teacher, is lazy, puts off completing assignments. We figure out how to pull up a first grader in school, why a child may lose motivation and how to change it.

First grader's motivation to study

First graders are inquisitive by nature, so if a child has lost motivation to study, it is necessary to identify the cause, and also take into account the objective factors that affect the child during this period.

What influences the lack of motivation of a first grader?

Information overload. Even at the stage of preparation for school, parents discuss what the child needs for school life, what kind of school and lessons will be, what foreign language and circles to choose, and so on. From an excess of this information, the child may begin to be afraid of school and everything connected with it.
The child is bored. Today, many children come to school well prepared, some already know the first grade program. It seems to parents that enhanced training will make it easier for the child to learn, but this has a downside - the baby becomes uninteresting in learning, motivation disappears.
Physiological causes. Changing the regime of the day, mental stress, the need to be assiduous and attentive, decreased physical activity.
A new role to adapt to. If earlier the child could run and play at any time, now he has to listen carefully to the teacher, fulfill his requests, and adapt to the team.
Emotional discomfort. The child is worried about his failures, especially if he studies at a school where a grading system has been introduced, he is afraid to let his parents down and feel inferior to others.

Parents who are thinking about how to motivate a first-grader to study should remember that the child goes through an important period and may experience the difficulties of an age crisis. He is going through a period of serious transformation, the child has an understanding of responsibility, the fulfillment of duties, the need to take into account the requirements of the school. We need to help him adapt to these changes and find motivation to study.

How to get a first grader interested in studying

The most important thing for parents to do is to create conditions for their child to show interest in learning. Be patient, do not scold the child, guide him and show the value of education.

Keep track of the daily routine of the first grader

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It is important that the child has enough time for rest and good sleep (it is better to go to bed no later than 21 hours). After classes, you need a rest of 1.5-2 hours. With this mode, the nervous system of a first-grader will better adapt to the training load.

Time for assignments - child's peak activity

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Try to schedule your child's time for assignments when they are at their most active (this is especially helpful when your child is on remote learning) ). If classes are carried out during a period of decline in activity in a child, it will not be possible to interest a first-grader in studies.

Learning is about learning

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Emphasize the value of knowledge and the results that the child will achieve through learning. Praise him more often so that he gains confidence in his abilities. Try not to compare your child with other children, so as not to destroy his motivation to study.

Encourage independence

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Encourage your child to study, but do not do most of the tasks for him, the first grader is able to cope with them himself and feel interest in learning. Do not overdo it with help, the child will not have motivation if the parents will study for him.

Don't overestimate grades

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Tell your child that grades are important, but the purpose of school is not to get a high grade, but to become intellectually developed to gain new knowledge. This will help to interest the first grader in studies much better than the cult of the five in the diary.

Enrich your extracurricular life

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Try to ensure that the child's life is not limited to studies, and that he has an outlet in the form of hobbies - sports sections, drawing, music, needlework, various circles, as well as the opportunity to spend time with friends.

Choose interesting learning materials

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At Foxford Primary School, the child does not just gain knowledge, he begins to show cognitive activity thanks to interesting lessons and an exciting presentation material.

Motivating a first-grader to study is a necessary task, but at the same time, it is important for parents not to overdo it and allow the child to go through their own experience, consciously go through a period of adaptation to school and form a desire not just to get good grades, but sincerely strive for knowledge.

Cover image: Leslie Soto Valenzuela / Dribbble

"And when is 5 minutes later?" Why teach a first grader to use a watch

How to prepare a child for school? Buy him a watch. Yes, yes, not prescriptions, but hours. Our blogger, psychologist Svetlana Dmitrieva, believes that the future first-grader must be taught to navigate in time. And that's why.

Different skills help a first grader adapt to school. Some of them are obvious - both parents and teachers devote a lot of time to their development. Others, no less important, often remain behind the scenes, since their connection with adaptation is not so noticeable. In the book "Mom, I have to go to school!" I have collected 10 skills that a child needs to easily integrate into school life. In each chapter, I talk about how a particular skill affects adaptation.

Here are two passages from the second chapter on time orientation. The first one is about why a first grader may have difficulties without this skill.

“Why is time orientation so important for adapting to school? Our life is cyclical, it develops into weeks, months, seasons, periods of work and rest. School life is cyclical. It has a lesson schedule, the lessons themselves and breaks, school days and holidays. Each lesson is also a small cycle: an introductory part, motivation and "warming up", a gradual approach to the climactic task, summing up, homework. Cycles are the study of individual topics and sections of the program. Together, all this adds up to quarters or trimesters and then into the academic year.

If a first grader has an idea of time, he knows how to determine it and has a sufficiently developed sense of time, then he will be able to fit into the school rhythm quite easily and will feel comfortable. He will figure out the schedule, calculate what can be done during the break or how much is left before the parents arrive.

During the lesson, the child will know how soon the bell will ring, how much time there is to complete the task, and will be able to plan his actions. This means that he will not be anxious, lost and fall out of the general rhythm. The success of completing tasks will be higher, which means that motivation will also remain.

Thus, a well-developed time orientation skill reduces school stress, especially during the period of adaptation

And the cyclical and rhythmic nature of school life, understood and accepted by the child, also gives a sense of stability and confidence in oneself and in the world around, which is also important. To delve deeper into this idea, let's do a thought experiment. By the way, this is Albert Einstein's favorite type of experiment, with his help he formulated the postulates of the theory of relativity. And as you remember, in this theory he expressed revolutionary views precisely on space and time. We will not make a new revolution in science, our experience will be of a psychological nature. Ready?

Imagine that you completely lost your sense of time, and all the clocks on the planet disappeared at the same time. Try to immerse yourself in the atmosphere of an unpredictable world. Can you plan your affairs, control the situation? What emotions do you experience? Does such a world seem safe to you? Stay in this state for a couple of minutes ... Well, how do you like it? Now come back soon so as not to get stuck in timelessness!

Of course, we deliberately exaggerated the situation in order to better understand the significance of the skill. First-graders do not feel completely helpless, most often they come to school already having some idea of the time. Although I remember how one second-grader asked me if all the children would soon have the end of the term, or only one of them? But these are already extremes.

It so happened that both teachers and parents pay much less attention to orientation in time

Probably because its direct connection with the success of adaptation and learning outcomes does not lie on the surface, as is the case with space. She remains a little in the shadow of other skills, as if behind the scenes. But, I hope, you are convinced that this "gray eminence" will exert its influence on the psychological state of the child.

The second passage is from the practical part of the chapter. It describes one of the techniques with which you can help your child develop the skill of orientation in time.

“Use temporary concepts in speech. As in the case of orientation in space, this is an important and useful tool that allows you to form the necessary skills in a child literally on the go. First of all, conduct a "revision" of your speech. Do you often mention time? How do you say: "It's time for dinner!" or "Oh! It's already two hours! It's time for dinner!”, “Let's go for a walk soon” or “In 15 minutes we'll go for a walk”?

Enrich your speech with time specifications. Instead of "Let's go to grandma's tomorrow," say "Tomorrow is Saturday, we'll go to grandma's in the evening." We all try to conserve our energy and reduce efforts, including in speech.