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5 How to Use School Supplies Activities to Easily Establish Clear Expectations
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Back to school season is all about setting clear expectations, rules, routines and procedures! One important expectation to establish during the first week of school is how to use school supplies appropriately. For little learners, repetition and practice surrounding routines and procedures is key. With these five simple How to Use School Supplies Activities, preschoolers and kindergarteners will be set up for success all year long!
How to Use School Supplies
During the first week of school, establish clear expectations for how to use school supplies with these school supplies activities and toolbox crafts designed to demonstrate their proper use!
These five How to Use School Supplies Activities features ten of the most used school supplies:
- Pencil
- Crayons
- Scissors
- Glue Stick
- Glue Bottle
- Markers
- Highlighter
- Dry Erase Marker
- Play Dough
- Bingo Dauber
Make learning the routines and procedures for how to use school supplies easy peasy by choosing the school supplies activities that work best for your classroom!
How to Use School Supplies Activity #1
School Supply Stories
First, introduce how to correctly use each school supply with these positive supply stories.
The stories come in both printable and digital format. You can choose to print and bind a book or simply display the PowerPoint slides for an easy, no prep supply introduction.
I like to go over one or two supplies each day, using the following practice activities along the way to solidify how to use each supply correctly.
How to Use School Supplies Activity #2
I Can/I Cannot School Supplies Sorts
After reading the supply story, we complete a whole class supply sort. Each supply includes 6 “I Can” and “I Cannot” kid-friendly statements with picture cues.
The cards can be used as a pocket chart sort or for an anchor chart. I like to print the cards on card stock and laminate them for durability, so I can use them year after year.
To make this activity more interactive, I choose students to place the cards under the correct pocket chart heading.
How to Use School Supplies Activity #3
Interactive Digital Slides
As a digital alternative, you can choose to use the interactive digital sort slides.
Students simply drag the checkmark or the X to show whether the picture and sentence are an “I Can” or “I Cannot” choice.
How to Use School Supplies Activity #4
School Supplies Practice Pages
After finishing the supply stories and sorting activities, I have the students complete the printable practice page that goes along with that particular school supply. With seventy-four pages to choose from, you can easily use these printables for extra practice during morning work or center time.
Students are able to practice tracing horizontal and vertical lines with their pencil.
Using colors that make sense and coloring in the lines with their crayons is also an important skill to practice at the beginning of the year.
We practice cutting straight, curvy and wavy lines with scissors.
It is also important to practice gluing with a glue stick….
As well using lines or dots of liquid glue.
While markers aren’t my most favorite school tool to use at the beginning of the year, it is essential that students learn how to use them appropriately.
Plus, we practice how to use a highlighter by highlighting a line or word just one time.
To practice using their dry erase marker, I like to put the printable pages in a durable sheet protector.
I also like to put the play dough practice pages in a sheet protector, so that we can practice making dough balls, pancakes and snakes over and over again. Laminating the pages works great as well.
The last supply that always needs a little extra practice are the bingo daubers. The practice pages allow students to learn that a gentle dab goes a long way!
I like to use these pages not only at the beginning of the school year but also all year long when we need a bit of a refresher. Another great time to revisit these school supply expectations is after a long break, such as winter break.
How to Use School Supplies Activity #5
Toolbox Craft
Once the students have successfully completed a practice page, they will earn that school supply sticker for their “I Can Use My School Tools!” toolbox craft!
Toolboxes for two-ten supplies are included in order to best fit the needs of your students.
Students color their supply sticker and then cut and glue it to their toolbox.
Once all of the supplies have been reviewed, students will have a full toolbox and will be a school supplies expert!
How to Use School Supplies Activities and Craft
Grab the interactive how to use school supplies activities and toolbox craft here!
More Classroom Routines and Expectations Activities
Establish classroom rules and expectations with these interactive classroom rules activities and craft!
Promote positive behavior during the first week of back to school with these David Goes to School activities and craft!
Check out this comprehensive list of books to teach rules for back to school!
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Ashley Sharp
As a dedicated Kindergarten teacher for nearly 20 years, I believe the words “fun, play, and creativity” can sit right alongside the words “developmentally appropriate, engaging, and rigorous.” Learning is meant to be fun and messy!
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