The first day of school is always a whirlwind—between welcoming new students, managing supplies, and establishing routines, it can be tough to squeeze in meaningful activities that are both fun and purposeful. That’s why these first day of school crowns are one of my go-to activities for the very first day! Not only do they make for a memorable keepsake and adorable photo op, but they also provide the perfect opportunity to practice important fine motor skills like coloring, cutting, and gluing. Plus, with five crown designs to choose from, there’s something for every learner from preschool through second grade. Be sure to grab your FREE first day of school crowns at the bottom of this post!

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First Day of School Crowns Prep

Prepping you first day of school crowns is easy peasy!

First, choose which crown design(s) you’d like your students to wear on the first day of school—there are five fun options to choose from, perfect for preschool through second grade!

Then, print the crowns on white copy paper. Want to skip the coloring step? Simply print on colored paper instead!

You will also want to gather some additional supplies, including markers, crayons, colored pencils, scissors, and glue.

First Day of School Crowns Directions

These first day of school crowns are a fun way to sneak in a little fine motor practice right from day one. They’re also super flexible—you can make them anytime during the first day! We all know how unpredictable that first day can be, and it’s always helpful to have a go-to activity that fits wherever you need it!

For this first day of school activity, I like to begin by modeling how to color neatly inside the lines and how to carefully write our names on the designated line.

Next, I demonstrate how to use our best scissor skills to cut along the bold, black outline. If you are not ready for scissor cutting on the first day, simply cut out the crown and attach it to a sentence strip ahead of time… so that the kiddos will only need to color.

Finally, I show how to assemble the crown so it fits snuggly around our heads. If a crown strip breaks or a student needs a longer piece, sentence strips make a perfect substitute!

Once our crowns are finished, I take individual first day of school pictures and a whole class picture. I use these pictures for a variety of purposes throughout the school year, as well as inside our end of the year memory books!

First Day of School Crowns Freebie

Grab your free first day of school crowns by popping in your information below!

First Day of School Activities

In addition to making our first day of school crowns, I also complete one of these first day of school crafts. If we don’t get to these on the first day, I simply add them to our lesson plans for later in the week.

First Day Pencil Craft

This simple pencil craft provides lots of opportunities for your little learners to practice essential fine motor, scissor and gluing skills, as well as the ability to listen and follow directions.

After assembling the pencil craft, the students write their name and draw a self-portrait of them on the first day of school.

To learn more about this pencil craft, head to this post!

First Day Feelings Craft

The first day of school is filled with so many emotions for both students and teachers! Just like Chester, students often feel excited, nervous, and somewhere in between. To help ease those strong first day feelings, we complete this back to school The Kissing Hand craft while making connections to the story!

This raccoon craft is the perfect way to help validate those first day feelings!

How to Use School Supplies Craft

Teaching routines and procedures for using school supplies is essential for setting our little learners up for success. On the very first day, I like to kick things off with this “How to Use School Supplies” craft.

We start by focusing on just one tool, taking the time to model and practice proper use. Then, throughout the rest of the week, and even into the second week, we gradually introduce the rest of our school supplies, reinforcing expectations along the way.

More Back to School Activities

You might also love this David Goes to School craft for teaching positive behavior!

This all about me backpack craft is a great back to school activity for getting to know your students.

For a full list of first week of school activities, head to this post!

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