The first day of school gets very excited and nervous for both the teacher and student. They get excited because of the new uniform, new school types of equipment, and many more. They get scared because the students get to meet new friends, new environments, new teachers, and many more. The first day in school usually starts with an Introduction with teachers and friends, following some rules and regulations of the school and doing some first day of school activities in math class and many more.
The first day of school doesn’t only mean attending school for the first time, but it can be the reopening of school after a long summer break, and it means back-to-school activities. It becomes exhilarating to return to school after such a long break; thus, it feels like the first day.
As said, the first day feels very exciting and nervous too for students, so to make students comfortable with the class environment, especially in the math class, teachers can arrange some first-day school activities by which they get comfortable with their friends and develop their confidence. Not only is it comfortable and exciting on the first day, but the whole week gets full of excitement when the teacher arranges some first-week school activities with fun math activities. Students then develop some confidence in themselves and happily go to school.
20 First Day Activities for Middle School Math Class
Here are some of the fun first-day school activities that teachers can do with their students so that they can enjoy their first day of school.
1. Find Odd One Out:
In this activity, teachers can give some numbers to students and ask them to find the odd one from the given series. Just remember the numbers to be given must have some numbers in common that fall under one category, like multiple of 2, odd numbers, and many more. It is an exciting activity and helps students to understand well.
The Materials required that will be necessary for this activity are a worksheet with various series, and the topic which will be covered in this activity will be Even numbers and multiples of a number.
2. Number series
In this activity, provide students with various numbers which are forming some series. Let the student find the following number that will complete the series. They need to use some basic mathematical operations to see the next number. These activities mainly focus on the first-day school activities in middle school.
The material required in this activity is: A series of numbers made using mathematical operations, and the topic covered will be Addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division.
3. Making of 3-D shapes
For the first day of school activities, making various 3-D shapes excites the student. Students can make 3-D shapes using different color papers like cubes, cuboids, cones, and many more shapes. They can also find the areas of each shape and create their understanding of shapes better.
The material required for this activity is Color paper, and the Topics covered are Cubes, cuboids, cylinders, and cones.
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4. Puzzle-solving with Numbers
Solving a puzzle is considered the best first day of school activities because students can enjoy this process, and their nervousness vanishes. The teacher can do some go-through puzzles involving some mathematical equations. By solving the equation, they can move ahead in the following way. This is an exciting activity as students love solving puzzles.
The Materials required for this activity are: A Go-through puzzle and mathematical equations, and the Topics covered are Basic additions and subtractions.
5. Find Fractions with shapes.
Teachers can provide students with different shapes and shades part of them and ask the students to form a fraction. This is considered the first week of school activities which gets very interesting.
The Materials required for this activity are Different shapes like circles, rectangles, and squares, and the topic that will be covered is Fractions.
6. Distributive property puzzle
Using the Distributive property of Mathematics, teachers can do puzzles with diagrams where various mathematics equations can be written. Students then need to arrange the puzzle to form a Distributive property. This activity is well suited for the students who are back from a long break and therefore are back to school activities. They will be able to regain what they were taught before the break.The Materials required for this activity are a Puzzle with some distributive Properties, and the topic that will be covered is Quadratic equations.
7. Forming of Number Line
The number line is a straight, horizontal line with numbers at even increments along the length. In this activity, teachers will give the students a worksheet and be asked to evaluate the larger and smaller numbers, the position of fractions, and the relation between positive and negative numbers. This activity is the well-suited first day of school activities, and students can enjoy this process.
The Materials required for this activity are a worksheet with a number line, and the topic that will be covered is the Number system.
8. Word Problem solving
This activity is very famous for the first day of school activities in middle school because students learn to solve word problems in middle school itself. For this activity, teachers can give students various word problems involving mathematical operations, and students can solve them by forming a group of 5 in each. The questions can be related to age problems, speed and distance problems, and many more.
The Materials required are a workbook with various word problems, and the topic covered is Linear Equations.
9. Constructing Geometry shapes
While in middle school, the construction of geometric shapes was fun. So, teachers can use this as the first week of school activities. Teachers can give some papers to students and ask them to construct geometric shapes using geometric tools like a compass, protractor, and many more.
The Materials required for this activity are some Papers and geometric tools, and the topic that will be covered is Geometric shapes.
10. Coloring of Angels
The best first day of school activities is the coloring of angels. Teachers can ask the students to draw various angels and then tell them to color them with multiple colors and make them look beautiful.
The Materials required are Papers and geometric equipment; the topic covered is Angels.
11. Finding Probability with dice rolls
In this activity, teachers can make a group of 5 with four students each and ask them to roll the dice and find their probabilities. They can make some worksheets in which questions related to Probability can be requested. Students can have fun while doing this activity and also get good knowledge with it. This activity can be the best one for the first-day school activities in high school.
The Materials required are dice, a worksheet, and the topic that will be covered in Probability.
12. Finding Date of Birth using quadratic equations
Another exciting activity for the first day of school activities is finding a date of birth using quadratic equations. Yes, you heard right! Teachers will give some quadratic equations so that the solution that comes out is equivalent to the student’s date of birth. It’s not possible to find everyone’s date of birth so that they can divide the class into five groups, and from each group can choose any one student. This becomes very interesting once students know the process.
The material required is a Workbook, and the topic covered will be Quadratic equations.
13. Matchstick Puzzle
In this activity, teachers need to do various mathematical equation puzzles using the matchstick and ask some tricky questions like by removing a matchstick, how can the following equation be satisfied? Teachers can use some fundamental equations of mathematics, which will be best for the first day of school activities.
The Materials required for this activity are some Matchsticks and paper, and the topic that will be covered is Addition and subtraction.
14. Plotting bar diagrams and pie chart
Making bar diagrams in graph papers has always been very interesting for the students. This is the best first week of school activities for students. Teachers can provide students with some graph papers and some bar diagram questions and ask them to plot them. Not only bar graphs, but the students with various data can also draw pie charts.
The Materials required for this activity are Graph paper and questions, and the topic covered will be Bar graphs and pie charts.
15. Making reflection symmetry
In this activity, teachers can give students various shapes and ask them to draw a line or symmetry from each figure. The forms teachers can provide the students are rhombus, triangles, English alphabets, crosses, and many more shapes from which symmetry can be drawn. A figure is said to be symmetrical about a line when it is identical on either side. This activity is well suited for the first day of school activities in high school.
The Materials required for this activity are different diagrams in which symmetry can be drawn, and the topic covered is Reflection symmetry.
16. Tic Tac Toe with quadratic equations
Every student likes playing tic tac toe in their free time, so teachers can use this game to teach them some mathematics, or it can also be used for students back to school. Teachers can make a tic tac toe diagram with quadratic equations on each and ask students to match them to form a tic tac toe. The teachers can make a pair of two and ask them to battle with themselves who can do it first.
The Materials required for this activity are a Tic Tac Toe diagram with equations on it, and the topic that will be covered is Quadratic Equations.
17. Candy Bar volume
This activity is best suited for middle school’s first day of school activities. In this activity, teachers need to give each student a chocolate bar and ask them to find the volume of the bar by using their mathematical formula. This activity is fun because students will use their practical knowledge to find the bar’s volume.
The Materials required that will be necessary for this activity are a Chocolate bar, scale, and paper, and the topic that will be covered is Mensuration.
18. Protractor artwork
This activity can be best for new students and those who are back to school activities. For this activity, students can prefer various art diagrams made by protractors and try to design them all on paper. Teachers should help them with their artwork; later on, students can color them according to their desire.
The Materials required for this activity are Protractors, pencils, and scales, and the topic to be covered is using protractors.
19. Finding a way
Students love solving puzzles in which they are asked to find a way to the end. This is the best for the students who are back to school activities because they are back after such a long break, and doing this activity will help them to be back at school. Teachers can use this as a plus point and make some puzzles of finding a way with mathematical questions attached to it. Then by solving each question, students can move ahead one step. The teachers can divide the class into groups of two or three, depending on the class size.
The Materials required for this activity are a puzzle, and the topic that will be covered is any mathematical equations like quadratic or linear equations.
20. Mean, Median, Mode, and Bingo Game
The bingo game is the most exciting game among the students. These can be the first-day school activities in high school. Teachers can divide the class into two pairs each and make bingo with some numbers written on it. They also need to prepare a set of questions related to mean, median, and mode, and students need to answer the questions by marking the correct answer on the bingo sheet. Through this, a feeling of competitiveness appears among the students, and they develop a great interest.
The Materials required for this activity are a bingo sheet and sets of questions, and the topic that will be covered is Measures of central tendency (mean, median, and mode).
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Final thoughts
The first day of school is a new beginning for teachers and students. Students go to school thinking that their first day at school will be memorable. Since students alone can’t make their first day memorable and exciting, teachers are highly responsible for making students’ first-day special.
Learning the chapters on the first day of school with some fun activities can make the students happy, and they will be able to enjoy the process and also they will be able to gain some practical knowledge while applying them.
So, it is preferable for teachers to make students’ first-day fun and knowledgeable by doing some first day of school activities.
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