First Day of School Activities: Birthday Riddle Posters

One of the best parts about our job is that 'fresh start' feeling that always comes with the beginning of a new school year. Regardless of how we ended the previous year, this is our opportunity to set a positive tone in our rooms. During the series, I will be sharing a few fun ideas to make the first day of school a success! Be sure to subscribe to my feed so you don't miss any of them!

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Birthday Posters:
Here's a cute idea for teaching adjectives and creating an Open House display all at once! 

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Here's how to make birthday posters:

• Design an 8x11 poster of your own or use this one I've already made:

• You can include the questions that I used or come up with a few of your own that fit your age group better. Make one copy for each student and pass them out.

• Have each student take it home and fill it out. Remind them that the picture on the form will not be returned (so use one that isn't important) and review what a joke is. You might be surprised at how many kids write "I have brown hair and blue eyes. Who am I?" Hmmm, not really the funny we were going for. ;) 

• Create a magnetic pocket by cutting off the bottom half of a manila envelope and sticking a magnet on the back. On the front of the pocket write: "Place your birthday riddle guess here." 

• On a student's birthday, stick the poster on the board (I always drew some fun decorations around it), stick the manila pocket under the poster. When the kids see it, they will know they have until lunch to write their riddle guesses on a pieces of paper and put them in the pocket. Fun little bonus: use these cute birthday magnets I found to make decorating a breeze! (That would certainly help with that "oh-my-gosh-it's-so-and-so's-birthday-and-I-totally-forgot" moment that I know you all have had!) 

• At the end of the day, have the birthday boy or girl draw an answer from the folder and see if it's correct. The person with the first correct answer wins a piece of candy or other fun reward.

TIP: You may want to make a list of the riddle answers in case one student forgets the punch line to their joke. Trust me- it will happen!

Check out more First Day of School Activities:

The Teacher Test Game
Paper Bag Show-and-Tell (& Writing Project)
Before & After Pictures
Monster Adjectives
Make Birthday Riddle Posters

What's your favorite first day of school activity?

Don't forget to enter my back-to-school MEGA GIVEAWAY. There's something for every grade level!