Perfect for the first week of school, these literacy and math activities help young learners build independence, follow classroom routines, and practice essential early learning skills.
Designed for the first days and weeks of school, each center supports key academic concepts like letter recognition, counting, and fine motor development, while giving your students the chance to explore your classroom setup and expectations in a fun, engaging way.
Whether you’re a new teacher or just want your first week of centers to run smoothly, these Back to School printables are easy to prep, simple to use, and filled with visual supports so your students can work independently and confidently.
WHAT’S INCLUDED IN THESE BACK TO SCHOOL CENTERS:
Back to School Literacy Centers
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Letter Identification Clip Cards – Students clip the matching uppercase or lowercase letter using clothespins or clips. Then they trace the corresponding letter on a response page. (focus: letter identification, fine motor skills).
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Alphabet Sensory Center – Students build each letter using small manipulatives like mini-erasers, pom-poms, or buttons on a sensory mat. (focus: letter formation, sensory engagement).
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Rhyming Pocket Chart Activity – Students match picture cards to identify pairs of rhyming words in a pocket chart. They then record their matches on a rhyming response page. (focus: phonological awareness, rhyming).
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Magnet Letter Sorting – Students sort magnetic letters on a cookie sheet or magnetic surface to find and match lowercase letters. They trace and write the matching letter on their recording sheet. (focus: letter recognition, lowercase letters, fine motor).
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Write the Room – Sight Words – Students walk around the room to find sight word cards (ex: see, can, like), write each word on their recording page, and build early sight word fluency. (focus: sight word recognition, handwriting, vocabulary building).
Back to School Math Centers
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Spin to 20 Board Game – Students spin and count objects to fill a board from 1 to 20. (focus: one-to-one correspondence, counting to 20, fine motor).
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Missing Number Clip Cards – Students clip the missing number in a sequence up to 20. They then write the complete sequence on their response page. (focus: number sequencing, number order, fine motor)
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Color Matching Supplies – Students sort classroom supply cards (pencils, crayons) by color and match them to the corresponding color word. (focus: color identification, vocabulary, sorting).
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Build Numbers to 10 – Using counters or manipulatives, students build numbers on a ten frame and record their number. (focus: number formation, counting, one-to-one correspondence).
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Counting Crayons – Students count crayon pictures and match them to the corresponding number. They record their answers on a response page. (focus: counting to 10, number identification).
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Pre-Writing Tracing Pages – Students trace different types of lines (straight, curved, zigzag) to build pencil grip and fine motor strength. (focus: pre-writing skills, fine motor development).
SKILLS COVERED IN THESE BACK TO SCHOOL CENTERS:
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Letter identification (uppercase & lowercase)
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Letter formation & handwriting
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Rhyming & phonological awareness
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Sight word recognition & fluency
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Number recognition & counting
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Number sequencing & one-to-one correspondence
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Color identification & sorting
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Fine motor development & pre-writing skills
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Independent work habits and classroom routines
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