Let me share with you 100 of the best back to school activity ideas for your Upper Elementary classroom.
The first few weeks of school can feel like controlled chaos. Between setting expectations, learning routines, building community, and squeezing in some academic review—it’s no wonder upper elementary teachers are exhausted before September even ends.
Fifth grade students in particular walk in with big feelings: excitement, nerves, and a strong need for structure and connection. So how can you create a welcoming classroom culture and keep things academically engaging from day one?
You need more than just a few icebreakers…
You need a whole month’s worth of back to school activity ideas—ready to go.
Imagine starting your school year with a list full of engaging, purposeful Back to School activity ideas that build community, reinforce procedures, and review essential academic concepts—all while helping students feel seen and safe.
Whether you’re teaching in a classroom or homeschooling, these 100 activity ideas can inspire you to start the year off strong—and help YOU feel less overwhelmed.
Best of all, many of these ideas are low-prep and adaptable across multiple grade levels, including fifth grade and even into middle school.
Let’s dive in!
100 of the Best Back to School Activity Ideas
💬 Getting to Know You
- Student interviews with a partner
- Classmate scavenger hunt
- Two Truths and a Lie
- “Find someone who…” bingo
- “All About Me” one-pagers
- “My Summer in 6 Words”
- Desk name tags with 3 fun facts
- Identity collages
- “Would You Rather?” circle questions
- “What’s in a Name?” writing or mini-research
🤝 Team Building
- Save Fred STEM challenge
- Marshmallow tower challenge
- Cup stacking with rubber bands
- Silent line-up (by birthday, height, etc.)
- Human knot game
- Paper chain race
- Team puzzles
- Mystery bag problem-solving
- Group jigsaw art
- Minute-to-Win-It games
🧭 Classroom Culture & Expectations
- Create class rules together
- Write a classroom mission statement
- Behavior skits
- Role-playing social scenarios
- Anchor chart walkabout
- Digital citizenship lesson
- Kindness chain with paper links
- Respect & responsibility card sort
- “What Respect Looks Like” anchor chart
- Build a “We Are a Team” puzzle
🔁 Routines & Procedures
- Line up silently (add a secret signal!)
- Bathroom procedure role-play
- Clean-up/transition time races
- Pencil sharpening protocol
- Voice level sort game
- Centers rotation practice
- Morning entry routine
- Dismissal checklist run-through
- Notebook/binder organization
- Morning work checklist challenge
✏️ Writing Activities
- Write a letter to your future self
- “What I Hope to Learn in Fifth Grade”
- Letter to your teacher
- “How I Learn Best” reflection
- “How I want to be remembered” paragraph
- Goal setting for the year
- Opinion writing: “The best school rule is…”
- Creative story using 5 random classroom objects
- “Why I’m excited for fifth grade”
- Sensory poem: “This Summer Was…”
➗ Math Activities & Review
- Math About Me poster
- Back-to-School Math Mosaic
- Graphing class birthdays or shoe sizes
- Math scavenger hunt
- Dream Room: Area and Perimeter project
- Math centers with review games
- Logic puzzles
- Estimation jar
- Math fact fluency competition
- Around the World (math facts)
Pro Tip: Many of these work great in as Back to School Activity ideas for your middle school math review rotation or as small group challenges!
📚 Reading & Literacy Launch
- Book tasting
- Reading goal setting
- Reading stamina challenge
- Genre sorting
- Reading “Shelfie” posters
- Decorate reading notebooks
- “Reading Is…” poster or poem
- Launch book clubs
- Book recommendation cards
- Shared read-aloud + discussion
🔬 STEM & Creativity
- Paper airplane contest
- Rube Goldberg machine challenge
- Tallest tower STEM task
- LEGO back-to-school build
- Chain reaction with dominoes
- Code your name (binary or Scratch)
- Simple science experiment
- STEM journal setup
- Design challenge of the day
- Recycled material inventions
💖 Social-Emotional Learning (SEL)
- Growth mindset coloring page
- Gratitude jar or journal
- Calm corner introduction
- Positive affirmations
- Daily check-in chart
- Read “Your Fantastic Elastic Brain”
- Emotional charades
- Write about perseverance
- My Strengths mini-book
- Weekly Kindness Challenge
🎨 Art & Expression
- Me as a Superhero drawing
- Back-to-school doodle gallery
- Class mural or banner
- Favorite subject illustration
- Personal mandala
- Custom emoji drawing
- Decorate journal covers
- Name acrostic poems
- Color-by-code (ELA or math review)
- Welcome Poster Collaborative Coloring Project
You don’t have to scramble every morning or spend your evenings prepping something new.
This list of 100 back to school activity ideas is designed to support fifth grade and upper elementary classrooms as you build community, reinforce expectations, and review academic skills—without burning out.
💡 Want to make your first month even easier?
Grab my ready-to-use Back to School resources on TpT right here. From Icebreakers to Math Review, I’ve got you covered.
📌 Grab Your Free Printable Checklist!
Feeling stuck or overwhelmed during those first few weeks? Don’t worry—I’ve got you covered! Download this free printable checklist of 100 back-to-school activity ideas and keep it right by your desk. Whether you need a quick team builder, a brain break, or a last-minute writing prompt, this list will spark instant inspiration.
👉 Click here to get your free copy now!
Use it as your go-to planning tool whenever you’re not sure what to do next. Because let’s be honest—the first month of school is a lot. But with this checklist, you’ll never run out of engaging and meaningful Back to School Actvity ideas for your upper elementary students.
