Digital You're Finally Here Activities

With more and more schools starting back with distance learning, teachers are scrambling to find digital resources for a virtual first day of school. I’ve recently added five days of digital You’re Finally Here activities to use with the most perfect back to school book ever! If you don’t have the book, don’t worry! I’ve made an adorable and fun read aloud video to use in it’s place!

These digital You’re Finally Here activities give you a full first week of school. They keep your students engaged and having fun as they get to know each other with adorable ice breakers, watch a video, and more!

Digital You’re Finally Here Activities

One of the most challenging things about remote teaching is connecting with your students and helping them get to know each other. These digital activities will set a fun premise for your first day of school and have your students laughing as they learn about each other and get comfortable with their new classroom.

I set the premise that, like the bunny book character, I have been waiting and waiting for my new class to arrive, and they are finally here! Start by reading the You’re Finally Here book (now available on Amazon) or showing your students this adorable book video.

Watch the video on YouTube HERE.

Give students the opportunity to watch the video again at home and answer listening comprehension questions.

Ask what took them so long?

After the video, explain to your students that you are just like the book character! But instead of waiting for readers to arrive, you have anxiously been waiting for them! I then very dramatically ask, “What took you so long?”. The responses are priceless!

In the classroom, I use this anchor chart. (See how I typically do it HERE) I either give students sticky notes to write on or record their responses myself. All the responses are added to the chart. You can easily use this during your Zoom meetings too. Simply make the chart and have students write on paper at home what took them so long. Have them hold up their paper to share with the class!

Older students in second or third grade can type in their responses and explain what took them so long!

This is a fun icebreaker to start you off and to set the tone for a fun first day. Another icebreaker activity is to have students play The Bored Game. In the classroom, this is a partner game that you would use the printable version for. In your virtual classroom, turn it into a whole group game by recapping how bored the bunny was waiting for his readers. Then have students tell when they were this bored!

Assign the activity to students to do first if you wish, Then have them all share when you come back together.

Check on students’ well-being

In a typical school year, all students are nervous on the first day of school. And so is the teacher! Having a virtual first day of school is not what they expected. I like to do a well-being check, and this digital version is a good way to gain insight into how your students are doing.

As your virtual first week of school progresses, talk about the book character and describe his traits. Introduce this fun character traits activity for students to describe the bunny.

Set back to school learning goals

Normally in the classroom, we would also set learning goals at some point during the week. Even with a virtual first day of school, you can still have students set goals. This book character craft has the goals inside and makes a fun bulletin board display that double as a photo backdrop. Follow this link to see our You’re Finally Here bulletin board.

Email or assign the printable craft templates to students to make at home, or use the digital version to set goals for the year.

There are loads of references to time in this book. A fun way to include them is the How Long Hop. Let your students know that there are no correct answers, and all of the questions are asking for their opinion.

This digital game is a fun way to get them reading and thinking!

Since you are not in the classroom to take first day photos, have students send you a picture to add to this template, or email this scrapbook page home to parents. Parents always appreciate photos of their child.

Even though you are not in your classroom, you can still have a fantastic virtual first day of school! Find all of these digital You’re Finally Here activities, along with printable versions and so much more, in this adorable back to school unit.