The Printable Princess

helping teachers captivate little learners

Kindergarten Back to School Centers

by 18 Comments

Are you ready for back to school? It’ll be here before you know it! Do you ever feel like there’s so much to get done, and never enough time to do it? There’s organizing to do, labels to be made, bulletin boards to get ready, and kindergarten back to school centers to be planned.

And while I can’t help you put up bulletin boards (although I’d love to!), I can help you plan centers.

That’s why today’s blog post is full of great Kindergarten Back to School Centers! I’ve also put together a little freebie that I’ll share with you at the end of this blog post. 

Early on in my teaching career, planning centers was a challenge for me. I struggled with providing hands-on activities that would keep my kindergarteners engaged. I wanted activities that would challenge them but could still be done independently. And honestly, I didn’t have the resources or time to come up with activities that were fun and fresh.
 
I knew there had to be other teachers like me with the same struggles. So that’s where I got the idea to create the Kindergarten Math and Literacy Centers: Year Long Bundle. 
 
While that bundle includes over 220 centers, made just for Kindergarten – today I wanted to share the Back to School centers kit. 
 
Planning for Kindergarten back to school centers? Check out this blog post with tons of ideas. You'll find hands on activities to teach letters and numbers. The center activities for kindergarten are student-friendly, hands-on, and simple enough for the first few weeks of school. You'll also find two FREE centers on this blog post, so click through and download your copy.
 
The back to school centers (appropriately titled Pencils, Glue, and Centers Too) includes 23 center activities – 13 math and 10 literacy. And if your school requires it, the Common Core standards for each center are included.
 
These centers are perfect for August and September in Kindergarten. I keep centers very simple at the beginning of the school year. The last thing you want is for a student to be frustrated the first few weeks of school. 
 
All 23 centers include “I Can” visual directions and recording sheets as well as a follow up practice page which can be used for homework or small group work. Answer keys are also included for easy checking.
 

Back to School Centers for Kindergarten

Letter Match

Planning for Kindergarten back to school centers? Check out this blog post with tons of ideas. You'll find hands on activities to teach letters and numbers. The center activities for kindergarten are student-friendly, hands-on, and simple enough for the first few weeks of school. You'll also find two FREE centers on this blog post, so click through and download your copy.

Students match the uppercase letter cards to the lowercase letters on the mat. There’s also picture cards included for students who are ready to work on beginning sounds.

Mats and letter/picture cards are color coded, so there is no confusion. An optional recording sheet is included for students to record their work.

Letter or Word?

Planning for Kindergarten back to school centers? Check out this blog post with tons of ideas. You'll find hands on activities to teach letters and numbers. The center activities for kindergarten are student-friendly, hands-on, and simple enough for the first few weeks of school. You'll also find two FREE centers on this blog post, so click through and download your copy.

Students sort the cards using the sorting mats labeled “Letters” and “Words”. They record their answers on the recording sheet. You can use this center in a pocket chart and without the recording sheet. 

A Work of Art

Planning for Kindergarten back to school centers? Check out this blog post with tons of ideas. You'll find hands on activities to teach letters and numbers. The center activities for kindergarten are student-friendly, hands-on, and simple enough for the first few weeks of school. You'll also find two FREE centers on this blog post, so click through and download your copy.

Students identify of the letter on the card. They find the matching letter on their paper. Using the color that is on the card, they trace the letter on the paper.

Secret Code Letter Sounds

Planning for Kindergarten back to school centers? Check out this blog post with tons of ideas. You'll find hands on activities to teach letters and numbers. The center activities for kindergarten are student-friendly, hands-on, and simple enough for the first few weeks of school. You'll also find two FREE centers on this blog post, so click through and download your copy.

Secret code activities are usually a favorite among students. For this secret code activity, students look at the three pictures to identify the secret beginning sound. All three pictures have the same beginning sound. 
 

Write and Wipe

Planning for Kindergarten back to school centers? Check out this blog post with tons of ideas. You'll find hands on activities to teach letters and numbers. The center activities for kindergarten are student-friendly, hands-on, and simple enough for the first few weeks of school. You'll also find two FREE centers on this blog post, so click through and download your copy.
This center is to help get students for writing. In this center, students work on fine motor skills and pre-writing skills by tracing the lines. For another fun twist, you could also have students roll play dough snakes and make the lines using snakes. 

Number Order to 5

Planning for Kindergarten back to school centers? Check out this blog post with tons of ideas. You'll find hands on activities to teach letters and numbers. The center activities for kindergarten are student-friendly, hands-on, and simple enough for the first few weeks of school. You'll also find two FREE centers on this blog post, so click through and download your copy.

Two sets of number order practice cards are included – numbers to 5 and 10. Students put the numbers in order and then do the same on the recording sheet. An optional number line is included. 

Numbers and Shapes, Oh My!

Planning for Kindergarten back to school centers? Check out this blog post with tons of ideas. You'll find hands on activities to teach letters and numbers. The center activities for kindergarten are student-friendly, hands-on, and simple enough for the first few weeks of school. You'll also find two FREE centers on this blog post, so click through and download your copy.

 This center is the math version of  “The Work of Art” activity. Students find the matching number or shape on their paper. Using the color that is on the card, they trace the number/shape on the paper. 

 

Lunch Time

Planning for Kindergarten back to school centers? Check out this blog post with tons of ideas. You'll find hands on activities to teach letters and numbers. The center activities for kindergarten are student-friendly, hands-on, and simple enough for the first few weeks of school. You'll also find two FREE centers on this blog post, so click through and download your copy.
Students will count to fill in the missing number.
 
Count On and Dab

Students practice counting on within 5 in this center. They start counting at the number on the crayon and use the crayons on the right to count on. You can use bingo dabbers or crayons for students to record their answers. 

You can check out all 23 back to school math and literacy centers here.

Back to School Freebie

I made this activity years ago using ketchup and mustard cut outs from the Dollar Tree. When I shared it with teachers, those cut outs were easy to find. But as years passed, they either don’t carry them anymore or they are incredibly hard to find – because I haven’t seen them in ages!

So I remade it, but the letters and numbers cards are included for you.

Planning for Kindergarten back to school centers? Check out this blog post with tons of ideas. You'll find hands on activities to teach letters and numbers. The center activities for kindergarten are student-friendly, hands-on, and simple enough for the first few weeks of school. You'll also find two FREE centers on this blog post, so click through and download your copy.

You’ll want to print, laminate, and cut apart the “I Can” cards and the matching cards. Print a recording sheet for your students. Students match the ketchup and mustard cards (or the scissors and glue) to create a match. They record their matches on the recording sheet. 

Planning for Kindergarten back to school centers? Check out this blog post with tons of ideas. You'll find hands on activities to teach letters and numbers. The center activities for kindergarten are student-friendly, hands-on, and simple enough for the first few weeks of school. You'll also find two FREE centers on this blog post, so click through and download your copy.

You can download the back to school freebie by clicking here.

Thanks so much for reading along as I shared about our Kindergarten Back to School centers! For more back to school ideas click here.

Related Posts

Get the Newsletter

Sign up for the newsletter and get ideas delivered right to your in-box. You'll also be the first to know about new product releases.


We will never give away or sell your personal information.

Comments

  2. Lynn says

    Love this post, so many great ideas! Any chance you could create a letter matching recording sheet for the milk and cookie cutout from Dollar Tree? I’ll happily pay for them.
    Thanks

    Reply

    • Mrs. Campion says

      You'll need 3 packs as there are only 24 in ea. pack and you'll need 52 to make both upper and lower case letters. You'll have some blanks leftover for some other piece of goodness tho!

      Reply

    • Melissa says

      hi Lee Ann,
      You would need 3 packages of cut-outs (52 total pieces) to make a match for all 26 letters of the alphabet. During the first few weeks of school, I don't give my students all of the letters to match-up because that can be a lot of pieces and overwhelming for a Kinder brand new to the classroom, especially the little guys who are new to letter recognition. For the recording sheet they only need 8 matches, which is what I will give them at first so that they can be successful. A few weeks later I would give them the whole set and use the recording sheet again. Hope that helps!!
      -Melissa

      Reply

    • mum of 4.... says

      Hi I was just wondering if it is at all possible for you to post a clear individual picture of each cut out so it can be copied and laminated in order for us to use the worksheets. I live in Australia (and I understand these are a year old so may not be available still) but would appreciate this if possible?

      Reply

  10. Lynda DelMonaco says

    I was JUST @ The Dollar Tree Store yesterday and completely ignored these cut outs, choosing another set. I'm going to have to go back! Thanks for the idea. I'll modify it for my 3rd graders with synonyms or the alphabet in cursive!

    Reply

Leave a comment about this post below, I’d love to hear from you!
If you have a question or need helpΒ click here to contact me.

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Get the Newsletter

Sign up for the newsletter! You'll get ideas and tips delivered right to your in-box. You'll also be the first to know about new product releases.

Latest from Pinterest

  • A fun way to practice CVC words. My kids love this partner game! They roll the die and read the word. First player to dab or cover all of the words, wins!
  • Draw the Code CVC and CVCe Worksheet Bundle includes 75 no prep activity pages to help students learn to spell CVC and CVCe words. No prep!
  • Sensory development is an essential part of childhood development. Introducing children to letters at an early age is equally important. Combine these two skills and create an activity that is not only fun but will help develop crucial early literacy skills. Check out this FREE Alphabet Sensory Bin activity! Perfect for preschool, pre-k, and kindergarten. #teachertips #kindergarten #sensorybins #kindergartenclassroom #alphabetactivities #kindergartenliteracy
  • Sensory development is an essential part of childhood development. Introducing children to letters at an early age is equally important. Combine these two skills and create an activity that is not only fun but will help develop crucial early literacy skills. Check out this FREE Alphabet Sensory Bin activity! Perfect for preschool, pre-k, and kindergarten. #teachertips #kindergarten #sensorybins #kindergartenclassroom #alphabetactivities #kindergartenliteracy
  • 31 beginning sound books. There are 21 consonant and 10 vowel books. Separate short vowel and long vowel books are included. These alphabet books feature a predictable text which will help developing readers feel successful. They are perfect to have students take home and share with their families. The books are in black and white and students only need one page, so they are photocopier friendly!
  • Summer Bucket List for Teachers
  • Sensory development is an essential part of childhood development. Introducing children to letters at an early age is equally important. Combine these two skills and create an activity that is not only fun but will help develop crucial early literacy skills. Check out this FREE Alphabet Sensory Bin activity! Perfect for preschool, pre-k, and kindergarten. #teachertips #kindergarten #sensorybins #kindergartenclassroom #alphabetactivities #kindergartenliteracy
  • Engaging, hands-on way to practice reading and spelling sight words. These activities are great for morning tubs, early finishers, or literacy centers. Includes 135 pre-made sight word cards!
  • Apple Pie in a Cup is the perfect snack to end your apple themed week in PreK, Kindergarten, or First Grade. A fun fall activity!

latest on Instagram

Latest from Facebook

The Printable Princess

Blog | Shop | Newsletter | Contact Us | Disclosure