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- ⏰ 10 time saving templates for back-to-school
⏰ 10 time saving templates for back-to-school
Plus activities for expressing emotions and a timer that's perfect for K-2!
Karly Moura & Christina Sciarrotto
August 12, 2025
Ready, Set, Teach! Your back-to-school boost is here!
We know that back-to-school season brings a whirlwind of excitement (and maybe just a little chaos 😅). From setting up your classroom to welcoming new little learners, it’s a busy time filled with a million moving pieces. That’s why this issue of What’s New in K-2 is packed with tools to make your life easier and your classroom even more magical. 🪄
Inside this week’s issue, you’ll find:
🚌 10 time-saving templates to kickstart the school year
🥰 A sweet emotions video and activities help your students navigate big feelings
⏰ A teacher-tested visual timer that makes transitions a breeze
🤭 And of course... our Giggle of the Week to keep things light
Let’s start this year off feeling supported, inspired, and just a little more prepared.
You’ve got this—and we’ve got your back!
💡 Tips, Tools and Templates
🚌 10 useful templates to kick off the new school year
Back to school is an exciting time. It can also be overwhelming. Teachers have a LOT to plan: lessons, communication, organization, building community ... and that just scratches the surface!
That's where templates come in.
Templates can save us time. They give us a starting point so we can adapt them to fit our needs.
Below you will find 10 useful templates to start the school year.
👩🏻🏫 Welcome to Class Flipbook
 | This flipbook template that allows teachers to easily share crucial information like contact details, important dates, class schedules, rules, and teacher introductions with K-2 families. |
✅ Procedures Checklist
 | This handy checklist helps teachers systematically introduce and track essential classroom procedures, ensuring a smooth start to the school year. |
👋🏼 Meet the Teacher Handout
 | A vibrant and engaging template perfect for teachers to introduce themselves to their new students and families in a fun, personalized way. Alternative All About the Teacher digital presentation: |
📰 Welcome Back Newsletter Template
 | A friendly and informative template for teachers to send home, outlining important class details, supplies needed, and key dates for the upcoming school year. |
✏️ Name Tags
 | Printable name tags ideal for desk assignments or learning centers, they offer a dedicated space for practice and reinforce essential foundational skills. |
📓 Personalized Name Book
 | This simple yet effective template helps K-2 students practice writing and recognizing their names, building early literacy skills. |
💻 Google Classroom Header
 | A bright and inviting banner to personalize your Google Classroom. |
❤️ Getting to Know Your Child Survey
 | This survey, asks guardians to provide insights into their child's personality, learning styles, strengths, interests, and needs.
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🏫 Classroom Volunteer Form
 | Ask parents to indicate their availability for various volunteer opportunities, such as weekly in-class help, at-home work, reading to the class, chaperoning field trips, or donating supplies. |
📺 Teaching with Teachflix Junior
🥰 StoryBots: Emotions
🎥 Video Link: StoryBots Emotions
StoryBots "Emotions" videos are a fantastic way to help young children understand and express their feelings! Through fun songs and engaging stories, these videos explore a variety of emotions like happiness, sadness, and anger, teaching kids healthy ways to cope. They even offer helpful suggestions, such as finding comfort in a cuddle when feeling sad, making them a great resource for your K-2 learners.
Ready-made video resources:
Use this StoryBots Emotions video as a springboard for great class discussions about feelings and understanding our emotions. These resources will help you do just that!
🥰 Activity 1: "The First Day of School Makes Me Feel..."
The video introduces various emotions, and this activity provides a concrete context for children to apply that knowledge to their own experiences.
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Discussion Prompt: Before handing out the worksheets, prompt a discussion using questions like: "Remember how StoryBots talked about different feelings? What are some of those feelings? How do you think your body feels when you're happy? What about when you're a little bit nervous?"
🧠 Activity #2: “Brainstorming Emotions”
This activity is a great tool for fostering emotional literacy in K-2 students, helping them to recognize, name, and discuss a wide range of feelings.
 | This resource builds directly on the emotional vocabulary and recognition that the StoryBots video aims to develop. |
Warm-up: Begin by asking students what emotions they remember from the StoryBots video.
Activity Focus: Display each page prominently. Go through each emoji one by one.
Beyond the Page: After discussing all the emojis, ask if there are any other emotions they know that weren't shown.
🥴 Activity 3: "Blank Face Play-doh Mat"
This hands-on activity provides a kinesthetic and creative way for students to explore and construct various facial expressions related to emotions.
 | This play-doh mat is perfect for reinforcing the visual cues of emotions introduced in the StoryBots video. |
After seeing how different emotions look on faces, students can physically create them.
Preparation: You'll need play-doh (various colors are great!) and some simple emotion cards.
Activity Focus: Students pick an emotion card (or you can call out an emotion) and then use play-doh to create the corresponding facial features (eyes, eyebrows, mouth) on the blank face on the mat.
🛍️Teacher Finds for the Classroom
⏰ 60-Minute Visual Countdown Timer
This visual timer is a great tool for helping young learners understand the passage of time during activities like centers, clean-up, or transitions. Its bright blue countdown disc gives kids a clear, visual cue, making it especially helpful for building independence and supporting students with special needs. Easy to use and place anywhere—with magnets, a stand, or wall-mount—it’s perfect for any K-2 classroom routine.
🤭 Giggle of the Week
😱That August dread is real.
h/t Reader’s Digest