Anchor Chart Examples: 7 Easy Back-to-School Ideas for Your Classroom

Back to school anchor chart examples post

It’s time for back to school! First, there are so many things to do to get you and your classroom full of kiddos ready for school. From day one, I know you want to create a cohesive classroom community where everyone feels welcome. One way you can do this is by grabbing some back to school anchor chart examples.

What to Cover!

During back to school, there are some common topics I like to cover. Some topics include what makes a great classmate or teacher and ways to be a bucket filler. I also like to talk about ways we can show kindness to others. Class rules are also an important topic to talk about. If this sounds daunting to you, you’re in luck. I’ve got some great anchor chart examples to share with you that will make your life much easier.

A Great Classmate Anchor Chart Examples

One of my favorite anchor chart examples to make at the beginning of the year focuses on what makes a great classmate. An easy-to-use template is inside this Back to School Anchor Charts and Classroom Rules Poster I have in my shop. A Great Classmate poster is available with ideas already printed for your class or as a blank resource.

This is one of my favorite anchor charts to make. I like to remind students how to be great classmates by being nice, helpful, and saying please and thank you. Get your students involved and encourage them to come up with their own ideas of what makes a great classmate!

A Great Teacher Anchor Chart Examples

Be sure to also talk about what makes a great teacher. Encourage students to think about teachers or adults in their life that they enjoy being around and why they like those adults. There will be lots of ideas about what makes for a great teacher. This poster is also an anchor chart example you’ll find in the bundle of Back to School Anchor Charts!

How to Fill a Bucket

how to kill a bucket anchor charts for kids

An especially important concept to teach students about is how to be a bucket filler and not a bucket dipper. Try reading Have You Filled a Bucket Today? A Guide to Daily Happiness for Kids by Carol McCloud to your students. They will learn all about bucket fillers and bucket dippers. A bucket filler is something that make us feel good. Helping a friend or saying kind things to a classmate or teacher are things that a bucket filler might do. In contrast, Bucket dipping includes things like not sharing, using hurtful words, or not playing nicely on the playground. Get your students to share ideas on ways to be a bucket filler by adding them to an anchor chart.

Books About School Anchor Chart

Another fun anchor chart you can make for back to school, is a place where kids can jot down notes about books they have read. As you read books about going back to school, have students record what they learn on the chart.

Grab a few back-to-school books from the library to read during the first-week of school. Try to find books that remind your students about rules, expectations, and what school is like. Then, record the books you read and what your students learn and refer back to them throughout the year.

First Day Feelings Anchor Chart

The first-day feelings anchor chart example is a great activity to record how students feel on the first day of school. Some will feel positive, excited, and happy feelings, but many will have some feelings of anxiety. Even if there are familiar faces and surroundings, the first day of school is new and different enough to cause many students to feel uneasy. This anchor chart can help you ease those worries by talking about them during class.

How We Get Home (a fun class graph)

This how we get home graph is one you can create for your students to remember how they go home from school. Some will go to an after-school program in the school building, some get on a bus or van, some get a ride home from a trusted adult, and some students walk home. It is fun to explore how everyone gets home. This chart also makes a great bonus for substitute teachers who need to know where to send kids at the end of the day.

Class Rules Anchor Chart Examples

The class rules anchor chart example in the bundle of Back to School Anchor Charts is especially helpful to get your class rules laid out in one place. Use the example provided in the resource, or come up with your own list aided by students in your class.

FREE Back to School Activities and Worksheets

Lastly, for a fun and free activity to go along with the anchor chart examples, check out these FREE Back to School Activities and Worksheets. These fun printables help remind students of school expectations and procedures while allowing them to have a little fun.

Shop This Post!

The anchor charts in this post are from my Back to School Anchor Charts and Classroom Rules Posters pack! I hope you’ve found one or two or three that would be a perfect fit in your classroom. I have personally used all of them and think they’re so helpful in getting back into the swing of things during the first few days and weeks of school.

Also, be sure to save this post by pinning this to your Pinterest account. That way, you can easily come back to these ideas when you are ready to make some fun back to school anchor charts!