Back to School Tips for Preschool Teachers

Get your Preschool Program Ready for Back to School

As summer winds down and the school year begins, preschool teachers have a wonderful opportunity to lay the foundation for a joyful, organized, and engaging year. Whether you're a veteran educator or new to the classroom, starting strong can make all the difference.

It’s easy to feel overwhelmed with everything on your to-do list—so to save you time and energy, I’ve gathered some of my favorite tips, free resources, and tools from Pre-K Printable Fun to help you kick off the year with confidence.

1. Be kind to yourself

This is the most important tip of all. We can't pour from an empty cup. Your best might look different from day to day, and that’s okay—especially during challenging times.

• Schedule time for your mental and physical well-being.
• Add self-care moments into your classroom too—your students benefit when you're rested and grounded.

Make caring for your mental and physical health a priority. Schedule extra self-care time for yourself, and your students this year.

2. Prepare Your Classroom with Care

Create a warm, welcoming, and organized space where children feel safe and eager to learn.

• Label everything: Use picture + word labels to promote independence.
• Create clear learning centers: Include areas for reading, art, sensory play, and building.
  👉 Download our free set of Learning Center Posters here!
  

Preschool Center Signs

3. Build Strong Relationships

The beginning of the year is all about connection.

• Spend one-on-one time with each child to learn their interests and needs.
  
• Establish fun welcome rituals—like a morning dance-off, elbow bump, or a name sign-in routine
  

🖍️ Try our Sign In & Sign Out Activities to help with name recognition and establishing routines!

Pre-K Printable Fun Sign In & Sign Out Activities

4. Establish Clear Routines Early

Consistency builds confidence. Help students feel secure by teaching routines from day one.
Establishing clear routines helps students feel secure and understand what to expect each day.

• Daily Schedule: Introduce a visual daily schedule that outlines the day’s activities. Use pictures and simple words to help children follow along and anticipate transitions.
• Classroom Rules: Establish a few simple, positive rules and discuss them with your students. Use visual aids and role-playing to help them understand and remember the expectations.

Pre-K Printable Fun Visual Schedule

5. Assign Classroom Jobs

Let your students help out and take ownership!

• Use a job chart to delegate simple tasks like line leader or table helper.
  
• This builds independence, responsibility, and smoother transitions.
  
  

Encourage independence, and develop self help skills with a job chart.

Pre-K Printable Fun Job Chart

6. Observe and Assess Early

Get to know where your students are developmentally so you can tailor your lessons.

• Use our Free Assessment Binder to track milestones.
  
• Regular observations will guide your planning and progress check-ins.
  
  

Start the year off using my free assessment pack to assess where the children in your care are developmentally. Knowing which developmental skills the children in your care are working towards will help you more effectively plan lessons and choose the activities that are appropriate for your program. Be sure to track their developmental progress and record it throughout the year.

Free Assessment Binder from PKPF

7. Involve Families from the Start

Engaging families in the school experience creates a partnership that supports student success. Keep open lines of communication and involve parents in the classroom community.

• Welcome Letters: Send home a welcome letter outlining what students can expect in the coming weeks. Include information about the daily schedule, classroom rules, and how parents can support their child's transition.
• Family Involvement: Invite families to participate in classroom activities or events. This can include reading a story, sharing a cultural tradition, or volunteering for special projects.
  

8. Plan Fun & Engaging Activities

Kick off the school year with fun and meaningful activities that capture students' interest and enthusiasm for learning.

• Icebreaker Games: Use icebreaker games and activities to help students get to know each other and feel comfortable in their new environment.
• Thematic Units: Plan thematic units that align with the beginning of the school year, such as “All About Me” or “Our Classroom Community.” These themes help students learn about themselves and their new surroundings.

Need new ways to make your printable activities more engaging? Consider combining your printables with hands on manipulatives! Place them in sensory bins, or even take them outside! Check out this post for some more fun ideas!

9. Plan Ahead (Without the Stress!)

Start your school year organized!  Pre-K Printable Fun has done a lot of the work for you!  Visit our free Activity Library (found at the top of our site) or  our 50+ free Theme planning pages (found under the Themes tab at the top of our site) which include a variety of hand-selected activities from our activity library organized by domain and learning centers to help you save time planning your lessons and center activities. Download our free ready made theme pacing calendar so you can follow along with our yearly programming.

Planning Crafts and facilitated art projects take up a lot of time! Offer more open ended art and less adult directed activities. Find several process art activities here.

By planning and knowing your meals and snacks ahead of time you are able to save time preparing and shopping.

11. Start the beginning of the year with  goal to improve fine motor skills

Strong fingers and hands are important so that children can work towards developmental goals such as pre-writing and improved self help skills. Plan fine motor activities this fall.

12. Make time for a group meetings

Group meeting time is a great opportunity to build social emotional skills such as working as a team and taking turns. Short on space? Make your meeting time a snap! This circle time binder makes it easy to conduct group meeting time wherever you are, including outside!

13. Be Flexible and Patient

Starting a new school year can be a big adjustment for both students and teachers. Be prepared for some bumps along the way and approach them with patience and flexibility.

• Adapt to Needs: Be ready to adapt your plans based on the needs and responses of your students. Some children may require additional support or time to adjust, and that’s perfectly okay.
• Encourage and Support: Offer lots of encouragement and positive reinforcement. Celebrate small successes and milestones to build confidence and a positive attitude towards learning.
  

Be Flexible and Patient

14. Create a Calm Down Space

Create a calm down space in your program. Set up a cozy corner with soft cushions, calming visuals, and sensory tools where children can go if they feel overwhelmed. This supports emotional regulation.

15. Set Clear Transition Signals

Use songs, timers, or bells to help children know when it’s time to switch activities. This builds predictability and reduces stress. Visit this post for transition ideas and free props.

16. Reflect & Adjust

Regularly reflect on what’s working well and what might need adjustment. Continuous improvement ensures that you’re meeting the needs of your students effectively.

• Feedback: Seek feedback from your students, parents, and fellow teachers. This can provide valuable insights into what’s going well and where improvements might be needed.
• Professional Development: Engage in ongoing professional development to stay updated on best practices and new strategies for early childhood education.

Starting the school year with these strategies in mind will help create a nurturing and dynamic environment where your students can thrive. Here’s to a fantastic year ahead filled with growth, learning, and joyful moments!

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Looking for More Support?

If you want to save time and have a library of engaging, ready-to-use resources at your fingertips, consider joining our Pre-K Printables Club. As a member, you’ll get unlimited access to a growing collection of printable activities, activity guides and planning tools—all designed to make your preschool teaching smoother and more fun. New to using printables? Try some of our free activities to get started!

Featured products:

Circle Time Binder

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Editable Preschool Job Chart

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Visual Schedule

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Attendance Daily Sign In Activities

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Free Preschool Theme Planning Pages
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