First Week of School Activities That Build Friendship, Confidence, and Kindness

Every act of kindness starts small—just like a seed. Plant one today and watch it grow.

The first week of school is about more than learning classroom routines. It's a time when children are meeting new friends, adjusting to new expectations, and discovering where they fit within their classroom community. The first week of school activities you choose can help children feel welcome, build new friendships, and create a positive classroom community from day one.

For many young learners, the beginning of the school year can bring excitement mixed with nervousness. Simple activities that encourage friendship, confidence, and kindness can help children feel welcomed, valued, and ready to learn.

Here are eight easy activities for preschool, kindergarten, and early elementary classrooms that help create a positive classroom culture from day one.

In This Article You'll Discover:

1. Plant a Kindness Seed

2. Create a Friendship Chain

3. Build a Helping Hands Bulletin Board

4. Start a Kindness Jar

5. Use Morning Meeting Kindness Challenges

6. Read Books That Encourage Friendship and Inclusion

7. Create a Classroom Promise

8. End the Week With Reflection

First Week of School Activities: Plant a Kindness Seed

Kindness grows one small action at a time.

One of my favorite first week of school activities is planting kindness seeds. This simple project encourages children to think about how their actions can help kindness grow throughout the year.

Invite students to write or draw one kind thing they would like to do for a classmate during the first week of school. Place their kindness seeds on a bulletin board or classroom display and watch your kindness garden grow throughout the year.

This simple activity helps children understand that even small acts of kindness can make a big difference.

Looking for a printable version? Check out our Kindness Seed activity and classroom ideas.

First Week of School Activities: Create a Friendship Chain

Help students see how friendships connect everyone in the classroom.

Friendship chains are engaging first week of school activities because they help students discover common interests while building classroom connections.

Give each child a paper strip and ask them to write their name and one thing they enjoy doing. As students share, connect the strips into a paper chain and display it around the room.

The growing chain becomes a visual reminder that every student is an important part of the classroom community.

First Week of School Activities: Build a Helping Hands Bulletin Board

Children thrive when they know they can contribute.

When planning first week of school activities, look for opportunities that encourage teamwork and responsibility.

Trace each student's hand on colorful paper and ask them to complete the sentence:

"I can help by..."

Students may write ideas such as:

• Sharing supplies

• Helping clean up

• Including others in games

• Using kind words

Display the hands together to create a classroom promise of kindness and cooperation.

First Week of School Activities: Start a Kindness Jar

A kindness jar encourages students to notice positive actions around them.

Kindness jars are easy first week of school activities that help students recognize and celebrate positive behaviors.

Whenever a student sees a classmate helping, sharing, encouraging, or showing kindness, they can add a note to the jar.

At the end of the week, read a few notes aloud and celebrate the positive choices students are making.

This activity helps children recognize that kindness is something we can practice every day.

First Week of School Activities: Use Morning Meeting Kindness Challenges

Morning meetings provide a perfect opportunity to set a positive tone for the day.

Adding kindness challenges to your morning routine turns ordinary moments into meaningful first week of school activities.

Try simple daily challenges such as:

• Say good morning to someone new.

• Invite someone to join your game.

• Give a compliment.

• Help a friend solve a problem.

• Thank someone for their help.

Small challenges build confidence while helping children develop empathy and social skills.

First Week of School Activities: Read Books That Encourage Friendship and Inclusion

Stories are powerful tools for helping children understand emotions and relationships.

Read-alouds are valuable first week of school activities because stories help children explore friendship, empathy, and inclusion.

Choose books that encourage discussions about:

• Making new friends

• Including others

• Understanding differences

• Showing kindness

• Working together

After reading, invite students to share examples of how the characters demonstrated friendship and compassion.

First Week of School Activities: Create a Classroom Promise

Instead of focusing only on classroom rules, involve students in creating a classroom promise.

Ask questions such as:

• How do we want people to feel in our classroom?

• What does kindness look like?

• How can we help one another?

Record student responses and create a shared classroom promise that everyone signs.

When children help create expectations, they are more likely to follow them.

First Week of School Activities: End the Week With Reflection

Reflection helps children recognize their growth.

At the end of the first week, ask students:

• What was your favorite part of the week?

• How did someone show kindness to you?

• How did you show kindness to someone else?

• What are you excited about next week?

These simple conversations help children build self-awareness while reinforcing positive classroom behaviors.

First Week of School Activities for Building Classroom Community

The first week of school sets the foundation for the entire year.

Activities that encourage friendship, confidence, and kindness help children feel safe, connected, and ready to learn. Whether you're planting kindness seeds, building friendship chains, or sharing stories together, these small moments create a classroom where every child feels they belong.

Because when kindness is planted early, it continues to grow all year long.

Keep planting seeds of kindness, 🌱

Carolyn Watkins Award-Winning Children's Author & Former Educator