Make every Friday a special day with one of these ideas.
Note! What many adults forget is that children are happy with “plain vanilla.” Wearing a silly hat or a shirt from a favorite sports team can be as much fun as a fancy ball!
Sports Day – Children can wear t-shirts and hats from their favorite teams. Let them bring sports equipment to share with friends on the playground - weather permitting.
Book Party – Encourage children to dress up like their favorite book character. Play “Guess Who I Am?” or have children describe why they like a particular character. Let them bring favorite reading material (books, magazines) from home and sit or lay wherever they want for independent reading.
Talent Show - One of my favorite memories is of a Talent Show we had one Friday. I just invited all the children to think of a “talent” (song, dance, story, gymnastic stunt) they could do. We sat in a circle and they all got up and performed! We clapped and laughed and cheered!
Board Game Day – Let children bring board games from home. Set aside the last hour in the day to share games and play with friends.
Pajama Party – Have children wear pajamas and bring pillows and stuffed animals to class. Read books, watch a movie, and eat popcorn.
Career Day – Children come dressed for the career they’d like when they grow up. After sharing with friends, have each child draw a picture (or take a photograph) and make a class book.
Unbirthday Party – How about a birthday party when it’s everyone’s “unbirthday”? Play party games, sing, and decorate cupcakes. (This is also a great way to celebrate all those summer birthdays.)
Beach Party – It might be cold outside, but you can have a beach party inside. Invite children to bring beach towels and wear sunglasses, shorts, and bathing suits. Play beach ball games, beach music, and have a “cool” snack like popsicles.
Teddy Bear Parade – Children bring in a teddy bear or stuffed animal and parade around the classroom. Have them write stories and draw pictures of what they like to do with their bear. Have a “tea party” with your bears.
Hat Day – Ask children to wear their favorite hat to school, or challenge them to design a hat from a paper plate and art scraps.
Luau – Make grass skirts from draw string garbage bags. Cut straws in 1” pieces and alternate stringing with paper flowers on dental floss to create a lei. Hula, surf, and eat pineapple fruit kabobs for snack.
Toy Day – Children bring a favorite toy from home and share with their friends.
Sock Hop – Children get to wear silly socks to school and have a dance at the end of the day.
*Teach the children the “Twist,” “Charleston,” “Jitterbug,” “Swim,” “Pony,” or other dances from your past.
Teacher of the Day – Assign one child each Friday “Teacher of the Day.” That child gets to sit in your desk and be in charge of circle time. They can choose a book to read to the class, a song to sing, game to play, and so forth.
Note! "Teacher of the Day" is my favorite!!!!
