Must-DO First Day Activity: First Day Feelings Graph for Kindergarten and First Grade
The first day of school is full of emotions—not just for students, but for teachers too! When students walk into your classroom for the first time, they may feel excited, nervous, shy, or even a little scared. Helping students recognize and express those feelings sets the tone for a safe and caring classroom community and sets the tone for the rest of the year.
The First Day of School Feelings Graphing Activity is a low-prep, high-impact resource that helps young students express their emotions while building classroom community and introducing basic graphing skills. It’s perfect for kindergarten and first grade classrooms.
Why Should You Do this Graphing Activity
This first day of school feelings graphing activity is a great SEL activity and it can:
- Promotes emotional awareness by helping students identify and name their feelings **this is a BIG skill for kindergarten and first grade students
- Encourages classroom discussion and gives you insight into how your students are feeling.
- Introduces early math skills like counting, comparing, and graphing in a meaningful way.
- Builds classroom community by showing students that everyone has emotions — and it’s okay to talk about them!
How to PREP the SEL Graphing Activity
- Choose the title for your anchor chart graph and glue/tape it to the top of your anchor chart paper.
There are three different size and style options you can use for your graph. The title you choose will depend on the size of your paper, size of your class, and your graph orientation.
2. Choose the emotion category cards you want to use and glue/tape them to the bottom of your anchor chart paper. *You can use all of the emotions or use simple ones, like happy, excited, sad, nervous for younger students.
Just like the title options, there are three emotion category cards for your graph. These will go on the bottom of your graph. All these cards come in color and black and white.
3. Choose the student emotion cards you want to use. These are the cards that students will choose and write their name on.
There are four options of these cards. Print a few page of each emotion you want to use. Cut out the cards and when it is time to complete the graph, students will pick a card and write their name on the line and color the picture.
4. Choose the graph you want your students to use. Print one for each student to complete.
5. Choose the response pages you want your students to use and print out enough for your class.
6. Print any bonus pages you want to use. There are certificates, a coloring page, and a first day crown.
Questions to Ask Your Students After the Activity
- “Which feeling had the most?”
- “Did anyone else feel the same as you?”
- “What can we do to help classmates who feel sad or nervous?”
Pro Tip: Save the graph! Revisit it later in the week to talk about how feelings change over time—and repeat it at the end of the first week or month as a great reflection tool.
The first day sets the tone for the entire year. With this graphing activity, you’re not just teaching math—you’re teaching empathy, community, and communication. It’s a small activity with big impact.
Want more back-to-school ideas like this? Stay tuned for more classroom-ready blog posts to make your transition back to school smoother than ever!
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