The back-to-school season is just around the corner, and educators need back to school products. Teachers know the importance of being prepared. It’s not just about organizing lesson plans and setting up the classroom; it’s also about having the right tools and resources to create a positive and engaging learning environment. One effective way to ensure a smooth start to the school year is by having a collection of printable products ready to go.
Preparing for the new school year goes beyond just setting up a physical space. It’s about setting the stage for a successful and productive learning experience for students. Looking for products you can use to repurpose for the back to school season? Check our A Year’s Worth of Homeschooling or
Benefits of Using Printable Products
Printable products offer numerous benefits for teachers and students alike. They are cost-effective, easily customizable, and can be tailored to suit specific classroom needs. By creating printable products for this market, you will have an evergreen product and, a new stream of income for your business. Additionally, printable products can be reused year after year, saving time and money for the teachers and effort in the long run.
Ideas for Printable Products
Would You Rather cards
Would You Rather cards are an excellent icebreaker activity for the classroom. These cards present students with two options, and they must choose which one they prefer. They can spark engaging discussions, encourage critical thinking, and help students get to know each other.
To create Would You Rather cards, design a template with two options on each card. I do this in Canva or PowerPoint. In Canva, if you are using Bulk Create, you can make 100 cards in about 2 seconds.
I size the individual cards at 5 x 3.5 inches, place 4 on a letter size landscape format page, for ease in printing out. In PowerPoint, I start with a letter size page in landscape format, place 4 shapes on the page and type in the questions on each card. Canva is faster, but Powerpoint has it’s benefits as well.
The end user (parent or teacher) can laminate them for durability if desired. You can create a variety of themed cards related to academics, hobbies, or general interest topics.
Find Someone Who
Find Someone Who is one of those activities that can be customized for the students. It looks like a bingo card, and the teacher can use it this way. I like to use it to have each student speak to every student in the room when possible. Using it as a bingo makes the activity terminate when someone has found 5 of the statements.
The template could have 25 squares like a standard bingo or more/less squares depending on class size. And each of the squares would have some statement or idea. For example, the squares might include statements like “Has a pet,” “Plays a musical instrument,” or “Speaks more than one language.”
Students must move around the classroom and find classmates who match the statements to fill their Bingo card. This activity encourages interaction and helps students find commonalities among their peers. It helps them make friends, get to know their classmates and make the classroom more familiar.
All About Me
There are several ways to use this idea. One way is to use a banner like we created last week and have the students complete the information. Then the banners or pennants can be strung and hung around the room. It helps the teacher get to know something about the students and kids will view each others’ pennants to know their classmate.
Or you could create a standard letter size page and let the students complete with their favorites. It does make a great display on the bulletin board and you could include a heading for that display.
A Letter to My Future Self
It is easier for students to have a scripted letter with some items they are supposed to complete. Students write the letters, and teacher will put them away (like a time capsule) and pass them out at the end of the year. It is also a good activity to have students include a photo if possible. It’s amazing how much they change in 9 months.
Reward Coupons
Reward Coupons are a great way to incentivize positive behavior and motivate students. Design a variety of reward coupons that students can earn for good behavior, completing assignments, or reaching academic milestones.
Examples of rewards could include “Extra Free Time,” “Free Homework Pass” or “Sit with a Friend” Make the coupons visually appealing with colorful designs and include space for the student’s name and date.
Student Interest Surveys:
Design printable surveys that ask students about their interests, preferences, and learning styles. Include questions about their favorite subjects, preferred learning activities, and how they like to be supported in the classroom. This information can help you tailor your teaching methods and better understand your students’ needs.
Classroom Community Collage:
Design printable templates that students can use to create their own small collages. Include sections such as their favorite things, goals for the school year, and words that describe them.
Provide space for them to cut out pictures from magazines or print images from the internet that represent their interests. After completing their collages, students can share them with the class, explaining the significance of their choices.
It adds to the activity if you use a ‘puzzle piece” shape which is cut out and the shapes are then put together like a puzzle (as I did with the 9 Things About Me above) . You could use a jigsaw puzzle share or any other shape that would fit together (think math shapes like triangles, parallelograms)
Name Tags and Desk Labels
Personalized Name Tags and Desk Labels can help create a sense of ownership and belonging in the classroom. Create customizable templates with spaces for student names, along with additional information such as their favorite subject or a fun fact about themselves. Use attractive fonts and colors to make the name tags visually appealing.
Consider incorporating relevant images or symbols that reflect each student’s interests or personality. Or offer several different versions and allow students to chose.
Flash Cards for Review
At the beginning of the year (and all through the year) students need review of concepts learned earlier. Flash Cards and task cards make the perfect review. You could review vocabulary, math facts, and history dates. You can create these easily in Canva with bulk create.
I create them in a 3.5 x 5 size and save as PNG or JPEG and then place 4 on a page for easy printing. Remember to keep the color ink friendly for teachers to print out.
Remember, preparation is the key to success. By developing a collection of printables to sell, you’ll not only provide valuable resources to fellow educators but also have the opportunity to generate additional income. The teaching community is always seeking fresh and innovative ideas, and your printables can make a lasting impact on classrooms far beyond your own.
If you missed the blog post last week, it was all about preparing some classroom decor to sell. You can read that here: CREATING CLASSROOM DECOR TO SELL and a post from last year at this time gives you 30 BACK TO SCHOOL PRODUCTS TO CREATE NOW.