First Week of Kindergarten Lesson Plans – Free PDF Download
- By Deedee Wills
- Updated on July 2
- 8 Comments
Table of Contents
First Week of Kindergarten Lesson Plans with Chicka Chicka Boom Boom
The first week of school is here—which means your room is prepped, your name tags are stuck (and probably restuck), and you’re about to meet a bunch of brand-new kinders full of curiosity, energy, and all the feelings.
If you’re still piecing together your first week lesson plans for kindergarten, I’ve put together a sample that’s simple to follow but gives kindergarten teachers plenty of meaningful activities for the first day of school and beyond. It’s centered around Chicka Chicka Boom Boom, which makes it super easy to blend literacy, routines, and a little hands-on fun—all without overwhelming your new crew (or yourself).
I’ve shared plans like these before, and after taking a bit of a break, I’ve brought them back because so many of you asked. These aren’t over-complicated or overly cutesy. They’re just a solid starting point to help you ease into the new school year with structure and flexibility. Let’s make the most of the first weeks of school and simplify the beginning of the year.
Talking About Routines (Again and Again)
One thing I’ve learned over the years? You can never talk about routines too much during that first week of kindergarten. We don’t just do the routines—we talk about them, notice them, and reflect on them together. Whether it’s how we come to the carpet, making good choices, lining up, cleaning up, or transitioning to centers, I make a point to name the routine, model it, and then discuss what went well or what we’ll try differently next time. It’s not about perfection—it’s about building habits through consistency and connection. These conversations give students a sense of ownership and help them feel secure in what to expect each day.
Important things like maximizing our morning routine or end of the day routine will benefit you all year! A great time to talk about these classroom expectations is during your morning meeting, but you will find that you will want to revisit these frequently and beyond the initial days of school… like you will STILL be chatting about these in January and at the end of the school year. Well, you are working with small humans who are precious who also need reminders. You can read more classroom management tips in these blog posts:
Using Chicka Chicka Boom Boom in Your Kindergarten Classroom
Chicka Chicka Boom Boom is my favorite books and I came back to every single year during the first week of kindergarten. It’s familiar, fun to read aloud, and such an easy way to introduce letters without jumping straight into formal instruction.
If you’ve used it before, you already know how naturally it fits into your first week of classroom activities. If you haven’t, no worries—it’s super flexible. You can use it for letter matching, name recognition, sound games, or just as a read-aloud to get everyone participating together.
In the sample lesson plans for kindergarten I’m sharing, this book is kind of the anchor for the week. It helps set a light, playful tone while still giving you opportunities to weave in routines and expectations. Nothing over the top—just simple, solid activities that work during those first few (very full) days.
I have blogged about this great book before, so instead of restating some ideas, I will just point you to the blog post. Click Chicka Chicka Boom Boom Lesson Ideas to read more.
Easing Into Routines: Starting Slow, Building Strong
The first few days of kindergarten aren’t about jumping into academics—they’re about helping kids feel safe, supported, and comfortable in this brand-new environment. In my first week lesson plans for kindergarten, I make a point to slow things way down and focus on introducing routines one small step at a time.
We start with whole-group modeling and gradually move toward simple, structured center time. On paper, centers are labeled for 45 minutes, but let’s be real—they’ll probably last 15 to 20 minutes at most during that first week. And that’s okay. These short chunks are exactly what new kinders need as they build stamina and learn what independent time looks like.
I think of these first few days as “training weeks.” We’re laying the groundwork for what center time will become later in the year. Right now, it’s about practicing how to rotate, how to clean up, and how to try something on their own—even if it’s just for a few minutes.
Engaging Hands and Minds with Roll & Write Activities
One of my go-to first week classroom activities is a simple Roll & Write game that gets kids moving, talking, and working on early writing skills—all at the same time. We usually kick this off as a whole-group activity so I can model how it works and make sure everyone feels confident before we ever send it to a center.
Here’s how it looks: a student rolls a colored die or cube, and then either colors or writes what they rolled on a shared recording sheet. Sometimes we do this under the doc camera with the whole class watching and participating, and other times they pair up and take turns. Either way, it’s hands-on, interactive, and easy to differentiate later on.
What I love about this activity is how much it packs in—fine motor practice, color recognition, turn-taking, and collaboration. And the best part? Over time, it becomes a solid center option. What starts as a teacher-led activity during the first week turns into an independent staple that little learners actually look forward to.
Bump Games: Low-Prep, High-Engagement Fun
I like to introduce Bump games during the first week of kindergarten because they’re easy to teach, super engaging, and sneak in a lot of learning without kids even realizing it. We usually start by playing as a group under the doc camera so everyone can see how it works. It’s a great way to teach the rules and set expectations while keeping things light and interactive.
These games are perfect for those in-between moments—right before lunch, after recess, or when you’ve got five extra minutes and no energy to prep something new. I’ve found them especially helpful for reinforcing number recognition, one-to-one correspondence, and even basic strategy (kinders love the “bumping off” part once they get the hang of it).
The best part? You can swap out the cards or dice to focus on different skills as the year goes on. The setup stays the same, which means less reteaching for you and more confidence for your new students.
Building Literacy Confidence with Sentence Work
We kick off early sentence work as a whole-group activity during the first week of kindergarten—nothing fancy, just a way to help kids start making connections between pictures, words, and meaning. I use simple picture cards to build a sentence, and we take turns reading it aloud together. As the pictures change, so does the sentence, and it’s a great way to model how print works while building confidence in a low-pressure setting.
This shared routine helps build oral language, gets everyone participating, and gives you the chance to model things like tracking print and using picture clues. It’s also one of those first week classroom activities that lays the groundwork for a center they’ll use all year.
After a few days of guided practice, I move this to an independent center. Some kids like working through it solo, while others do well with a partner. Either way, they’re getting familiar with sentence structure, practicing sight words, and starting to take ownership of their reading. It’s one of those simple routines that grows with your young students—and saves you time in the long run.
Puzzles and Sorting: Simple Centers with Big Benefits
Sorting and puzzles are one of those things we use all year long in kindergarten, so I like to introduce them early—right in the first week of classroom activities. We usually start with simple color-based center activities. They’re easy for young children to access, but they still build really important skills like visual discrimination, categorization, and logical thinking.
These kinds of tasks also give kindergarten students something hands-on to do while they’re still adjusting to routines. The movement, the pieces, the clear beginning and end—it all works together to help them feel successful early on.
These game boards and puzzles are a natural fit! You can tie them activities without having tasks that are too complicated. And as kids work through them, they’re also building confidence with problem-solving and social—skills that’ll carry through the rest of the year.
Grab the color centers by clicking:
Grab the Full First Week Plan (So You Don’t Have to Start from Scratch)
If you’re looking for something ready to go, I’ve pulled everything together in one place to make planning your first week of kindergarten feel a whole lot easier. The full lesson plan set includes a complete breakdown of the week—what to teach, when to teach it, how to ease into centers, and even suggested scripts for whole-group lessons.
Everything’s designed to be simple to use and easy to adjust. I included fonts that match the visuals for a polished look, but don’t stress—if you’d rather use your own favorites or something that fits your classroom better, go for it. Nothing here is locked in. It’s a flexible guide, not a rigid formula.
Whether you’re brand new to kindergarten or just want a smoother start, this sample lesson plan for kindergarten gives you a solid foundation—one that supports routines, centers, and connection, all while keeping things age-appropriate and manageable.
Looking Ahead: More Lesson Plans to Keep You Going
If this first week lesson plan feels like something that works for you, you’re in luck—I’ve built out a full collection of similar resources to carry you through to the end of the year.
These plans build off what you start with Chicka Chicka Boom Boom and expand into other themes and skills, keeping your instruction fresh and engaging as the weeks go on.
Everything is laid out to support you with pacing, routines, and activity ideas that are age-appropriate and easy to implement—no endless searching or piecing things together from Pinterest.
Want to see other lesson plans like this?
To see additional Lesson Plan Posts like this, click HERE.
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Deedee Wills
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8 Responses
Dee Dee,
Love your reading units! I have most of them. I have an unrelated question. We are required to do Chromebooks with our kinders. I am wondering if your district is requiring them. If so, how do you fit them in and what activities are you teaching to your class.
I have a few digital books in my TpT store (ABC books and CVC books). So they are read along books and activities.
I also know that Deanna Jump has some digital centers in her store that would be great to use with Chromebooks.
Thank you so much for sharing your weekly lesson plans! I am using your engaging readers and writers workshop and these plans help so much in my planning!
I’m so happy to hear that they help.
Do you have your lesson plan format on TPT in editable form?
Carrie, The editable lesson plan format is free and the link is in this blog post. You just need to download it. 🙂
Wondering, where I can get a sample copy of your lesson plans?
Hi there! You should be able to download the template right on this blog post. Is that what you mean or are you asking about a lesson plan for one of the units (like the reading)? Let me know and I can point you in the right direction.
deedee@mrswillskindergarten.com