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When I was working at my former school, I was welcoming new students into my classroom on a monthly basis. This was the nature of my school program, however I know my program was not unique in having a high mobility rate of students. Many communities have families regularly moving in and out for a variety of reasons, and as teachers, we are tasked with making this a smooth process for students. As someone with an unusually high amount of experience in this area, I have some tips that have helped me navigate this big change for kids!
Make cards for the new student
I love having a dedicated time in class a few days before the new student’s start date to create cards for them. This allows the current students to have some additional time to make sense of this change coming to the classroom. Sometimes it can be really anxiety provoking and overwhelming for students to realize someone new might change the class community and dynamic. Since this is a pretty low-risk activity, it can be a good time to have a class discussion about emotions and strategies to use as big feelings may arise. This also gives students a chance to practice saying the name and writing the name of their new classmate.
Read a welcoming book
For elementary classrooms, I love the book You’re Finally Here! by Melanie Watt. This book is light hearted, sweet, and really silly. It’s a great way to lighten the mood during an often overwhelming day for the new student in your classroom. Welcoming new students to your classroom with a consistent book can also help kids feel connected. If you are frequently welcoming new students, reading the same book each time a new classmate joins your group can be so fun for other formally “new” students. Rituals and traditions are a big connection point and can be a nice shared experience for your class.
“One thing about me is…”
Welcoming new students with introductions is a must! I like having students in the class prepare 2 sentences to share with their new classmate. They can share a fact about themselves, as well as one thing they like about their classroom or school.
Wear name tags!
I learned the hard way that name tags are a must for the first week of welcoming a new student! It can be really stressful for all kids involved when there are so many new names to remember. This can make it challenging for the new student to socialize or engage, and an easy way for other classmates to just stick to their normal routine without engaging with their new peer.
Assign roles
Being the “new kid” is just plain hard. One way I have found this transition to be a little less stressful is to ease some of the hardest parts of the day by assigning roles in the classroom. Prior to the new student’s first day, I had my class choose what roles they would play in their new classmates first week at school. Some roles were being the introducer (introducing them to other teachers, their PE teacher, art teacher, etc.), the tour guide (showing them where to find items in the classroom, school, etc.), lunch buddy (sit with them during lunch), recess buddy (play during recess), etc. These roles were really helpful and made everyone feel a little more settled.
Do you have a lot of mobility in your school community? How do you welcome new students?
