Free Safe Greetings Mini Book
It’s becoming more and more important to teach preschoolers safe greetings and no-contact greetings. This safe greetings mini book is a fun way to remind preschoolers of safe greetings, and is one of many awesome first week of school activities for preschoolers.
Activities for the First Week of Preschool
Physically connecting with preschoolers is important during the first few weeks of school.
I’m no expert, but I believe that physical connection is just as important as social-emotional connection.
So where does that leave us when schools are no longer allowing hugs, high fives, or even handshakes?
Just because we have to social distance doesn’t mean we can’t show our preschoolers how much we care about them. There are many different ways we can connect with our preschoolers.
That’s where this safe greeting mini book comes in!
No-contact greetings may be unfamiliar to preschoolers, so they’ll need to be taught. Add this to your list of activities for the first week of preschool to help teach safe and healthy greetings.
There are a lot of different ways to use this safe greetings mini book, so I’ve included it several times in my first week of preschool activities.
Be sure to read all the different ways to use this mini book to teach your preschoolers new and safe ways to greet each another (and you, the teacher, too).
What Do You Do on the First Day of Preschool?
The first day–or even the first week–of preschool can be very emotional for some students. It’s important to allow time for them to sort out their feelings, and for the teachers and fellow students to respect those feelings.
To help your preschoolers feel more comfortable, try some of the following:
- Model safe greetings, but don’t be too uptight. This will come.
- Allow for goodbye rituals between the preschoolers and their parents.
- Read lots of story books. Talk about what your preschoolers are feeling.
- Show your preschoolers around the classroom. Give them some time to look and explore.
- Stay relaxed and know that separation anxiety is normal during the first few weeks of preschool.
And most importantly, don’t forget to add lots of fun and engaging activities for the first week of preschool!
How Do You Introduce New Activities to Preschoolers?
Role playing and modeling are some of the best ways to show preschoolers how to use new materials for the first time. Invite a student (or two) to be your volunteer as you model how to appropriately play the game or complete the activity. Model positive behavior so that students see what is expected and what actions are not appropriate.
You might also like these other first week of school activities:
Design a Face Mask
First Week of Preschool Lesson Plans
Pencil Dominos
Activity for the First Week of Preschool – Safe Greetings Mini Book
This mini book is perfect for teaching little ones how to encourage and acknowledge others for a job well done, how to greet one another safely, and build rapport.
It’s a simple first week of school activity for preschoolers that also has a big–and important–impact.
Materials
- free safe greetings mini book
- optional materials from “More First Week of School Activities for Preschoolers”
How to Teach Safe Greetings with Mini Book
First, print the mini book and assemble. Just staple the pages together to create a booklet.
Help your preschooler write his or her name on the front if they can’t do it by themselves. Or you can write the name in yellow marker and invite your preschooler to trace over the name.
You might like these other name recognition activities:
Clever Name Practice Using Playdough
Watercolor Name Paintings
Tactile Name Tracing Practice
Take some time to read through the booklet with your preschoolers. This is a great activity for circle time and small groups.
Model what each safe greeting looks like and invite your preschoolers to act out each one. Share with them that this book will help remind them of how to safely greet their friends while at school, but that they can also use these no-contact greetings while out and about with Mom and Dad.
Invite your preschoolers to color these books. They may not be interested in coloring the entire book in one sitting, so it’s ok to offer only a page or two at a time and then assessable the mini books at the end of the week.
There are several different pages in the mini book, so you could also select a few at a time and make multiple books. Just print extra covers for the remaining books.
More Activities for the First Week of Preschool Using Mini Book
This printable isn’t limited to being used as a mini book. There’s loads of ways to use it during the first few weeks of school. Try some of these activities:
- Copy the book at 200% or even 500% and introduce a new safe greeting every day during circle time. Staple the new greeting to the bulletin board.
- Alternatively, tape the safe greeting to the door of the classroom and have that one as your “safe greeting of the day.” Have each preschooler use that same greeting as they enter the classroom for that day.
- Print the booklet twice. Cut out all the pages and shuffle them together. Have students play memory and find the matching cards.
- Encourage children to develop their own safe greetings. Have the students draw them on a small piece of paper and add it to the mini book for all the children to learn.
- Play a game of seek and find. Post the pages around the classroom. When two children find the same page, they must do the safe greeting on the page.
- Send your mini books home for “reading” practice.
More Safe Greetings Printables for Preschoolers
Get Your Safe Greetings Cube Game Here
Add this safe greetings mini book to your activities for the first week of preschool. Grab a copy by clicking the image below and the PDF will be sent to your email.
I’m Sarah, an educator turned stay-at-home-mama of five! I’m the owner and creator of Stay At Home Educator, a website about intentional teaching and purposeful learning in the early childhood years. I’ve taught a range of levels, from preschool to college and a little bit of everything in between. Right now my focus is teaching my children and running a preschool from my home. Credentials include: Bachelors in Art, Masters in Curriculum and Instruction.