One of the best ways to get to know your students at the beginning of the school year is with “All About Me” activities. They’re the perfect way for students to share about themselves and learn more about each other. And not only are they fun, but there are also many other benefits:
Helps you learn more about your students. When students share, you discover their likes, personal interests, strengths, and goals. You get to know them on a personal level and can then use this information to support learning.
Builds self-esteem. Giving your students the opportunity to reflect on what makes them unique and special builds their confidence and self-worth and sets them up for a successful year.
Creates a sense of community. Sharing personal details helps students form a connection with one another. They begin to know and care about their classmates and see themselves as part of a team. And recognizing others in the class that have similar interests can be a starting point for fostering special friendships.
Once you get to know your new students, compile their responses in a one-of-a-kind hardcover photo book. Not only will it make a wonderful keepsake, your All About Me book will help establish a sense of pride in your community.
Feature your All About Me book in your classroom library; kids will love checking it out to read over and over at reading time. Or let students take turns bringing it home every week to share with their families; they’ll be so proud to showcase what’s going on in their lives. Better yet, give parents the opportunity to order a copy so kids can enjoy it at home and treasure it as a keepsake.
Include a whole class spread
Start with a composite of all the students in your class (plus you, of course!). Sometime during the first week of school, take a snapshot of each student outside on the playground, as they enter the classroom, or inside at their desks. Later in the year, you’ll all be amazed at how much everyone has grown.
Let each student shine with pages of their own
When you put your book together, each student’s page doesn’t have to be exactly the same. Let your students choose what they’d like to share in their All About Us book. Here are few topics they can choose from:
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- Facts: birthday, age, what they want to be when they grow up, three words that describe them, eye and hair color, height and weight, shoe size, etc.
- Favorites: sports, hobbies, books, movies, foods, animals, place, subject in school, etc.
- Family: parents, siblings, grandparents, pets, best friends, etc.
- Home: where they live, what their room looks like, their favorite part of the home, etc.
- Others: Things That Make Me Happy, Things I Do For Fun, My Special Talents, My Goals, and My Writing.
Plus, Mixbook offers traditional yearbooks, too!
Most importantly, get creative with your All About Me book!
These days, teachers don’t have time to put together a keepsake book the old-fashioned way, spending countless hours cutting and pasting, gluing, and decorating. Why not try a photo book service, instead? Mixbook offers a huge choice of templates, themes, designs, and embellishments. And their photo editor gives you the creative freedom to fully customize your one-of-a-kind design any way you like. Best of all, it’s free, fun, and easy to use on any device.
Check out what teachers who have used Mixbook have to say:
“From backgrounds and stickers to text boxes that you size to fit your project, to uploading pictures and placing them where YOU want. It’s really fun and VERY user-friendly. I can say that in all honesty because I am NOT tech-savvy at all and I have been able to master this.”— Marianne
“The best templates, themes, and editor in the business. Editing is easy and flexible-anything you want to make different, you can!”— Miranda
Ready to get started? Check out the adorable variety of themes from Mixbook.
Plus, get a special offer including 1 free 8.5 x 8.5 glossy hardcover book with 20 semi-gloss pages by submitting a quote request form.
