The first week in Nursery and Kindergarten is about more than teaching letters and numbers. Young children are entering a new rhythm. Some are returning after a holiday; others may be meeting a teacher and classmates for the first time. The teacher’s first responsibility is to create a classroom where children feel welcomed, safe, understood and ready to participate.

This guide gives Nigerian Nursery and Kindergarten teachers practical activities for the first week of the 2026/2027 school session. The activities can be adapted to the children’s ages, developmental levels, school routines and available resources.

What Should the First Week Look Like?

For young children, a strong first week balances connection, routine, play, communication, movement and gentle learning. Do not feel pressured to fill every minute with worksheets. Children need repeated opportunities to practise simple routines and understand how the classroom works.

• Warm greetings and name recognition
• Short circle-time activities
• Songs, rhymes and movement
• Stories and conversation
• Sensory and manipulative play
• Early literacy and numeracy through play
• Fine- and gross-motor activities
• Simple social and self-care routines

Monday: Welcome, Belonging and Classroom Discovery

1. Welcome at the Door

Greet each child warmly and use the child’s name whenever possible. A simple “Good morning, Ada” or “Welcome, Daniel” helps children begin to recognise that the classroom is a place where they belong.

For very young children who are anxious at separation, keep the goodbye routine calm and predictable. Follow the school’s safeguarding and parent handover procedures.

2. Find My Name

Place children’s name cards where they can find them. Nursery pupils can match their names with photographs or symbols, while Kindergarten pupils can begin identifying letters in their names.

The activity can be as simple as: “Find your card, bring it to me and tell me your name.”

3. Classroom Treasure Hunt

Take children around the room and introduce important areas: the reading corner, toys, art materials, handwashing area, toilet procedure, bags and lunch area. Turn the tour into a gentle “Where does this belong?” game.

4. My Feelings Today

Use simple face drawings or picture cards showing happy, sad, worried, excited and tired. Ask children to point to or name how they feel. Do not pressure a child to speak publicly if they are uncomfortable.

Tuesday: Songs, Rhymes, Listening and Early Language

5. Name Song

Sing a simple greeting song and include children’s names one at a time. Songs and rhymes can make repeated language practice enjoyable.

Nigerian early-years schemes commonly use nursery rhymes, speech activities and songs as early literacy experiences. citeturn0search2turn0search7

6. Story Time With Objects

Choose a short story and use real objects or picture cards where possible. Pause to ask simple questions:

• What can you see?
• Who is this?
• What happened?
• What do you think happens next?

7. Sound Hunt

Invite children to listen quietly for familiar sounds: a bell, footsteps, birds, a vehicle outside or classroom sounds. Ask them to imitate the sound or identify its source.

For older Kindergarten pupils, connect sounds to familiar words and beginning sounds without turning the activity into a stressful phonics test.

Wednesday: Early Mathematics Through Play

8. Count the Classroom

Use real objects. Count pencils, blocks, chairs, cups or crayons. Nursery children can practise small quantities; Kindergarten children can count larger sets according to their readiness.

9. Sort and Match

Give children safe objects such as bottle tops, blocks, large buttons or classroom materials and ask them to sort by colour, size or shape. Always use age-appropriate materials and supervise closely.

10. Shape Hunt

Ask children to find circles, squares, rectangles or triangles around the classroom. A clock, book, window, board or plate can become a learning resource.

11. More or Less?

Place two groups of objects in front of the children. Ask which group has more, which has fewer or whether they are the same. Let children explain by pointing or counting.

Thursday: Art, Sensory Play and Movement

12. Tear-and-Paste Activity

Give children paper to tear and paste onto a simple shape or picture. This develops hand strength, coordination and creativity.

13. Drawing My Classroom

Ask children to draw one thing they saw in the classroom. Kindergarten pupils can label familiar objects with teacher support.

14. Sensory Exploration

Use safe, age-appropriate materials such as dry rice, sand, water, textured fabric or play dough where permitted by your school’s safety procedures. Let children explore, scoop, pour, press and describe.

Low-pressure sensory and manipulative activities can help young children settle while giving teachers opportunities to observe communication, fine-motor and social behaviour. citeturn0search4

15. Move Like an Animal

Invite children to hop like a rabbit, walk like an elephant, flap like a bird or crawl like a tortoise. Keep movements controlled and make sure the space is safe.

Friday: Review, Routine and Celebration

16. What Did We Learn?

Use pictures and objects to revisit the week’s experiences. Ask children to name something they remember, demonstrate a routine or choose their favourite activity.

17. Routine Practice Game

Practise one important routine as a game: lining up, washing hands, packing toys away, sitting for story time or responding to the teacher’s attention signal.

Early-years classroom guidance consistently emphasises modelling, practising and repeating routines rather than merely announcing them. citeturn0search1

18. “I Can” Celebration

Give each child a simple positive statement such as “I can pack my bag,” “I can listen to a story,” “I can share a toy” or “I can count.” Recognition should focus on effort, participation and growing independence rather than competition.

First-Week Activities for Nursery 1

• Greeting and name recognition
• Nursery rhymes and action songs
• Colour and object matching
• Free exploration with safe toys
• Simple counting of objects
• Body-part songs
• Large-movement games
• Handwashing and classroom routines

First-Week Activities for Nursery 2

• Name and picture matching
• Storytelling and question-answer activities
• Beginning-sound games
• Counting and sorting objects
• Drawing and colouring
• Simple cutting, tearing and pasting with safe supervision
• Role-play and pretend play
• Turn-taking games

First-Week Activities for Kindergarten

• Name writing and name recognition
• Letter and sound games
• Story retelling
• Counting and quantity games
• Shape and colour activities
• Pattern-making with blocks or objects
• Fine-motor tracing and drawing
• Group problem-solving and show-and-tell

Simple Early Literacy Activities

Early literacy should feel meaningful. Try these activities:

• Picture Talk: show a picture and encourage children to describe what they see.
• Story Prediction: pause before the ending and ask what might happen next.
• Rhyme Time: use familiar nursery rhymes and let children supply repeated words.
• Letter Hunt: help Kindergarten pupils find a target letter in their names or classroom labels.
• Sound and Object Match: match a familiar object with its beginning sound where developmentally appropriate.

Simple Early Numeracy Activities

• Count children in the group.
• Count classroom objects.
• Match one object to one space.
• Sort objects by colour or size.
• Compare groups as more, fewer or same.
• Identify familiar shapes.
• Create simple repeating patterns.

Classroom Routines Young Children Should Practise

Do not expect children to master routines after hearing them once. Model each routine, practise it and repeat it consistently. Useful first-week routines include:

• Entering the classroom
• Keeping bags in the correct place
• Washing hands
• Using the toilet according to school procedures
• Moving to circle time
• Sharing and returning materials
• Cleaning up after activities
• Lining up safely
• Asking for help
• Preparing for dismissal

Consistent routines can support children’s sense of safety, independence and confidence. citeturn0search1

What Teachers Should Observe During the First Week

The first week is also an observation window. Notice:

• How children respond to their names.
• Whether they follow one-step instructions.
• How they communicate needs.
• How they interact with other children.
• Fine-motor control during drawing, building or manipulating materials.
• Gross-motor confidence during movement.
• Ability to participate in short group activities.
• Early counting, colour, shape or language knowledge.

These observations can guide later lesson planning without turning the first week into a high-pressure examination.

How to Support a Child Who Is Crying

Some children will cry during separation. Stay calm, acknowledge the child’s feelings and follow your school’s agreed settling-in and parent communication procedures. Offer a familiar activity, a comforting routine and a predictable next step. Avoid shaming a child for crying.

Keep the classroom atmosphere warm but structured. The objective is not to stop every tear immediately; it is to help the child gradually experience the classroom as a safe and predictable place.

Monday-to-Friday First-Week Plan

What Teachers Should Avoid in the First Week

• Do not overload very young children with worksheets.
• Do not expect every child to settle at the same speed.
• Do not force a frightened child to perform publicly.
• Do not introduce too many routines at once.
• Do not confuse noise and movement with poor learning; young children learn through active participation.
• Do not make the first week entirely academic.
• Do not compare children publicly.

Teacher’s First-Week Preparation Checklist

• ☐ Name cards ready
• ☐ Welcome activity prepared
• ☐ Songs and rhymes selected
• ☐ Storybooks available
• ☐ Safe manipulatives ready
• ☐ Art materials checked
• ☐ Classroom routines planned
• ☐ Parent handover and dismissal procedures understood
• ☐ Simple observation notes prepared
• ☐ First-week timetable reviewed

Connect First-Week Activities to Lesson Planning

The first week should become the bridge into the rest of the term. What you observe during songs, stories, counting, play and routines can tell you where to begin your formal lesson planning.

For the wider resumption strategy, use the 2026/2027 School Resumption Guide. Teachers can also move between the Back-to-School Checklist and Teacher Preparation Guide as they prepare their classrooms.

Frequently Asked Questions

What are good first-week activities for Nursery children?

Greeting games, name recognition, songs, stories, sensory exploration, counting objects, movement, drawing and simple classroom routines are excellent starting points.

What should Kindergarten children do in the first week?

Kindergarten pupils can combine welcome activities with early literacy, numeracy, story retelling, name writing, pattern work, shape activities, fine-motor practice and group routines.

Should Nursery pupils do worksheets during the first week?

Short, developmentally appropriate paper activities can be useful, but they should not dominate the week. Young children also need play, movement, conversation, manipulation and exploration.

How can a teacher help a child who is crying at school?

Stay calm, acknowledge the child’s feelings, follow the school’s settling-in and safeguarding procedures, offer a predictable activity and avoid shame. Children settle at different rates.

Final Thought

The first week of Nursery and Kindergarten is not a race to prove how much a child can memorise. It is the beginning of a relationship with school. When children experience warmth, predictable routines, play, language, movement and purposeful exploration, they have a stronger foundation for learning.

Welcome them first. Build trust. Then build learning.