This guide gives Nigerian primary school teachers practical activities they can use from Monday to Friday during the first week of the 2026/2027 academic session. Adapt the activities to the age, ability and realities of your class.
What Should Happen During the First Week?
A strong first week balances four things: belonging, routine, assessment and learning. Pupils should feel welcomed, know what is expected of them, demonstrate what they already know and begin meaningful curriculum work.
- Welcome and relationship-building
- Classroom rules and routines
- Revision of essential previous knowledge
- Simple diagnostic assessment
- Reading, writing and Mathematics activities
- Practical and collaborative learning
- Reflection and preparation for Week 2
Monday: Welcome, Get to Know Your Pupils and Establish Routines
1. Name and Greeting Activity
Ask pupils to introduce themselves using an age-appropriate sentence such as, “My name is Ada. I enjoy reading.” Younger pupils can simply say their name while passing a soft classroom object around the circle.
For Primary 4–6, extend the activity by asking pupils to share one learning goal for the new term.
2. Classroom Tour and Routine Practice
Show pupils where to keep books, submit classwork, get learning materials and dispose of waste. Practise entering the classroom, responding to attention signals, forming groups and packing away materials.
3. Holiday Talk and Short Writing
Let pupils talk about one memorable holiday experience. Lower-primary pupils can draw and label something they did. Upper-primary pupils can write five to ten sentences.
4. Class Rules Activity
Instead of simply dictating rules, ask pupils what helps everyone learn. Turn their best suggestions into a short class agreement. Keep the final rules clear and realistic.
Tuesday: Reading, English and Communication Activities
5. Read-Aloud and Comprehension
Choose a short passage suitable for the class. Read it aloud, allow pupils to read sections and ask questions before, during and after reading.
- What is the passage about?
- Who are the main characters?
- What happened first?
- What happened next?
- What lesson can we learn?
6. Vocabulary Hunt
Write five useful words from the passage on the board. Ask pupils to explain, draw, act out or use each word in a sentence. For older pupils, ask them to find synonyms or antonyms.
7. Sentence-Building Challenge
Give pupils individual words and ask them to arrange them into correct sentences. Primary 1–2 can work with three to five words; Primary 5–6 can build compound or more descriptive sentences.
Teachers can adapt the existing Primary 4 English Grammar Revision resource for an upper-primary class.
Wednesday: Mathematics and Thinking Activities
8. Mental Mathematics Warm-Up
Begin with five quick questions. Use number recognition and simple counting for lower primary, then gradually introduce operations, place value, fractions or other prerequisite skills for upper primary.
9. Mathematics Around Us
Connect Mathematics to familiar Nigerian situations. Ask pupils to calculate the number of exercise books on desks, compare quantities, count classroom objects, work out simple prices or solve a transport-related word problem appropriate to their age.
10. Find the Mistake
Write an incorrect calculation on the board. Ask pupils to identify the mistake and explain how to correct it. This helps you see whether learners understand a process or are simply memorising answers.
A teacher can use the Primary 1 Mathematics examination resource as inspiration when preparing age-appropriate baseline questions.
Thursday: Science, Social Learning and Group Activities
11. Simple Observation Activity
Give groups a safe everyday object such as a leaf, stone, bottle, pencil or piece of fabric. Ask pupils to observe and describe its colour, shape, texture, size and possible uses. Older pupils can classify the objects and explain their reasons.
12. Classroom Community Challenge
Give groups a problem: “Our classroom becomes untidy after break. What can we do?” Let pupils suggest solutions, choose the best ones and explain why they might work.
13. Teamwork Task
Give each group a simple task with assigned roles such as leader, recorder, materials manager and presenter. Rotate the roles so pupils learn that teamwork involves responsibility, not just sitting together.
Friday: Review, Assessment and Celebration of Learning
14. Five-Question Weekly Review
Ask five short questions covering the week’s most important learning. Keep the tone calm. The purpose is to identify what needs reinforcement before Week 2.
15. Exit Ticket
Before leaving, ask pupils to complete one or two prompts:
- One thing I learned this week was…
- One thing I still want to understand is…
- One classroom routine I can now do confidently is…
16. Positive Recognition
Recognise specific behaviours and learning habits: careful listening, helpful teamwork, persistence, improvement or thoughtful answers. Avoid making the first week only about who scored highest.
First-Week English Activities for Primary 1–6
| Class | Activity |
|---|---|
| Primary 1 | Picture naming, letter sounds, greetings and simple oral sentences. |
| Primary 2 | Short reading, word matching and sentence completion. |
| Primary 3 | Reading comprehension, vocabulary and guided paragraph writing. |
| Primary 4 | Grammar revision, comprehension and short composition. |
| Primary 5 | Vocabulary, sentence structure, comprehension and paragraph organisation. |
| Primary 6 | Comprehension, grammar, vocabulary and structured writing. |
First-Week Mathematics Activities for Primary 1–6
- Primary 1: counting objects, number recognition and simple addition.
- Primary 2: number bonds, addition/subtraction and simple word problems.
- Primary 3: place value, operations and multiplication facts.
- Primary 4: whole numbers, operations and problem-solving.
- Primary 5: fractions, decimals, operations and prerequisite skills for the term.
- Primary 6: mixed revision, problem-solving and examination-readiness skills where appropriate.
Simple Diagnostic Assessment Ideas
Keep the first assessment short enough to mark and use. Consider:
- One short reading passage with five questions.
- Five to ten Mathematics questions based on prerequisite skills.
- A short writing task.
- Oral questions for lower-primary pupils.
- A subject-specific task linked to the first topic.
Do not use the results merely to rank pupils. Look for patterns. If many pupils make the same error, that is information about your teaching plan.
First-Week Classroom Games
- Find Someone Who: pupils find classmates who match simple statements.
- Word Relay: teams build words or sentences from cards.
- Number Challenge: pupils solve quick age-appropriate number problems.
- Mystery Object: pupils ask questions and use clues to identify an object.
- Pass the Question: a question moves around the class and each pupil contributes.
Games should have a clear learning purpose. Avoid activities that create unnecessary competition or embarrass pupils who are still settling into the class.
How to Keep the First Week Calm
- Give instructions in short steps.
- Model activities before asking pupils to begin.
- Use consistent attention signals.
- Move around the classroom while pupils work.
- Correct behaviour calmly and specifically.
- Leave a little breathing space between activities.
What Teachers Should Avoid
- Starting with an overwhelming amount of homework.
- Giving a long examination on the first day.
- Spending the entire week on rules without meaningful learning.
- Assuming every pupil has the same level of prior knowledge.
- Using public comparison to motivate pupils.
- Trying to finish too much curriculum content before understanding the class.
Ready-to-Use Monday–Friday First-Week Plan
| Day | Main focus | Suggested activity |
|---|---|---|
| Monday | Belonging & routines | Introductions, classroom tour, rules and holiday sharing. |
| Tuesday | English | Reading, vocabulary and writing. |
| Wednesday | Mathematics | Mental maths, prerequisite skills and problem-solving. |
| Thursday | Discovery & teamwork | Observation, group work and classroom problem-solving. |
| Friday | Review & assessment | Weekly review, exit ticket and positive recognition. |
Connect These Activities to Your Lesson Planning
First-week activities should not exist separately from the term’s curriculum. Use what you observe to shape your lesson plans. If pupils struggle with a prerequisite skill, build a short revision sequence into the first lessons rather than pushing forward blindly.
For additional planning support, explore the Primary 5 Agricultural Science Scheme of Work, the Primary 4 English Grammar Revision, and other published Lessonshabitat resources linked throughout the site.
Frequently Asked Questions
What activities should teachers do in the first week of school?
Teachers can combine welcome activities, classroom routines, revision, diagnostic assessment, reading, writing, Mathematics, practical activities, group work and weekly reflection.
Should the first week be used only for revision?
No. A balanced first week combines revision and assessment with appropriate new learning. The amount of new content should depend on the learners’ readiness.
What is a good first-week activity for Primary 1?
Simple greetings, picture talk, songs, counting objects, classroom routines, drawing and short oral activities are useful because they help the teacher observe readiness while helping children settle.
How can teachers assess pupils without making them anxious?
Use short, familiar tasks and explain that the purpose is to help the teacher know what to teach. Avoid presenting a diagnostic exercise as a high-stakes examination.
Final Thought
The first week is not merely the opening chapter of a school term. It is where classroom culture begins to take shape. When pupils feel welcomed, understand routines and experience meaningful learning early, the teacher has created a stronger foundation for the weeks ahead.
Start gently. Observe carefully. Teach intentionally. Then build.