Easy First Week of School Math Activities for Middle School
The first week back to school is all about setting the tone. You want students engaged, building confidence, and slowly easing into math routines without diving straight into heavy content. These activities are designed to do exactly that.
1. Back to School Math Pack (Grades 6–8)
If you’re looking for something that’s more than just icebreakers (but still easy to prep) this pack is a great place to start. It includes 8 different activities that get students thinking about math without overwhelming them on day one.
Students will reflect on how they feel about math, list ways they use it in real life, solve a logic puzzle, graph their names on a coordinate grid, and more. These activities are simple but meaningful - and they give you a quick read on your students’ strengths, mindset, and confidence!
Back to School Activities - First Week of School
It’s completely print-and-go, and you can spread the activities out over the first week or just pull one or two as needed.
2. ‘Me, Myself, & Math’ About Me Activity
This is a favorite for a reason! It combines math with getting to know your students. They use math to describe themselves with:
Ratios in their names
Bar graphs about daily habits
Fractions about their interests
Coordinate graph initials
Math Poster Activity
It’s a great way to review key concepts like fractions, ratios, and data while learning about your students. It also makes a great display once complete.
3. ‘My Math Tessellation’ Group Display
This is a collaborative art-meets-math activity that works especially well in the first week. Each student gets a hexagon to decorate based on their learning style, classroom preferences, strengths, and interests. Once everyone’s finished, you piece the hexagons together into a big class display. It makes a great bulletin board or door decoration!
Hands-on!
Gain insight into how your students learn and what helps them feel successful in class - you will love the creativity!
Final Tip: Mix and Match Based on Your Class
You don’t have to do all three. Choose what fits your group, your teaching style, and your first week schedule. Each activity helps build connection and gently reintroduces students to thinking mathematically, which is exactly what that first week should do.
Want ready-to-go versions of these activities? You can grab each one individually or as part of a growing bundle, just click the images for the link!
