9 primary to secondary transition resources and activities
Do you have a new year 7 class? Our list of primary to secondary transition activities have got your first week covered.
Transition from primary to secondary doesn’t have to be a big scary move for students. We’ve gathered together a selection of primary to secondary transition activities and ideas for secondary teachers. Our secondary ideas are perfect for tutor groups to complete in the first few weeks of the school year.
9 primary to secondary transition tutor time activities
The move to big school can be somewhat overwhelming for many year 7s. They are very small fish in a very large pond all of a sudden, with multiple teachers, classrooms and subjects to comprehend, not to mention the horror stories they’ve heard from older siblings.
Here are some great tutor time activities to help them settle into school in those first few weeks.
1. Selfie treasure hunt
The first-week treasure hunt is always a favourite. It’s a great way for children to get to know the school grounds in a fun, exciting and controlled way.
You could mix up your approach to this by incorporating the selfie. Children are given a list of places around the school that they must find and take a selfie at as evidence. Not only does this bring the treasure hunt into the 21st Century, you’ve also got a bank of hilarious photos to be used at their year 11 prom.
2. One word description
It can sometimes be difficult to tell how the first week of secondary school has gone for some students - particularly those who are introverted and definitely don’t want to create a fuss. Provide students the opportunity to tell you that something is not quite right with a one-word review.
Give each student a post-it and ask them to write one word to describe their first week at school and to sign their name - reassure them, their review won’t be shared with the class. Put them in a jar and take a look at them after school. If any words concern you, make a note to speak to them or their parents in the coming week.
3. Get to know the tech your school uses
Long gone are the days of homework diaries. But it’s imperative that new students to the school get to know the tech that has replaced the old-school planner.
Fence out time to go through the technology that your school uses and allow students to ask any questions. It’s an excellent opportunity for you to see the pupil's view of the systems you use.
4. Line up! Line up!
It’s entirely possible that your year 7s are very accustomed to lining up outside the classroom. It’s also possible that they are not and need the practice.
Practice lining up by giving children the challenge of lining up alphabetically, by height or age. To add extra challenge, you could get them to do this in silence - it’s a great way to exercise non-verbal communication. It definitely involves teamwork!
Related content:
Primary to secondary school transition: consistency of language and instruction
8 inclusive teaching strategies and seeing the invisible child
LbQ's Passport to Secondary Science: a year 7 science transition resource
5. Get-to-know-you class sort
This one is similar to the previous, but rather than practising lining up, this activity encourages children to get to know each other.
Challenge children to sort themselves based on different topics that reveal something about them. Instruct children to sit with everyone who has the same:
birthday month as you
number of siblings as you
favourite colour as you
favourite subject as you
hobby as you
favourite book
6. Letter to your older self
Ask children to write a letter to their older self about their first week at school. They could describe their favourite subjects, what they hope to achieve, what sports they enjoy, what hobbies they have, what job they want to do when they’re older and some of the things they’d like to do in life.
These letters can be held onto and given back to children either at the end of year 7, or keep them for their last week in year 11. It’s a great opportunity for reflection… and a few laughs!
7. End-of-first-week quiz
Hold an end-of-the-first-week quiz and base questions on the school, your class’s teachers, and common areas of the school grounds. You might ask a few questions about behaviour and uniform policy to check their understanding.
Give prizes out and send everyone home on a high from their first week at big school!
8. Children’s names wordsearch
Simple, but effective in helping children learn the names of the children they share a tutor group with.
Use a wordsearch generator and input all the first names of your tutor group. Have it as an activity when all the children arrive into your classroom. It will settle everyone down and help them get to know each other’s names.
9. Tutor group jobs
Children in primary school are commonly given responsibilities around the classroom. This not only encourages independence and taking pride in their tutor room, it helps relieve some of the small jobs around the classroom from your workload.
Jobs that you could assign to students in your class:
Litter collectors
Handing out/collecting exercise books
Whiteboard cleaner
Bookshelf tidier
Window shutter
Door holder - you’ll be surprised how much time is saved and noise reduced.
If you’re looking for more resources to help with primary to secondary transitions, Young Minds and the BBC have a selection of resources to help, particularly with the mental health challenges that come with this unsettled time.
Bonus activity
Are you a maths teacher and need to assess where your pupils' gaps are? Use LbQ's Transition Pack to find the gaps and plug them with low-stakes assessments and resources you wont have to mark.