5 Classroom Themes for August

In this blog post today I’m sharing 5 classroom themes for August. August is always a bit of an up-and-down month for me. We’re not in school for the whole month (hello, last-minute summer breaks!), so sometimes I’ll stretch out themes from summer school, or I’ll start sneaking in some of those fun September themes a little early.

But if you’re someone who is in school for most of August, or even if you’re just looking for ideas to keep your classroom fresh and fun as the new year approaches… Then I think you’ll love these themes! Below, I’m sharing some of my favorites, plus tons of ideas, resources, blog posts, Pinterest links, and more to help you bring them to life in your classroom.

1. Back to School

Back to School can absolutely be a theme in itself (and let’s be honest, it often takes over my classroom in August!). I really love focusing on school-themed resources during this time and helping students settle into their new routines, whether it’s a brand-new classroom or a familiar one.

I spend a lot of time on classroom rules, expectations, and building those all-important classroom routines. But I also think it’s super important to have FUN together. After all, building strong relationships with my students is the key to a great school year ahead.

Here are some of my favorite Back to School activities:

Other ideas for a Back to School theme:

School scavenger hunts – perfect for helping students learn where everything is!
Classroom tours with visuals.
First day of school photo booth (with props!)
Classroom promise posters – students can sign or add their handprints.

2. All About Me / My Family

This is hands-down one of my favourite themes to kick off the new school year. I love spending time getting to know my students and their families. It’s also a great way to ensure that our classroom is a welcoming, inclusive space that represents everyone’s family, culture, and identity throughout the year.

Activities for this theme also build language skills, social interaction, and self-awareness.. all in a really fun way.

Some of my favorite activities for this are;

Other ideas for All About Me:

Family photo collages.
Classroom family tree – everyone adds a branch.
“My favourite things” show and tell.
Self-portrait art using mirrors.
Family traditions week – students (with family support) share a special recipe, song, or holiday.

3. Five Senses

I tend to incorporate five senses activities all year round, because they’re a brilliant way to create a more sensory-friendly classroom environment. Plus, there are SO many fun ways to explore this theme, through play, art, cooking, sensory bins, and more.

If I’m doing it as a theme in August, I’ll often tie it into Back to School or an All About Me unit (e.g. “What smells do you like?”, “What textures feel comforting?”).

Some of my favorite five senses specific activities are;

Other sensory ideas:

Scented play dough.
Texture walks (barefoot if appropriate!).
Taste testing (sweet, salty, sour, bitter).
Sound jars – guess what’s inside based on sound.
Sensory bottles for calming.

4. Kindness / Community

Kindness is such an abstract concept to teach – and I think it’s something we need to practice throughout the year. I really like running it as a theme in August (when we’re building our classroom community), and often I’ll link it with Community Helpers to help students understand different roles in the world around them.

It’s also a great time to start building social-emotional skills and positive classroom relationships.

Here are some of my go-to resources:

Other community ideas:

Kindness jar – students add pom-poms when they see kind acts.
Acts of kindness bingo.
Community helper dress-up days.
Guest visits from local helpers (police, fire, paramedics, postal workers).
Create a classroom kindness pledge.

5. The Beach / Ocean

August is the perfect time to run a beach or ocean theme – especially if you live near the coast (like I do!). You can easily tie it into every subject area, and let’s be honest: it’s just fun. My students love it when I transform the classroom with beach towels, shells, sensory bins with kinetic sand, and ocean sounds in the background. We also take a lot of beach-related field trips when we can!

Some of my favorite activities for this theme:

Other beach/ocean ideas:

Sensory bins with sand, shells, and water beads.
Ocean songs and rhymes.
Sink or float experiments.
Ocean animal art (printing with sponges, bubble wrap, or finger painting).
Beach-themed math games (counting shells, graphing ocean animals).
Dramatic play: Beach café or ice-cream stand.

So there you have it – my 5 favorite classroom themes to use throughout August! Under each one I’ve tried to give you a range of ideas and activities you can try with your students. Whether you’re easing back into school or going full speed with summer school, these themes can be adapted to suit your students’ needs and interests.

I’d love to know what theme(s) YOU have planned for August in your classroom! Drop a comment below and share!

Helpful Links

You may also find the following links helpful;

If you found this blog post helpful, please consider sharing it with your friends and colleagues on social media, it helps more teachers find support, and it means the world to me and my little family too.

And if you haven’t already, be sure to check out my Free Resource Library for tons of classroom tools, visuals, and printables to make your teaching life easier (and a whole lot more fun!).

P.S. Have you signed up for my VIP membership yet? If not, head on over and sign up now. You’ll get access to hundreds and hundreds of resources, templates, crafts and more being uploaded every month!

Nikki