On the First Day of Kindergarten
Interactive Kindergarten Read-Aloud Lesson Pack
Celebrate the many exciting “firsts” children experience during kindergarten with this interactive literacy and early-math lesson!
Inspired by On the First Day of Kindergarten by Tish Rabe, this engaging lesson helps children notice repetition, sequence events and explore the story’s growing cumulative structure. Learners then work together to create an original class list of memorable kindergarten experiences.
As each new experience is added, children match it with a numeral, count the growing collection and create a movement to represent it. The lesson brings together oral language, comprehension, sequencing, movement, patterning and number sense in a playful and meaningful way.
What’s Included
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Two-page interactive teacher lesson
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Big idea and learning goal
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Student-friendly success criteria
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Minds On growing-pattern activity
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Before and during-reading prompts
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“Create Our Growing Kindergarten List” activity
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Consolidation and reflection prompts
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Assessment look-fors
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Differentiation and accessibility supports
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Extension and suggested next steps
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Ontario Kindergarten Curriculum 2026 connections
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Relevant U.S. Common Core Kindergarten standards
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Six photographic Kindergarten Firsts Cards
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Numeral cards from 1–12
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First, Next, Then and Last sequencing support
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“One Kindergarten First I Remember” student activity
Kindergarten Experience Cards
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Making a friend
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Reading a book
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Creating art
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Building together
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Playing outside
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Sharing an idea
Skills Addressed
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Recognizing repetition
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Exploring cumulative story structure
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Recalling and sequencing events
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Using first, next, then and last
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Counting and numeral recognition
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Connecting counting with quantity
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Understanding one more
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Oral communication
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Personal narrative
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Drawing, dictating and early writing
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Reflecting on classroom experiences
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Building confidence and belonging
Flexible and Inclusive
Children may demonstrate their understanding through speaking, drawing, pointing, acting, movement, home language, dictation or AAC.
The lesson can begin with only three experiences before gradually growing to a longer sequence. Real classroom photographs, objects, gestures, numeral paths and ten frames may also be added to support individual learners.
Use This Resource For
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First-week and first-month read-alouds
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Whole-group literacy
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Early number sense
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Oral-language instruction
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Sequencing lessons
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Classroom community building
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Small-group learning
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Independent Activities
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Class memory books
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End-of-month reflection
The completed student pages can be combined to make an “Our Kindergarten Firsts” class memory book that children can revisit throughout the year.
Please note: The book is not included. You will need your own copy of On the First Day of Kindergarten to complete the read-aloud lesson.
This independently created educational resource is not affiliated with or endorsed by the author, illustrator or publisher.
