It’s that time of year again—new backpacks, sharpened crayons, and fresh starts. For preschool and special education teachers, back-to-school isn’t just about supplies—it’s about routines, communication, and building confidence.
That’s why this back to school adapted book, Backpack, Backpack, What’s Inside?, has become one of my favorite ways to ease students into classroom expectations while practicing classification, vocabulary, and early language skills.
This interactive book gets little learners excited about what belongs in their backpack… and giggling over what doesn’t.
📘 What Is This Back to School Adapted Book All About?
In this playful adapted book for the beginning of the school year, students explore common classroom items like:
✏️ Crayons
🥪 Sandwiches
📓 Notebooks
✂️ Scissors
They’ll also find a few silly surprises that don’t belong in a backpack—like a dinosaur or a sock!
Each page prompts the question:
“Does this belong in a backpack?”
🧠 Skill Development in Every Page
This preschool adapted book is designed to support key back-to-school skills:
✅ Classification Skills – Sorting school vs. non-school items
✅ Language Development – Vocabulary expansion and yes/no responses
✅ Visual Discrimination – Identifying and categorizing familiar objects
✅ Predictable Structure – Supports emergent readers and nonverbal learners
Perfect for early childhood special education and Pre-K classrooms.
✂️ Free Printable to Extend the Learning
To take learning further, download the Backpack Sorting Mat Freebie—a simple cut-and-paste activity for small groups, assessments, or take-home reinforcement.
What’s Included:
🧠 Teacher directions
🎒 Sorting mat with “Belongs/Doesn’t Belong” categories
✂️ Picture cutouts (crayon, sandwich, dinosaur, glue stick, etc.)
💡 Ideas for Using This Book in the Classroom
Use this back to school adapted book for:
Morning meeting routines
1:1 speech-language sessions
Hands-on pairings with real backpack items
Independent task boxes with laminated pages and Velcro
➡️ Visit Snicker-Doodles Pre-K Market on TPT
The start of the school year can be overwhelming for little learners—but with the right tools, it can also be empowering.
Backpack, Backpack, What’s Inside? offers a playful, structured way to build foundational skills and introduce students to the language of learning. And who doesn’t love lifting a flap to reveal a surprise?
Download the freebie, print your book, and let the back-to-school fun begin!
